tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63869366704144054522024-03-12T18:58:51.290-06:00tim & caittrying our best to keep austin weird.Caitlin Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417848115673458546noreply@blogger.comBlogger1025125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-55593291724126232752015-11-01T22:44:00.000-07:002015-11-01T22:46:26.786-07:00Halloween<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We had a great time on Halloween. As always, it was kind of a last minute attempt to throw together Halloween costumes for ourselves and the kids, as well as last minute decisions on where to Trick or Treat. Also, the never ending debate over what to do with all this candy. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A lot of our plans were disrupted, directly or indirectly by flooding.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIM2G4t6OkVyFA2HkEwHZAyKVVivE5sJUNwXdpyYa28eJgCxWKAiPte1PMwCEQng8z42lCjvZg8b4p1DX7RKTPRKfdt3DZbJKivIkWJv-v8hQpbZX0z_Sl25cXp_KnURDA-lxrikQMoNDo/s1600/IMG_2434.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIM2G4t6OkVyFA2HkEwHZAyKVVivE5sJUNwXdpyYa28eJgCxWKAiPte1PMwCEQng8z42lCjvZg8b4p1DX7RKTPRKfdt3DZbJKivIkWJv-v8hQpbZX0z_Sl25cXp_KnURDA-lxrikQMoNDo/s640/IMG_2434.JPG" width="640" /></a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There were tornadoes reported in the area, lots of flooding nearby and we all spent some time in the tornado safe areas of home/school. This caused the cancellation of both Atticus's school's Fall Festival as well as the Seminary's Trunk or Treat, which was a bummer, because those were going to be the most kid-exciting portions of the days.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
But we did get a family potluck and an adults-only party on Friday, an apartment hallway party, 2.5 hours of Trick-or-Treating and another 1.5 hours of Episcopal Seminary party at night. A great couple of days.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Cait as Imperator Furiosa from Mad Max (which she has never seen, but killed anyway):</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Xa4ROFweIa3pw_NHEnwhvJznzlKQIEw9muJSGIBg08xAJAl3zdRH7UFLehg2ZINbzz2nRKL7UKP80lB4iDWecLKcZPec8S3e0zz884Upkt9si-fyWo6DdGb-iMRY7DfRtoaqRhJWQIRF/s1600/IMG_0555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Xa4ROFweIa3pw_NHEnwhvJznzlKQIEw9muJSGIBg08xAJAl3zdRH7UFLehg2ZINbzz2nRKL7UKP80lB4iDWecLKcZPec8S3e0zz884Upkt9si-fyWo6DdGb-iMRY7DfRtoaqRhJWQIRF/s640/IMG_0555.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFPg9fWQfvgcQ6UoB_1oDASkp0VQfLn2QHN3EnbTQRlbq32XWP3AvE9P6-6RGeYWVBlQfnjfGOWx-aQX7lcv1rJU5QeHYHRrIfpJidTMOynBsGS_LgwZeYqnkZP5Wp4dJ3M7dNlo-jNxa/s1600/IMG_2447.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFPg9fWQfvgcQ6UoB_1oDASkp0VQfLn2QHN3EnbTQRlbq32XWP3AvE9P6-6RGeYWVBlQfnjfGOWx-aQX7lcv1rJU5QeHYHRrIfpJidTMOynBsGS_LgwZeYqnkZP5Wp4dJ3M7dNlo-jNxa/s640/IMG_2447.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRFEFgSyAHXLxIyZFSzL8IQwnP8hK6VQdCsuLVTW5fPXvgXcav0DQ4d0kLEq-zTofaDuVWnoygsEz1GSBr_ADdXj3IpXixJFO-w8a1YoS8WlHxj1m3V_c1v0zLQGfaY03mTS4nBhkJFXn/s1600/IMG_0561.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRFEFgSyAHXLxIyZFSzL8IQwnP8hK6VQdCsuLVTW5fPXvgXcav0DQ4d0kLEq-zTofaDuVWnoygsEz1GSBr_ADdXj3IpXixJFO-w8a1YoS8WlHxj1m3V_c1v0zLQGfaY03mTS4nBhkJFXn/s640/IMG_0561.jpg" width="426" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTm9xy4wF9SN4ACaBNexDuDqJ0njrott5LvUQdveDTYamdxWdVccTY9SdtPHgkwzoilUmX00VAmlER5co0zuAlEBK9zSNru0e2guzcwsWcArE20_JvSOL3CoONd0IIfYdmlDlruatacFxC/s1600/IMG_0562.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTm9xy4wF9SN4ACaBNexDuDqJ0njrott5LvUQdveDTYamdxWdVccTY9SdtPHgkwzoilUmX00VAmlER5co0zuAlEBK9zSNru0e2guzcwsWcArE20_JvSOL3CoONd0IIfYdmlDlruatacFxC/s640/IMG_0562.jpg" width="426" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi671ACeVUC77kLkNuEtikDjBQdVMVQjwyptHfrW-gYzSEmjkFvytMfCQ5pUw4D6c86xzWZcMWtji1uDUMm0AkyeX03QoUL3Jk4iPA5Yd8-Tny_lP_eNq7BQo_CxmEagibls3v0nOs6qOB_/s1600/IMG_20151030_1914554_rewind.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi671ACeVUC77kLkNuEtikDjBQdVMVQjwyptHfrW-gYzSEmjkFvytMfCQ5pUw4D6c86xzWZcMWtji1uDUMm0AkyeX03QoUL3Jk4iPA5Yd8-Tny_lP_eNq7BQo_CxmEagibls3v0nOs6qOB_/s640/IMG_20151030_1914554_rewind.jpg" width="480" /></a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Furiosa being maternal²</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEruhtr8N9c4ub3rE4s3LO8xKmb97u9WD2Mj7ZoZaVyBlozMC7lgkvEgCfUCI2gZwohSL8WHz3RUytZKI_ipeezPGxQyAKU_QqAIdXiPlPyiPmrPn43HTvdTG7Tiw4aZ_8wvU4DT0B2Ab/s1600/IMG_20151030_1937467_rewind.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEruhtr8N9c4ub3rE4s3LO8xKmb97u9WD2Mj7ZoZaVyBlozMC7lgkvEgCfUCI2gZwohSL8WHz3RUytZKI_ipeezPGxQyAKU_QqAIdXiPlPyiPmrPn43HTvdTG7Tiw4aZ_8wvU4DT0B2Ab/s640/IMG_20151030_1937467_rewind.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Me as Jesus (sorry, just had to do it):<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2wymdUTqt2EQ_c0x02NUG6lhOs7g101zhJ7_7YigepQ1meyhOzGdGfjwLkB7BwlToqSSC3XtT4lWd_Kj8sjuvRImXXM1LufkOzqW31IbalxceVvOZAiu7a3c2Lc7CXqHAyq9iu0mO0ZXY/s1600/IMG_2450.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2wymdUTqt2EQ_c0x02NUG6lhOs7g101zhJ7_7YigepQ1meyhOzGdGfjwLkB7BwlToqSSC3XtT4lWd_Kj8sjuvRImXXM1LufkOzqW31IbalxceVvOZAiu7a3c2Lc7CXqHAyq9iu0mO0ZXY/s640/IMG_2450.JPG" width="478" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And sexy construction worker (didn't have to, but still did):</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_p4gdad8Q2QyDT42HgSsGYkCdiau_Um-Rk7twa8bfXBG1a_TDVE7mcDbXJ_rLSbSdzFgJFxb_hmmbZB08ulpj2U_dTF9HbG-Ey2Na7inPCGmOhJNMBWGiJ5RnxrijfQnY5q_G1q-LUvj/s1600/IMG_0564.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_p4gdad8Q2QyDT42HgSsGYkCdiau_Um-Rk7twa8bfXBG1a_TDVE7mcDbXJ_rLSbSdzFgJFxb_hmmbZB08ulpj2U_dTF9HbG-Ey2Na7inPCGmOhJNMBWGiJ5RnxrijfQnY5q_G1q-LUvj/s640/IMG_0564.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Abby Wambach Lulah:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGPBTMvHQMnKj4XeJPoAheehnQ4QIzUcoQUCZvf1gw_iTXDdlG9IDP5ev7br6QyEKQVMx8Lh9V3-OmZjCPSq-q4XWFe0AeGIt5Bv7lU0SY1sMQEEqPjvT5h9bzDBSh4vYc5Tyk-i22o0p/s1600/IMG_2439.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGPBTMvHQMnKj4XeJPoAheehnQ4QIzUcoQUCZvf1gw_iTXDdlG9IDP5ev7br6QyEKQVMx8Lh9V3-OmZjCPSq-q4XWFe0AeGIt5Bv7lU0SY1sMQEEqPjvT5h9bzDBSh4vYc5Tyk-i22o0p/s640/IMG_2439.JPG" width="478" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Also Kitty-Cat Abby Wambach: </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbaNzfGVjgw2ev3PCCmmDSNSLbLCl7viWDise3B-1GXKDolDyYVWpQFM5zHMIFrjqOW03UXnRoXNpuZBJUO0tfC9F9snxQy8ZNXy8CS2pQ1Xiq79UFUwVDyWZwgiOUyDDY-AGZ-WbKF6U/s1600/IMG_0570.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbaNzfGVjgw2ev3PCCmmDSNSLbLCl7viWDise3B-1GXKDolDyYVWpQFM5zHMIFrjqOW03UXnRoXNpuZBJUO0tfC9F9snxQy8ZNXy8CS2pQ1Xiq79UFUwVDyWZwgiOUyDDY-AGZ-WbKF6U/s640/IMG_0570.JPG" width="640" /></a> </div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As the tooth fairy, which is really great, because a couple of weeks ago, she was terrified of tooth fairies:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtaYFfarYoSD-GZ6bsliG4edUnQT68tB1gZGYz5QgpTpP7EKJ2VVPBv_8KNifK1IhTDyrtHeXrBUOODXaXODLYdFSezK9JaB0MLZDeVdfA_nWYr5wz31PSwl6FZKKlWy1FyH4pNJ7DjRIh/s1600/IMG_2429.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtaYFfarYoSD-GZ6bsliG4edUnQT68tB1gZGYz5QgpTpP7EKJ2VVPBv_8KNifK1IhTDyrtHeXrBUOODXaXODLYdFSezK9JaB0MLZDeVdfA_nWYr5wz31PSwl6FZKKlWy1FyH4pNJ7DjRIh/s640/IMG_2429.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRFEFgSyAHXLxIyZFSzL8IQwnP8hK6VQdCsuLVTW5fPXvgXcav0DQ4d0kLEq-zTofaDuVWnoygsEz1GSBr_ADdXj3IpXixJFO-w8a1YoS8WlHxj1m3V_c1v0zLQGfaY03mTS4nBhkJFXn/s1600/IMG_0561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
Hipster Harry Potter Atticus:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje-MsYMVFHiZjjZCT055mEfbAkGAVGsbI4m8VpsRlLNcB5AuCJ_q3c_5sBkIsO2TFtWGD8w6l3ZyBkiu2-GzF7wCjm5uYd7upo2xX8ITVeoxugoQbZu9I3j-5EJuXo_safVI-19Dn-0NcL/s1600/IMG_0565.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje-MsYMVFHiZjjZCT055mEfbAkGAVGsbI4m8VpsRlLNcB5AuCJ_q3c_5sBkIsO2TFtWGD8w6l3ZyBkiu2-GzF7wCjm5uYd7upo2xX8ITVeoxugoQbZu9I3j-5EJuXo_safVI-19Dn-0NcL/s640/IMG_0565.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggr6jfL3kkSBXyeWhhDq26IABwSPEw1Sxkyw7DvdcZ83quBU0rDUpC2AlxlbpENGWCv0SpZSHDUt-_dPL1LF6vaEwigbmr_piQ1Zjm4YjrWAsL1jZ3q1kiYvtj1KX_sU5pMPrN9R76B__M/s1600/IMG_0566.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggr6jfL3kkSBXyeWhhDq26IABwSPEw1Sxkyw7DvdcZ83quBU0rDUpC2AlxlbpENGWCv0SpZSHDUt-_dPL1LF6vaEwigbmr_piQ1Zjm4YjrWAsL1jZ3q1kiYvtj1KX_sU5pMPrN9R76B__M/s640/IMG_0566.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHOHWXCZVhqONGn0GvxRS3nUP_7eyPg3ZkSJKor_4wS6n2octNXXypIjQwGHrGyoajlwogkgsYBefNadc5VAx5_6KjfDuOQOiM-GMb4y57v1JDJAMLDYuGueRFt9k9NkuYNYoxeSbkT_lv/s1600/IMG_0569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHOHWXCZVhqONGn0GvxRS3nUP_7eyPg3ZkSJKor_4wS6n2octNXXypIjQwGHrGyoajlwogkgsYBefNadc5VAx5_6KjfDuOQOiM-GMb4y57v1JDJAMLDYuGueRFt9k9NkuYNYoxeSbkT_lv/s640/IMG_0569.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbaNzfGVjgw2ev3PCCmmDSNSLbLCl7viWDise3B-1GXKDolDyYVWpQFM5zHMIFrjqOW03UXnRoXNpuZBJUO0tfC9F9snxQy8ZNXy8CS2pQ1Xiq79UFUwVDyWZwgiOUyDDY-AGZ-WbKF6U/s1600/IMG_0570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEj7xooMCf4OZDfxUKm_2xthKH91_jOnwO4-OL17EiiO1IXPTvU2ii1VEiOJIX1BxYpGyTNQVgRW9JcDOMvKgOrN7tTvORvC8-0UEg5rA3PUGTLysyb8HzWfOo5TZKAEbPILIy5_eaHvtA/s1600/IMG_0575.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEj7xooMCf4OZDfxUKm_2xthKH91_jOnwO4-OL17EiiO1IXPTvU2ii1VEiOJIX1BxYpGyTNQVgRW9JcDOMvKgOrN7tTvORvC8-0UEg5rA3PUGTLysyb8HzWfOo5TZKAEbPILIy5_eaHvtA/s640/IMG_0575.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2wymdUTqt2EQ_c0x02NUG6lhOs7g101zhJ7_7YigepQ1meyhOzGdGfjwLkB7BwlToqSSC3XtT4lWd_Kj8sjuvRImXXM1LufkOzqW31IbalxceVvOZAiu7a3c2Lc7CXqHAyq9iu0mO0ZXY/s1600/IMG_2450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
Some Hallway party pics:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMF2iHOL1YoOPGB7WsZycRvlyAHMnHFuyIgavqd0ynHL_0GfiQn1edNLElOyLAx8l8PmQVnyPpn3pf8cH6P0kPwUfqKABNmlpzTze8SV1AHT4ESChYXCwDiCag-5RygaQRvNMRDDYoP8ZH/s1600/IMG_2452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMF2iHOL1YoOPGB7WsZycRvlyAHMnHFuyIgavqd0ynHL_0GfiQn1edNLElOyLAx8l8PmQVnyPpn3pf8cH6P0kPwUfqKABNmlpzTze8SV1AHT4ESChYXCwDiCag-5RygaQRvNMRDDYoP8ZH/s640/IMG_2452.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR7GZePmeJdCkiXdmTxl9chE70jk2JcaLxMwfzWbF3FnOgOfliSmXQZJR2tJinTBRjk_pFsWmpn4aJMoX3Z3MSmss19oGXizf3awFx-JfEy-EYqBn2txq824xDFTJzb9fW8oFf6Pdo0uiT/s1600/IMG_2453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR7GZePmeJdCkiXdmTxl9chE70jk2JcaLxMwfzWbF3FnOgOfliSmXQZJR2tJinTBRjk_pFsWmpn4aJMoX3Z3MSmss19oGXizf3awFx-JfEy-EYqBn2txq824xDFTJzb9fW8oFf6Pdo0uiT/s640/IMG_2453.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEvu0AW91fQTddsDXa60Nf5okcp2GvnCXmhanD-iFp9ya9nLrWVXAIMzn0jaFZHBaXdfK3ii1kZuqzQEi1XAVlSiGQ8JFmUyLNCY_w3eVIWgS5zAU4QUUF7pSNkFTdyJ81VVKPYAmI-jX/s1600/IMG_2454.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEvu0AW91fQTddsDXa60Nf5okcp2GvnCXmhanD-iFp9ya9nLrWVXAIMzn0jaFZHBaXdfK3ii1kZuqzQEi1XAVlSiGQ8JFmUyLNCY_w3eVIWgS5zAU4QUUF7pSNkFTdyJ81VVKPYAmI-jX/s640/IMG_2454.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
So much excitment:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkYqrxRQSahIj91-yRl5Y3PEKPz6APpZlbBRAtHGI40WkTR3vFn3QGsLniZ6UtrWCPnOYwQftdsMUOMdU6gLQJABSKzlbPFEPNDrxBkX6OG5QAGgNL9mDQ6E13wimqMGUx9aMnHbCBwUS/s1600/IMG_0576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkYqrxRQSahIj91-yRl5Y3PEKPz6APpZlbBRAtHGI40WkTR3vFn3QGsLniZ6UtrWCPnOYwQftdsMUOMdU6gLQJABSKzlbPFEPNDrxBkX6OG5QAGgNL9mDQ6E13wimqMGUx9aMnHbCBwUS/s640/IMG_0576.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
So much attitude:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWHORzQt6v3A2KHprNf2Fb41-6iYVjd3klh_RVeUeWBbQPLXQhFm5FVIsG6v_DtAwUwMR_3HlDZTUGcJVBd2ZGPBA845vBYxeqvP-T2to5hdBnBknZfxoaMqPxLrCMjUV5llGcSMAibw5e/s1600/IMG_0558.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWHORzQt6v3A2KHprNf2Fb41-6iYVjd3klh_RVeUeWBbQPLXQhFm5FVIsG6v_DtAwUwMR_3HlDZTUGcJVBd2ZGPBA845vBYxeqvP-T2to5hdBnBknZfxoaMqPxLrCMjUV5llGcSMAibw5e/s640/IMG_0558.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEvu0AW91fQTddsDXa60Nf5okcp2GvnCXmhanD-iFp9ya9nLrWVXAIMzn0jaFZHBaXdfK3ii1kZuqzQEi1XAVlSiGQ8JFmUyLNCY_w3eVIWgS5zAU4QUUF7pSNkFTdyJ81VVKPYAmI-jX/s1600/IMG_2454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999429103487593176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-33615719240878705862015-08-05T13:29:00.001-06:002015-08-05T13:30:48.684-06:00A Carolina vacation in photos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This was a pretty epic summer vacation. Probably deserves a few posts. But you get what you get and don't pitch a fit.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>The Beach (Fripp Island, South Carolina)</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We camped for a day and a half, and then Cait's family+ joined us for a week in a beach house. The water was great, the food fantastic, and the company plentiful.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxnZmOn2PYv-cWx0V_RvLmsJzn0CQ46b0_6pqIlIqgsOodabj9IVxjEtw9H9wTCW_LBH0g1oAb70LGZImxkTZyQ-kzI6j5plduyfsnRrYmOoksBGEZCRG6YGai9pL7s10gX5vsC5BLK2Y/s1600/IMG_20150619_1144005_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxnZmOn2PYv-cWx0V_RvLmsJzn0CQ46b0_6pqIlIqgsOodabj9IVxjEtw9H9wTCW_LBH0g1oAb70LGZImxkTZyQ-kzI6j5plduyfsnRrYmOoksBGEZCRG6YGai9pL7s10gX5vsC5BLK2Y/s640/IMG_20150619_1144005_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfeENeqsxhSZX73M_ECFbb9UYCJB7Sm8rwsCPek9NLHTyDNKwK6jH2Agrf7f0adsG-iq1dP5VbZDQFWF7om4Pftk4suyRb6rKy4XnqbsCAVYj2K_AoY2cPnYe-C7m5A9Gjp9akAEJgchDX/s1600/IMG_20150619_1247316_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfeENeqsxhSZX73M_ECFbb9UYCJB7Sm8rwsCPek9NLHTyDNKwK6jH2Agrf7f0adsG-iq1dP5VbZDQFWF7om4Pftk4suyRb6rKy4XnqbsCAVYj2K_AoY2cPnYe-C7m5A9Gjp9akAEJgchDX/s640/IMG_20150619_1247316_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eating at our campsite</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_nYDiEOWPA5sKVasW3u-KFPKlzzjOIwDaEKKtY0_zjMgt2IDKqTYDiuOzRHVkIN-sH0BQdib_jsRLBPkE5C6FqMo3c3vo06dK-1GXgw7dYQFvuMrwHr-6cHohRajbZtTbQwmzisLd43S/s1600/IMG_20150620_1358173_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_nYDiEOWPA5sKVasW3u-KFPKlzzjOIwDaEKKtY0_zjMgt2IDKqTYDiuOzRHVkIN-sH0BQdib_jsRLBPkE5C6FqMo3c3vo06dK-1GXgw7dYQFvuMrwHr-6cHohRajbZtTbQwmzisLd43S/s640/IMG_20150620_1358173_rewind.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snakes in the nature center</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kTazp84QYB2Jdg4iuT8tt1s7Mp63u0-bKMVG4CD31xr574sdb4YDBUlAFYmDvPKBwwyvuVPEc-TktpMDXFrAw2Pyaig0k_z69ITKqj7LkVu3WqNne2ojUfjZHsurWI1ALEA4LPhaZv7N/s1600/IMG_20150622_1915125_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kTazp84QYB2Jdg4iuT8tt1s7Mp63u0-bKMVG4CD31xr574sdb4YDBUlAFYmDvPKBwwyvuVPEc-TktpMDXFrAw2Pyaig0k_z69ITKqj7LkVu3WqNne2ojUfjZHsurWI1ALEA4LPhaZv7N/s640/IMG_20150622_1915125_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big kids table at dinner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii_1_iQhjXqRoQi7O4otttfQYp9nDy6FnsQpd6aYs24zT_VV9DtivGKakAkwW0R-bwmeBaR6RSiF9e3ZFe7HSAwHnu3BkHaMlcFxrDgdnxN_rmq-Y2ffVnM6RYYFgDvXSm-3A2vHosv43h/s1600/IMG_20150623_1525281_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii_1_iQhjXqRoQi7O4otttfQYp9nDy6FnsQpd6aYs24zT_VV9DtivGKakAkwW0R-bwmeBaR6RSiF9e3ZFe7HSAwHnu3BkHaMlcFxrDgdnxN_rmq-Y2ffVnM6RYYFgDvXSm-3A2vHosv43h/s640/IMG_20150623_1525281_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frequent retreats to read by myself</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9Lpu7Gq3M9lOCmWL4xSTIB_CwQwpsPbeLvjKJA5-GT_t5lP1b0S-Z82eYRu0koecl3FjBdSy4sA4Z3R6oQ9tRJa7oXa-2URSnRm00ktrO5rqdg-f6yI2C0oMp7yYeqDkrx04CzrCgqfg/s1600/IMG_20150625_1137184_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9Lpu7Gq3M9lOCmWL4xSTIB_CwQwpsPbeLvjKJA5-GT_t5lP1b0S-Z82eYRu0koecl3FjBdSy4sA4Z3R6oQ9tRJa7oXa-2URSnRm00ktrO5rqdg-f6yI2C0oMp7yYeqDkrx04CzrCgqfg/s640/IMG_20150625_1137184_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some lizard in another nature center</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtudkmexfxSbNFKGHGVM-rrVLNtgQV2tfYZrcD-vrhH4RZcALpAXElwq-BbM2BKLA2jfRvgg2C1IcrM8zm0LgGKg4LGhjrhyd4vSdRW2QlKuws4xD7Px5vWqgc97VRPaLNK_XxiDebFYVe/s1600/IMG_20150625_1633431_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtudkmexfxSbNFKGHGVM-rrVLNtgQV2tfYZrcD-vrhH4RZcALpAXElwq-BbM2BKLA2jfRvgg2C1IcrM8zm0LgGKg4LGhjrhyd4vSdRW2QlKuws4xD7Px5vWqgc97VRPaLNK_XxiDebFYVe/s640/IMG_20150625_1633431_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9uvBU3TvL0DttXRqoDMA2sNXPtylRMCXCC0vVq8s5B9ETURZiMTF3kDdI8iZqgpVSmKitl4PoqpNiRygUY8cruyjRIbNUcE9pcumvtD937k4Sakc4iO5YEPW3oqhlLeIj0pcKilPPbq4/s1600/IMG_20150625_1634143_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9uvBU3TvL0DttXRqoDMA2sNXPtylRMCXCC0vVq8s5B9ETURZiMTF3kDdI8iZqgpVSmKitl4PoqpNiRygUY8cruyjRIbNUcE9pcumvtD937k4Sakc4iO5YEPW3oqhlLeIj0pcKilPPbq4/s640/IMG_20150625_1634143_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjpxGIPFRq0-zL9BksIsZ-yja-bMzGogJb-Nm3C7cFRKoj-j3MG3xlyuDDjfQnIepy0hX6cdFv1L8nAJPmWgS-zAwggAcZ_EeECFoKqWAUOM1I4CEgU0p_BkvseG2LoWx8wU_wvS59Rr4/s1600/IMG_20150626_195328_burst_05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjpxGIPFRq0-zL9BksIsZ-yja-bMzGogJb-Nm3C7cFRKoj-j3MG3xlyuDDjfQnIepy0hX6cdFv1L8nAJPmWgS-zAwggAcZ_EeECFoKqWAUOM1I4CEgU0p_BkvseG2LoWx8wU_wvS59Rr4/s640/IMG_20150626_195328_burst_05.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsMovjWGC9mgx3F9MSqJ-7qUG-V8IKi4vrNt9VGzHOFhzb67VpNfhYz4MrkCUY7_EHfncpQp6WesH7qUG954m6HOLsy25R54vCv0oCjEabgiXPYv_MtCX7y2L52LlimrZS7lxCqpem0zhV/s1600/IMG_20150626_1104313_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsMovjWGC9mgx3F9MSqJ-7qUG-V8IKi4vrNt9VGzHOFhzb67VpNfhYz4MrkCUY7_EHfncpQp6WesH7qUG954m6HOLsy25R54vCv0oCjEabgiXPYv_MtCX7y2L52LlimrZS7lxCqpem0zhV/s640/IMG_20150626_1104313_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2uWCU7vpELeQT9cRD6ceRmjkZH7msMZ5Ty-XFGKcNrN1hBuccUwovcuzLWuP4RAISAPMIMHIceZe8VTpV-tYGM9bQxTLgVV3F2D8U4ANsPLfEneX9VNgsheDDDGbZBDWvnQHzMDV35-N/s1600/IMG_20150626_1253536_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2uWCU7vpELeQT9cRD6ceRmjkZH7msMZ5Ty-XFGKcNrN1hBuccUwovcuzLWuP4RAISAPMIMHIceZe8VTpV-tYGM9bQxTLgVV3F2D8U4ANsPLfEneX9VNgsheDDDGbZBDWvnQHzMDV35-N/s640/IMG_20150626_1253536_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQK7Gx_fQF_q1wVmovZNMcQTbapOGE2EibyVDE3DK1P3GlJR5_SkPZl1A3CHt8GoG6EkW6jS5lZJQNxESusDnglkqCTMi8yAuWSLc2qAtUq7YUyfM5SSQINtDMv54DVd-KCVxqAFX6n9M2/s1600/IMG_20150626_1952053_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQK7Gx_fQF_q1wVmovZNMcQTbapOGE2EibyVDE3DK1P3GlJR5_SkPZl1A3CHt8GoG6EkW6jS5lZJQNxESusDnglkqCTMi8yAuWSLc2qAtUq7YUyfM5SSQINtDMv54DVd-KCVxqAFX6n9M2/s640/IMG_20150626_1952053_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>Cait's family's house (Columbia, South Carolina)</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZWYfRAa_yriG33FiNvo2By-dNJCTfl-6e4dtUbQ5b8LKKogTUxP0r1TBNIw3q5aho0tHsewof9DU3XreYkAHQ48WD78o8B3eSmG4fmV5ypzOS1eg-0ve6PkQq6mxJTtXqIsP2KruSTYYe/s1600/IMG_20150627_1850470_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZWYfRAa_yriG33FiNvo2By-dNJCTfl-6e4dtUbQ5b8LKKogTUxP0r1TBNIw3q5aho0tHsewof9DU3XreYkAHQ48WD78o8B3eSmG4fmV5ypzOS1eg-0ve6PkQq6mxJTtXqIsP2KruSTYYe/s640/IMG_20150627_1850470_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cait purged old memorablia by taking photos and then trashing. How her life could have been different.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGfTMrArpfUXqlxgU6MAFG85lDbq5-FkM24MXNLLO_94Wqb4pRVrvix1T9ob88fM04W9ZFE9YAFYH4Vnxti_lYDTJU8KjYfBiA3P9DKop48uGW_WH3YK1byJfxJnmuQM4-viuoTVu0SlC/s1600/IMG_20150628_2031577_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGfTMrArpfUXqlxgU6MAFG85lDbq5-FkM24MXNLLO_94Wqb4pRVrvix1T9ob88fM04W9ZFE9YAFYH4Vnxti_lYDTJU8KjYfBiA3P9DKop48uGW_WH3YK1byJfxJnmuQM4-viuoTVu0SlC/s640/IMG_20150628_2031577_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So many games of Monopoly. So many.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYSKyiLeZ87ULNF7D69bJZW6pcFbqJnL2fvhY9R4OBbTXU6joOJe7z0hGAYL4crfWJZnroUgquOuKFE0-Dr2U9irj5pFTrDZExZlUrl3RoouwUuK0NZV9mprahiu8Sph1JZHDj9GQsuCZ/s1600/IMG_20150629_122534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYSKyiLeZ87ULNF7D69bJZW6pcFbqJnL2fvhY9R4OBbTXU6joOJe7z0hGAYL4crfWJZnroUgquOuKFE0-Dr2U9irj5pFTrDZExZlUrl3RoouwUuK0NZV9mprahiu8Sph1JZHDj9GQsuCZ/s640/IMG_20150629_122534.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lulah at the pool</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-3K7mR2-WJgYTa-VJ7F9yssvETOKHFCtjIudWEnceXw3MFDP_tdpj4qJ6varagkr7pSHWS6hvxID_1TGEzm-yI1ui0XjfXV8qyllSdOWd7uJYjWLDdPw0ZJnv7981KlDEnmItMAF41vL/s1600/IMG_20150630_1404516_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-3K7mR2-WJgYTa-VJ7F9yssvETOKHFCtjIudWEnceXw3MFDP_tdpj4qJ6varagkr7pSHWS6hvxID_1TGEzm-yI1ui0XjfXV8qyllSdOWd7uJYjWLDdPw0ZJnv7981KlDEnmItMAF41vL/s640/IMG_20150630_1404516_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Firefighter Lulah at the Children's Museum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8QoJbZGYOTbVmeOItE1FUtjiNtBSC2ubgvp7zYrCAp-TyBGBJvyQdu-_tFJxZka26C54q8Q2yQWyLLLNtJ6_fgWm5l-rHFtm7ok74ySqd_1N-Q7wo1gb5BFcl6WZK-NGayj9nSVHTMbK/s1600/IMG_20150630_1455084_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8QoJbZGYOTbVmeOItE1FUtjiNtBSC2ubgvp7zYrCAp-TyBGBJvyQdu-_tFJxZka26C54q8Q2yQWyLLLNtJ6_fgWm5l-rHFtm7ok74ySqd_1N-Q7wo1gb5BFcl6WZK-NGayj9nSVHTMbK/s640/IMG_20150630_1455084_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giant chess at the Children's Museum. I am obviously dominating the center in this game.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeL2WqJGCkAkZatHaoo9WosouhOLb9KHQMzAlI9sdIOAayOV_iIN5wZaUdKmJvIf5tVXj_SoamsSxjk6clL99WqvA1zGgIFu8yuNIVRmvABQ3UQQ4b7dDiF7uRQCOa4-U3eZJvSblcaF73/s1600/IMG_20150703_1307114_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeL2WqJGCkAkZatHaoo9WosouhOLb9KHQMzAlI9sdIOAayOV_iIN5wZaUdKmJvIf5tVXj_SoamsSxjk6clL99WqvA1zGgIFu8yuNIVRmvABQ3UQQ4b7dDiF7uRQCOa4-U3eZJvSblcaF73/s640/IMG_20150703_1307114_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8SWyFMWxI6EFfpGUID5ibnI1_W3r09HMFmtqFkCPHqR1O0jrR89UELf0Nf2ShRtdjKMGufYZIB3tC1j70Z-GNXzAB50Np_HUDY2gQDSCR1HfVeo1aKAQp9ZWC2m3EEQQagyfKosRFXcV/s1600/IMG_20150704_1538255_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8SWyFMWxI6EFfpGUID5ibnI1_W3r09HMFmtqFkCPHqR1O0jrR89UELf0Nf2ShRtdjKMGufYZIB3tC1j70Z-GNXzAB50Np_HUDY2gQDSCR1HfVeo1aKAQp9ZWC2m3EEQQagyfKosRFXcV/s640/IMG_20150704_1538255_rewind.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banana mouth</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_-iGtEOoOueIFJTgy6LBJYXKpSWC-E7KURvA5mbP15ufiRjPPm9ct5G2yc28XZwzS6fOe2qyZqIwkuUrZM8ieKFd0fQhQZ_IPEjaz7gmNrEeDqX4gKCMPryPyjWNIpNdh2QTIt2Q8vCT/s1600/IMG_20150704_1539416_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_-iGtEOoOueIFJTgy6LBJYXKpSWC-E7KURvA5mbP15ufiRjPPm9ct5G2yc28XZwzS6fOe2qyZqIwkuUrZM8ieKFd0fQhQZ_IPEjaz7gmNrEeDqX4gKCMPryPyjWNIpNdh2QTIt2Q8vCT/s640/IMG_20150704_1539416_rewind.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Yoda watch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWKMo2kEt2AP4IAP9W_9o2vwcoykLiKrT3eMzi_D2JRuiyvQrgmGdHGbu0T4rIFNKExPOhAQLnvOwMsFexhNbVbMJXvM2GecieYDxBkMJ7GgKcz7f68Fhub33zdltXsoVEXZs58AFJpps/s1600/IMG_20150706_1000574_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWKMo2kEt2AP4IAP9W_9o2vwcoykLiKrT3eMzi_D2JRuiyvQrgmGdHGbu0T4rIFNKExPOhAQLnvOwMsFexhNbVbMJXvM2GecieYDxBkMJ7GgKcz7f68Fhub33zdltXsoVEXZs58AFJpps/s640/IMG_20150706_1000574_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turtle at the zoo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSB_0O4HL8JuAcUDVnTkBuySLCyxKJ_9cR6XeNAwoolvLhVxCmo94AoLdCrpEc_qVbUTmc9fa-cRlmBI56AnLIEvd_Yx1I5iCwOTGGVIXOQ_R-Giy5ExCvDcV6lF3yvAFuy68wQOufidK_/s1600/IMG_20150706_1058326_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSB_0O4HL8JuAcUDVnTkBuySLCyxKJ_9cR6XeNAwoolvLhVxCmo94AoLdCrpEc_qVbUTmc9fa-cRlmBI56AnLIEvd_Yx1I5iCwOTGGVIXOQ_R-Giy5ExCvDcV6lF3yvAFuy68wQOufidK_/s640/IMG_20150706_1058326_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Petting ponies at the zoo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1SwovG0AUErOXcGtx8fzL5dI3e79mVwYxkoMd2ACizmgcAWRagbVHdbPXp1a6sdRUKww3I99oH7qXkIHvWyl3ZQt3GkUQeqEGFDCEW_c4mOBTfJDvm-LjsADl7IHqBj8PDOHmKSyvFx0/s1600/IMG_20150708_0845014_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1SwovG0AUErOXcGtx8fzL5dI3e79mVwYxkoMd2ACizmgcAWRagbVHdbPXp1a6sdRUKww3I99oH7qXkIHvWyl3ZQt3GkUQeqEGFDCEW_c4mOBTfJDvm-LjsADl7IHqBj8PDOHmKSyvFx0/s640/IMG_20150708_0845014_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lulah and Bear really bonded this trip</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Wild Goose Music Festival, Hot Springs, North Carolina</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This was a music festival that I got in for free to be part of a seminary student leadership group. We were kind of worn out and not feeling very Christiany, so it wasn't quite as fun as we had hoped, but we still had a really good time.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRV9dFNEdiXkHPgWVVrejdA_zk_Mmu9sfslc-NFwC5lZLUOx-bnK45RSZU56NBzW3Q7OKoLeVZ0urMi9P9BAEydaFhSTAFQmxAnDcMED16gsK7enHUDspGNK0aF1Ut-rc0UK-ncKV7f6ki/s1600/IMG_20150710_1056082_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRV9dFNEdiXkHPgWVVrejdA_zk_Mmu9sfslc-NFwC5lZLUOx-bnK45RSZU56NBzW3Q7OKoLeVZ0urMi9P9BAEydaFhSTAFQmxAnDcMED16gsK7enHUDspGNK0aF1Ut-rc0UK-ncKV7f6ki/s640/IMG_20150710_1056082_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We made lots of friends</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRKw9tp_kVj0QHSQ6Pp50AgXUpbyQubZf8RfKcy_oZGrV6ax2TruUFpcxB3pv172226yIBigWpUBzD3tN1wHC2VPzI0RpIwe3sv-HgeY9uuNy6xBfEku5DErcrRcCd2eOA6ihiWgYUz05T/s1600/IMG_20150710_1540425_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRKw9tp_kVj0QHSQ6Pp50AgXUpbyQubZf8RfKcy_oZGrV6ax2TruUFpcxB3pv172226yIBigWpUBzD3tN1wHC2VPzI0RpIwe3sv-HgeY9uuNy6xBfEku5DErcrRcCd2eOA6ihiWgYUz05T/s640/IMG_20150710_1540425_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brian McLaren was one of the few speakers I recognized. Here he is telling fishing stories to the kids.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rtAQCLyoraE2KwTVn_iY4Jp3tzgTBb3NKiJrWR3OHbM-poklnr-tbOLCrAfComefJ4MG1x2Z1AzPfOEo9IVCT4oidabPWL0LF2bB1jXmcqmJmq2E9i7OOxSGRaUhzJiKSYmRSbTVXZ-Z/s1600/IMG_20150710_1741466_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rtAQCLyoraE2KwTVn_iY4Jp3tzgTBb3NKiJrWR3OHbM-poklnr-tbOLCrAfComefJ4MG1x2Z1AzPfOEo9IVCT4oidabPWL0LF2bB1jXmcqmJmq2E9i7OOxSGRaUhzJiKSYmRSbTVXZ-Z/s640/IMG_20150710_1741466_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids love fires</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-dagId2MG0Q2z-6hoN3FbAiC3b6Ct-2XJlVnpYwVwOoM1i4isaP_8CCNTYTvvUbCXjwrYEyfJp3PFh-uJtv1Do5DIUv9man6ePQSYLkP2CZ76_iVpl1K7E3CuOGtYqAUdnRKjSPdL0Q2/s1600/IMG_20150710_2015482_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-dagId2MG0Q2z-6hoN3FbAiC3b6Ct-2XJlVnpYwVwOoM1i4isaP_8CCNTYTvvUbCXjwrYEyfJp3PFh-uJtv1Do5DIUv9man6ePQSYLkP2CZ76_iVpl1K7E3CuOGtYqAUdnRKjSPdL0Q2/s640/IMG_20150710_2015482_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And dancing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxgedsM0iUsNw_KTxQRMC1z7iFR838teELLYAB3ipGIPQ4eTa5FfwpnhroncsgRYE08I3IPcg8sgfXlAkiNGdNHyIXGe0pBjesx5cUmtO92G4y9YPunQgu5xt4H9Z4pDQgZbq6V1mu1RM/s1600/IMG_20150711_0853168_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxgedsM0iUsNw_KTxQRMC1z7iFR838teELLYAB3ipGIPQ4eTa5FfwpnhroncsgRYE08I3IPcg8sgfXlAkiNGdNHyIXGe0pBjesx5cUmtO92G4y9YPunQgu5xt4H9Z4pDQgZbq6V1mu1RM/s640/IMG_20150711_0853168_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View on a morning run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY-_kjdFr0c2ykWcudCwI0akM1kPouOSI99lSICyGMu2gzrl31hX16QGmJB16Pyd85fo2U35Vkg6z1XsySB9MiV2w37LLqHQEODSv5HjuTM_biwEVSw7BDNmSl5guSt9KA2QE7LdtzIv3Z/s1600/IMG_20150711_1740525_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY-_kjdFr0c2ykWcudCwI0akM1kPouOSI99lSICyGMu2gzrl31hX16QGmJB16Pyd85fo2U35Vkg6z1XsySB9MiV2w37LLqHQEODSv5HjuTM_biwEVSw7BDNmSl5guSt9KA2QE7LdtzIv3Z/s640/IMG_20150711_1740525_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Floating in the beautiful river</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Stop off at Kaitlyn and Byrd's house, Atlanta, Georgia</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
On the ride back, we stopped in to see some friends in Atlanta. Really great conversation and drinks.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuRrqOsDfm4XIrrBMhA94XXjgbogXhSHgdy0mpzdVH8cQPZE0MhuxiczWXzD-fRB303tZSOQTYNMFd6c3qpxjEzM4GBnoYg2pm2NJFCwgdhPs5RFmghdKIjtkGvR8kQwiW1n4ZrbD2ZvV/s1600/IMG_20150712_2118512_rewind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuRrqOsDfm4XIrrBMhA94XXjgbogXhSHgdy0mpzdVH8cQPZE0MhuxiczWXzD-fRB303tZSOQTYNMFd6c3qpxjEzM4GBnoYg2pm2NJFCwgdhPs5RFmghdKIjtkGvR8kQwiW1n4ZrbD2ZvV/s640/IMG_20150712_2118512_rewind.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The End</b></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999429103487593176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-78353994253425974392015-04-28T12:01:00.003-06:002015-04-28T12:01:37.894-06:00Life, in four parts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have stopped feeling guilty about not updating this blog, but every time I read <a href="http://myadventuresintucson.blogspot.com/">Bridget's</a> blog and think how cool it is that she has that detailed record of her family's life, I'm a little jealous. It's also just fun to read, and one of the only blogs left standing it seems when barely any of my friends are left blogging. So, here goes a brief update of our life, and what will hopefully be more posts to follow:<br />
<br />
1. The weather: Let's talk about the weather, shall we? Texas winter was great. It was a really wet winter, and had some gloomy weeks, but the fact I could bike without bundling up in 14 layers of wool was definitely a plus over Wisconsin winters. One awesome thing about today is that it's almost May and in the 60s. In Texas. This is awesome, but also a little disconcerting. The kids are wearing fleece jackets and crying that their "hands are FWEEZING!" But it's great for me because I've been needing to clean, and hate turning on the A/C, and cleaning in a 82-degree house is exactly as sweaty as it sounds. I even scrubbed the oven today, folks. That never happens (in my defense, we do not use it very often).<br />
<br />
2. The tiny people: The kids are growing up, obviously, and have turned into fairly pleasant little humans. They are still rotten to get to sleep at night, but that's mostly our fault and letting them still fall asleep in our bed. They have been home with me all year, and we have been going back and forth, back and forth on what we'll do in the fall. We are know fairly firmly in the camp of continuing to home(un)school and have worked it out that our schedules shouldn't overlap at all. That means a lot of working with little ones afoot, but they have learned to play so well together (Legos, outside, art projects, dollhouse) that it's totally doable. In fact, most days, I clean up and read and hang out while paying relatively little attention to them. It's a far cry from the days when as soon as I sat down they would climb on me incessantly.<br />
<br />
3. The schools: I'm excited to start school but also questioning my sanity at attempting a PhD again. I know I like research and learning and what I want to study, but I keep seeing all of my ABD friends on Facebook and they just sound so miserable all the time. Is it worth it? I guess time will tell. T. Kay has mixed feelings about his seminary too. He still is excited about the possibility of ministry should he find a job after he graduates, but it has been weird being at a Christian and Protestant seminary but having no real belief in God. That being said though, there are others here as well and we have found a tight-knit group of other students who we are friends with.<br />
<br />
4. The jobs: We are both working part-time in addition to the school, and we both really like our jobs. T. Kay is one of three faculty secretaries, which means he occasionally gets projects but mostly does homework. I'm working at the National Domestic Violence Hotline/Love is Respect and have the raddest colleagues and it really is the best job I've ever had. It can be hard to sit in front of a computer for eight hours, but I try to limit my computer time when I'm not at work, and usually when we are slow I can do other things like read about cold-brewing coffee (my latest successful venture!) and read articles on <a href="http://tinyhouseblog.com/travel-trailers/family-of-5-and-a-cat-traveling-the-country-in-an-airstream/">living with kids in an Airstream</a>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKNdeKdyObm2hHG7dFhhVNbHut_vRCFrTyyB2lUNqnzaCjALudaU_cQBa2Aw1Om3cZceAd6aoxy4LGUYN9s3h4C3iaVSHD30V1BpYzji_BpOwoIBBJQXuHtqYiVaXt6lOIIYnGkqL3vkt/s1600/IMG_0489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKNdeKdyObm2hHG7dFhhVNbHut_vRCFrTyyB2lUNqnzaCjALudaU_cQBa2Aw1Om3cZceAd6aoxy4LGUYN9s3h4C3iaVSHD30V1BpYzji_BpOwoIBBJQXuHtqYiVaXt6lOIIYnGkqL3vkt/s1600/IMG_0489.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Central Market, our usual digs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67_2hUBRWNBntko7fTzm6-2sUVsutEp67SnpC2CChAsNK45VwsB87zLJXCk1qm5hTfGwZK5KFERPZt3oGrMoQFVXyLy4ImM_QIGgZ7RVGYDidJZrASvki2bXXRENWp1fF3zrMH2lpp6Rx/s1600/IMG_0290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67_2hUBRWNBntko7fTzm6-2sUVsutEp67SnpC2CChAsNK45VwsB87zLJXCk1qm5hTfGwZK5KFERPZt3oGrMoQFVXyLy4ImM_QIGgZ7RVGYDidJZrASvki2bXXRENWp1fF3zrMH2lpp6Rx/s1600/IMG_0290.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With my kombucha SCOBY</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_Kq-RBzkxi7XMegbz4ajuI9IpNIj6BGpuIvhTrtCX37jNCDG_9L5RPaQGJbzdWEC9vg93FbnTgBbuEHiGO2j0HojV1QFe4PoCrStCfl8aOt6WSgLT16fHzisUPnNWf2JXTdKjMdqf5bT/s1600/IMG_0371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_Kq-RBzkxi7XMegbz4ajuI9IpNIj6BGpuIvhTrtCX37jNCDG_9L5RPaQGJbzdWEC9vg93FbnTgBbuEHiGO2j0HojV1QFe4PoCrStCfl8aOt6WSgLT16fHzisUPnNWf2JXTdKjMdqf5bT/s1600/IMG_0371.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clock tower, on UT campus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoM-eHdfS2InroW24GXdyU8SKEuf9CzS1w_ozg2IkSVrXcvKmtkFlFItMSLJUL_sg7olj-_D2GYBCb-g3HbvilyseM9Uoflt6HF5lzZJ1E4LrmB6eepyxLBq-qQnelzleF13At-Iyvo_ro/s1600/IMG_0384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoM-eHdfS2InroW24GXdyU8SKEuf9CzS1w_ozg2IkSVrXcvKmtkFlFItMSLJUL_sg7olj-_D2GYBCb-g3HbvilyseM9Uoflt6HF5lzZJ1E4LrmB6eepyxLBq-qQnelzleF13At-Iyvo_ro/s1600/IMG_0384.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the steps of T. Kay's chapel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGoixgyyXRt_DIkYF0riZLUIMMMhrxn962uuAVeyvNf1jkCTvwtFxMO6h_i3fQLPvWcGbuatBwPSpUX6mqufQb842KpD1r6eh_XQjX1__5mFoRhiiRtY2L01TFOUC_R9PqrtlfHKI11mLC/s1600/IMG_0461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGoixgyyXRt_DIkYF0riZLUIMMMhrxn962uuAVeyvNf1jkCTvwtFxMO6h_i3fQLPvWcGbuatBwPSpUX6mqufQb842KpD1r6eh_XQjX1__5mFoRhiiRtY2L01TFOUC_R9PqrtlfHKI11mLC/s1600/IMG_0461.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easter Sunday</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9g4jf7HWJPBJj_vG8mbDnpzZfREo0rbCRLZ6dGBBxxmE_0VHt-G5lkJ0ZSou8foxRgy6iHJxtK7lxBalZJUZ_skKqqtONRxYIzIcHO8o2rY8l-fuhvKgzjoBAs4xqR7UiB4p-GHNISKh/s1600/IMG_0462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9g4jf7HWJPBJj_vG8mbDnpzZfREo0rbCRLZ6dGBBxxmE_0VHt-G5lkJ0ZSou8foxRgy6iHJxtK7lxBalZJUZ_skKqqtONRxYIzIcHO8o2rY8l-fuhvKgzjoBAs4xqR7UiB4p-GHNISKh/s1600/IMG_0462.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzF9NC7JICzRC-Cg1nIRk5MNM2iL6U7vjasFse7enwDpXIgxkkqGZiklZ7-c5KcChzzcyEKh0uHIQd6AqxEMqBVANLbSnavhGMPjRvVVvc4pfzn-9xta-C7Z0gmQ7KlB_2mYpJVtRrvXLG/s1600/IMG_1788.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzF9NC7JICzRC-Cg1nIRk5MNM2iL6U7vjasFse7enwDpXIgxkkqGZiklZ7-c5KcChzzcyEKh0uHIQd6AqxEMqBVANLbSnavhGMPjRvVVvc4pfzn-9xta-C7Z0gmQ7KlB_2mYpJVtRrvXLG/s1600/IMG_1788.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">National Hijab Day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0KerxHWSDpHw2mUVWP-Xy7zJiAXT2AtECatZ5_lWmLmiUKbvzVMk3CvYg4IKr0jbW8Ki3pcwUO2VNFhkZ6pfaZF5seYdVhbz3qBj04thSEMzoXqSLutVGREeQZskozFm67tbUSGwHfD-7/s1600/IMG_1823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0KerxHWSDpHw2mUVWP-Xy7zJiAXT2AtECatZ5_lWmLmiUKbvzVMk3CvYg4IKr0jbW8Ki3pcwUO2VNFhkZ6pfaZF5seYdVhbz3qBj04thSEMzoXqSLutVGREeQZskozFm67tbUSGwHfD-7/s1600/IMG_1823.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haircut, from when Austin was here</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmWQCw-2n1D3WfEbAsQF1907MOW9P_rLOQJOShw76zzArvZlgE4JUF4sR39LH0YagAMRZFb7GwJrg2Ov1ErsKcFtM7GZfZutNnXMNIEeEvCWheEMzFIOsa7azAuQ_Ifvb6Dsg0u3PQKIW/s1600/IMG_2519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmWQCw-2n1D3WfEbAsQF1907MOW9P_rLOQJOShw76zzArvZlgE4JUF4sR39LH0YagAMRZFb7GwJrg2Ov1ErsKcFtM7GZfZutNnXMNIEeEvCWheEMzFIOsa7azAuQ_Ifvb6Dsg0u3PQKIW/s1600/IMG_2519.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing in Barton Springs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6YZQ7GDCBoCjnxazY-Sbq21o_nnBCKTxfTtwKFgFMeDg8FfhtPbhK492QyJXckYIuw2j9IsiHa-8-BqaZXuKmcUBhN_JGzc0t_lS01z9Ff2fN4ykpcCM4oweNMZ_t-lhT_FyGFKOLT34/s1600/IMG_1668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6YZQ7GDCBoCjnxazY-Sbq21o_nnBCKTxfTtwKFgFMeDg8FfhtPbhK492QyJXckYIuw2j9IsiHa-8-BqaZXuKmcUBhN_JGzc0t_lS01z9Ff2fN4ykpcCM4oweNMZ_t-lhT_FyGFKOLT34/s1600/IMG_1668.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Superheroes!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMM-YWfiDBF_diiY-rDSzlkSohdc6J4KISDn6d-o0YGZK_Q7jwO2_qEhtZ6kpXSux8r5GWrM1M772l3Gv55oEqUvHPErAVufyGMmDebdrrQpXXW0HG_R9-dmdwqx3ytOrjjFMFhBpHQKUF/s1600/IMG_0447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMM-YWfiDBF_diiY-rDSzlkSohdc6J4KISDn6d-o0YGZK_Q7jwO2_qEhtZ6kpXSux8r5GWrM1M772l3Gv55oEqUvHPErAVufyGMmDebdrrQpXXW0HG_R9-dmdwqx3ytOrjjFMFhBpHQKUF/s1600/IMG_0447.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cascarones!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
Caitlin Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417848115673458546noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-11765940707458874712015-04-04T10:13:00.000-06:002015-04-04T10:13:00.094-06:00Why I let my kids play outside, and why you should probably mind your own damn business<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Since we've moved into housing at APTS, we've been the subject of intense scrutiny over our parenting, among other things. In January, we had CPS called on us. The accusation: leaving our sleeping 2-yr-old in our duplex (neighboring duplex friends knew we were leaving shortly and were watching out) while we went to a friend's engagement party for maybe 20 minutes. CPS was gracious and didn't come out or interview us, and for that I think we were extremely lucky. I talked to a friend at my work who used to be a CPS worker and she said she never had a case where they did not go to the home of the family. We still do not know who called CPS on us, though it had to have been someone in our community. It feels like an incredible violation of the tight-knit community that APTS is striving to create and prides itself on, which was one of the reasons we even chose to move here.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRLmey3bE9Cv8PHoMdcSO7Xv8Mx-Xzw_lh6KtEpa_Cf70dee4TeEncisUCCf1yshd7YzYd0X7RF2wivpe_8G-_vaijR6pCplf6j6VNUc90udlRKQRIHC_uzLzbsDWe_i1xUYwie5We1f8u/s1600/IMG_0048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRLmey3bE9Cv8PHoMdcSO7Xv8Mx-Xzw_lh6KtEpa_Cf70dee4TeEncisUCCf1yshd7YzYd0X7RF2wivpe_8G-_vaijR6pCplf6j6VNUc90udlRKQRIHC_uzLzbsDWe_i1xUYwie5We1f8u/s1600/IMG_0048.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Then, it seems like the shit is all hitting the fan this week. First, my neighbor came over and asked me to dress Tallulah. Yes, my toddler was playing naked in the mud. She was wearing a light-blue dress that I did not want to get stained, so I stripped her down. He was uncomfortable his older boys (they are 5 and 8) were out there playing around a naked little girl. I complied, because I like these neighbors, a lot. I did not want to create a rift, as we are friends and our kids are friends. But it really bothered me nonetheless. It bothers me that my daughter, practically still in diapers, is being body shamed and policed. That we had to comply with certain societal standards regarding her clothing to make boys less uncomfortable (if they were even uncomfortable at all, I suspect they weren't). I know it's different, but I can only imagine this is the first of a lifetime of situations where Tallulah will be told her body needs to conform to some silly standard in order to not make others uncomfortable. And it just reminded me how ridiculously messed up our conservative perceptions of sex and nudity are in this country. In Germany, no one cares. At the public pool, tons of kids are running around in their birthday suits. In the locker rooms, there are openly, unashamed naked people everywhere. At the saunas, men/women/teens all walk around completely naked, and it's totally natural.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4cEqVkt_ESibp4YjOCt8jbFd5iqIww5GuR6FstyX9vWCn0j3UAoNYXYXNuL7X0tsbGisXS1vorXuQAmM1jcTmn-eDMvric8QA3IXt24D2ekWDwKEl0nSAYak2SYCTbB5rEQxp3rEVmqwT/s1600/IMG_1319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4cEqVkt_ESibp4YjOCt8jbFd5iqIww5GuR6FstyX9vWCn0j3UAoNYXYXNuL7X0tsbGisXS1vorXuQAmM1jcTmn-eDMvric8QA3IXt24D2ekWDwKEl0nSAYak2SYCTbB5rEQxp3rEVmqwT/s1600/IMG_1319.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
A second neighbor approached T. Kay last night about the same issue. Tallulah was sunning herself after a bath, and then wandered to their yard to pet a dog that lives next door. Again, it made the adults uncomfortable because "our neighborhood isn't as safe as you think." I was at work, but I would have loved to respond: "oh, are you a pedophile?" I'm just NOT SCARED OF STRANGERS. People are good, y'all! Sure, some suck. But most young girls are more likely to be molested by their dads, or grandpas, or older brothers than a randomly wandering stranger who happens across their tiny naked bodies laying out on a towel on their lawn. I'm not going to change our kids comfort with their bodies and comfort with being naked just to satisfy some Puritanical ideas that apparently prevail at what is supposed to be a super-progressive, ultraliberal seminary. The same neighbor also expressed his concern that our kids are unsupervised too often outside. Now, these kids are 5 and 3. Atticus is fully capable of being outside alone. I fully trust in his judgment and his ability to stay within his boundaries safely. He <i>needs</i> me to trust that, for his own confidence and development. Kids these days are not given enough outside time, let alone unsupervised outside time. There is so much evidence from child psychologists that unstructured outdoors play has so many benefits for children, that I'm not willing to sacrifice their well-being for the comfort of those around us.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3PbdCxZ07RWW9XH-iroiKkmXqlPVXd0Eh49fOErRTK0-NsiCAGxKaFekVioM8QzJuItDvuYa6olcVxjNk4Szw6Gy2rpKhnBjgVBD2bY1PErBXeuyh52ft11BGmzEGi1CeAfe1PAjyVlq/s1600/IMG_0342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3PbdCxZ07RWW9XH-iroiKkmXqlPVXd0Eh49fOErRTK0-NsiCAGxKaFekVioM8QzJuItDvuYa6olcVxjNk4Szw6Gy2rpKhnBjgVBD2bY1PErBXeuyh52ft11BGmzEGi1CeAfe1PAjyVlq/s1600/IMG_0342.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Same goes for my 3-yr-old. I'm much more watchful of her outside, but she's never really given me a reason to not trust her awareness of her abilities or boundaries either. And 9 times out of 10, they are playing in the front yard, and I'm sitting at the open window listening to everything that's happening. I can see how a person walking by might think they are completely alone and unsupervised, but a simple knock at the door would show that they aren't, that I (or T. Kay) are completely conscious of everything going on and are doing it quite deliberately. Sure, sometimes, I'm making lunch and they wander further and I have to yell their names and look for them a bit longer. But who doesn't have memories of being at the end of the street and having their parent scream for them from the front porch?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdKTKJJtVzTUZyMXShVy_Bdh5BewoUNX8UFFIkHbzvZ-K04mmWydbJy1BCi7ig8t4Yw4IOsKqXCqKMxOhGj891_DIcXAn3HUr2gft3NFbJKKLHQo_E_2PrtLwsLRiFjXgLGPzSX-kug6zh/s1600/IMG_1343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdKTKJJtVzTUZyMXShVy_Bdh5BewoUNX8UFFIkHbzvZ-K04mmWydbJy1BCi7ig8t4Yw4IOsKqXCqKMxOhGj891_DIcXAn3HUr2gft3NFbJKKLHQo_E_2PrtLwsLRiFjXgLGPzSX-kug6zh/s1600/IMG_1343.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
We are short-changing our kids, Americans are. A large majority... they are shuttled to school in a car. They get one ultra-supervised 30-minute recess, if they are lucky. They are then picked up in a car, driven to other supervised activities or go home to watch TV or play video games. A study found that most American children get outside for just 4-7 minutes a day. This is ludicrous. Kids belong outside. Adults too, for that matter. I love lounging in our lawn chair and reading a book. See, I'm supervising! But all too often, I have to clean/cook/write blogposts so I'm inside doing those things instead. My sister made a good point: we just aren't used to seeing kids outside these days in our country. Most go to daycare or school or organized sports/rec activities. They are sequestered away from the everyday public spaces or in suburbs, and so seeing them in the city around a college campus is jarring. But that doesn't mean it's abnormal or wrong. It's just different.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, it does not seem like we'll be able to continue to let our kids play outside without repercussions. Our director of maintenance also emailed us this week with "concerns" about our children's safety. They told us that they shouldn't be outside alone, and there have been instances of Tallulah being in the parking lot below the school (I have no recollections of catching her there, ever, so she must have high-tailed it back before I checked on her). They cited one instance where the kids were inside of a room and T. Kay was literally standing in the hallway right outside "on the phone" (he doesn't recall this phone call, nor was it in his list of previous calls but they have VIDEO EVIDENCE). But even if he was, the kids can't be right inside a room with an open door to the hallway where he is standing?? They cited the problem with a homeless person recently coming inside the building to shower. I'm supposed to be scared this person will hurt my children? He/she was probably just dirty and needed a shower since we can't seem to operate facilities or provide enough services to help people who are without these on their own. That they would actively come in a building and hurt my children? Hardly. To suggest so baffles me. And moreover, are we supposed to be constantly within arms' reach? What are these ridiculous standards, and who are they really protecting?</div>
Caitlin Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417848115673458546noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-36182176198822280422015-03-12T21:18:00.000-06:002015-03-12T21:18:20.895-06:00Raising a gender non-conforming child<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A few weeks ago, I called our pediatrician here in Austin to finally set up an appointment for the kids. As I gave their stats and our personal information, in the middle of the conversation Atticus looked up from the picture he was painting and corrected me. After his date of birth, I had said "yes, he's a boy." He nonchalantly looked up and said "wrong, Mom, girl." The receptionist heard him and giggled, so I followed Atticus's cue and told her "biologically male, identifies as a girl."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VktxAbpwIK6YCRCCD-vsx-PjDu0ISOA7joIdSfM1NfIaPyDiquDuxzthmmhfHrQSK5Ov8gESBBgFLKMO19L254xZpeILrQ03OoLNmgOFsI5gsNkaNsMk0kK0UUo0ZuzLyJF43NHUa2_a/s1600/IMG_0213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VktxAbpwIK6YCRCCD-vsx-PjDu0ISOA7joIdSfM1NfIaPyDiquDuxzthmmhfHrQSK5Ov8gESBBgFLKMO19L254xZpeILrQ03OoLNmgOFsI5gsNkaNsMk0kK0UUo0ZuzLyJF43NHUa2_a/s1600/IMG_0213.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
Then, Tim took Atticus to the dentist. He was wearing his favorite purple coat and pajamas that at the time I thought were gender-neutral but then realized the reindeer have tiny bows on their antlers. According to Tim's account, for the first part of the appointment, the dentist and hygienists assumed he was a girl. And called him such. Tim said Atticus whispered in his ear to please not correct them, that he wanted them to think he was a girl. Tim also noted the interesting shift when they figured out halfway that he was a boy: instead of telling him "you're so sweet, this will all be over soon" and "she's so precious," it became "what a tough boy" and "wow you're so strong." Gender characteristics are so entrenched we cannot even talk to children without exhibiting our biases so blatantly.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnKLBe2ppz1O8kMJeCg11CAAb2nHELIpi5egKoIOhUxWZura3507C-BMHgzM7_CCEcVWLqwXwCRFOVQlZBfv63BaZASmli8Ic2xaNwv3dl_mwCh2SCOJbXL-SsUxYxeZu0F3A-yEbeuNyn/s1600/IMG_0305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnKLBe2ppz1O8kMJeCg11CAAb2nHELIpi5egKoIOhUxWZura3507C-BMHgzM7_CCEcVWLqwXwCRFOVQlZBfv63BaZASmli8Ic2xaNwv3dl_mwCh2SCOJbXL-SsUxYxeZu0F3A-yEbeuNyn/s1600/IMG_0305.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I brought home this nail polish, and he was so upset I didn't pick out pink.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Which is why when your child is gender non-conforming, everything starts to feel fuzzy and unsure. I have taken my fair share of gender studies classes, and I still have trouble navigating the path of raising my children without these stereotypes hindering their development and holding them back from their true selves. Occasionally we'll have one of those AH-HA moments like when I told Tallulah to drink her milk so she'd grow big and strong and she said so matter-of-factly: "I already are strong!" But so often it's catching myself encouraging Tallulah to lay down with her dolly and Atticus to pick up his Legos. A successful parenting day this week for me was when Tallulah picked out the bug jammies over the princess ones, and Atticus grabbed the ballerina book instead of the Star Wars one.<br />
<br />
Even with all of these gendered outlines for how children should look, behave, play... Atticus still has decided to break free from the mold. At around 3 or 4, he started telling us he "was a boy, but he wished he was a girl" or "sometimes I'm a boy, sometimes I'm a girl." We went with it, never really encouraging it outright by changing pronouns or buying him dresses, but just acknowledging it's ok to explore and pretend to be different things. Around this time, I brought home some dresses and tights from a garage sale for future Tallulah and stashed them away in the too-big bin for a later date. A few months later, Atticus discovered them as I pulled out the winter gear and demanded to wear them. He wanted to wear this one skirt I got at a clothing exchange every chance he could. He would look in his closet where 95% of things were grey, blue, green shirts and jeans, and would grab the one pair of pink tights and skirt to wear.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJLyaHgHfcxpuOD4oiUAW2Yo9wkZh8GdZbS_9ZPnZF4YbjKd_AZ5KUOF7yEqayKTkMOS0awocP5_AcSiTyo5HN1dXwuKLNMBT7f_KTasLHmG4Cc1_CDi1qGdZuh3CB_tpiH8m-YNP6kz0/s1600/IMG_1338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJLyaHgHfcxpuOD4oiUAW2Yo9wkZh8GdZbS_9ZPnZF4YbjKd_AZ5KUOF7yEqayKTkMOS0awocP5_AcSiTyo5HN1dXwuKLNMBT7f_KTasLHmG4Cc1_CDi1qGdZuh3CB_tpiH8m-YNP6kz0/s1600/IMG_1338.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Two years later, he actively asks us to say he's a girl on a regular basis, and sometimes gets upset when we correct people when we're out who call him a girl. It's amazing how upset other people get too when they realize they make the mistake, we laugh it off but it horrifies people when I call him Atticus and they come to the conclusion he's not a girl. Tim and I have stopped correcting. I am not sure when, if ever, it will be necessary to start using female pronouns and calling Atticus our daughter. We asked if he'd like to go by a different name and he looked at us like we were ignorant: "I like Atticus, and it can be a girl's name too!"<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQ4xQvSLVBX9vts5iJjgeAYJbdSIy2jgRVF87KAlcnvRDZI-_BIAvzGqMseC3slxnchjUtwLS8f1-CLzHzgo2Z3l9YQURp6mEAGMkGLwHqNsLQRsSufd-BtAAqX85R08IyfpZvJafjCH_/s1600/10295544_10152178432773527_6550527641547314802_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQ4xQvSLVBX9vts5iJjgeAYJbdSIy2jgRVF87KAlcnvRDZI-_BIAvzGqMseC3slxnchjUtwLS8f1-CLzHzgo2Z3l9YQURp6mEAGMkGLwHqNsLQRsSufd-BtAAqX85R08IyfpZvJafjCH_/s1600/10295544_10152178432773527_6550527641547314802_o.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Several days ago, we were playing at Central Market and there was a group of little girls forming a club. Atticus wanted to join up, and they said "no, you can't, you're a BOY!" And Atticus was so upset.... "no, I'm not! I'm a girl!" And they told him "you're a boy! go ask your mom!" Atticus came up to me in distress that his new "boy" haircut made it so he couldn't pass as a girl. We already spent many minutes looking at little girl pixie haircuts post-cutting to show him that just because his hair was short didn't mean now he was a boy, which was really frustrating for him after I cut it. And now this.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9wySj4moXXxxawESmyB6gxPtuGIvOZKfQ6RVeAd3y82fX9ABO0R5OFCjNODoDQ6yqnSLXiHEgNF6odFMOsU-89h_kThi0IWN0DrjwowQMGyQLjQlrsjXHOUMP1PKamHe1FPRJ-vKCdl11/s1600/IMG_0405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9wySj4moXXxxawESmyB6gxPtuGIvOZKfQ6RVeAd3y82fX9ABO0R5OFCjNODoDQ6yqnSLXiHEgNF6odFMOsU-89h_kThi0IWN0DrjwowQMGyQLjQlrsjXHOUMP1PKamHe1FPRJ-vKCdl11/s1600/IMG_0405.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I know many people will read this and roll their eyes. They will think thoughts or say words about how we are brain-washing him. How our liberal-minded ways are corrupting our child. How could we ever wish this upon him, and encourage him to think these things. That is is just a "phase" and we should be re-directing him. That we never should have let him leave the house in a skirt. Or ever think that gender was fluid. Because as my dad reminded me over and over again when he was visiting, it's not, right? Men are men and women are women, and God made us this way and it's impossible to change. Except some individuals are not comfortable in their biological bodies. They are not comfortable with their genitals dictating their identification. I have no clue what this feels like; I have a vagina and a uterus and ovaries and feel about as feminine as can be (despite my lack of attention to society's expectations like shaving my armpits and wearing make-up!) But the fact is, there are people, lots of people, children even, who experience this in their lives, and who are <i>we</i> to dictate <i>their</i> experiences for them? Because when we don't allow them to live their own experiences, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Leelah_Alcorn">tragedy</a> can <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyl%C3%BCl_Cans%C4%B1n">ensue</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSG0FqZeDCgIu4PiCuw8uDqJsoVWlx2pBn7JYLv7KmoP7aexr6wq0_RQ5Wf5NNL-Y9mCW1iEy4g0F55m6L9zcpQ1v5aaJ-ohYcmm171lHIr0pfT-G0DSMz8KMDZ043rHpyf4J8W8dZ-fWA/s1600/1509674_3311249938733_1113812924296242882_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSG0FqZeDCgIu4PiCuw8uDqJsoVWlx2pBn7JYLv7KmoP7aexr6wq0_RQ5Wf5NNL-Y9mCW1iEy4g0F55m6L9zcpQ1v5aaJ-ohYcmm171lHIr0pfT-G0DSMz8KMDZ043rHpyf4J8W8dZ-fWA/s1600/1509674_3311249938733_1113812924296242882_n.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
Why would I wish this upon my child? To feel uncomfortable in his own body and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgender_inequality">discriminated in society</a>? I, in no way, <b>want</b> Atticus to permanently decide he is a girl. I mean, look at my use of male-gendered pronouns. He is still, right now, very much still my son, and we are still navigating this together. Despite what people think, I actually still feel uncomfortable with him wearing dresses and picking out purple coats. When I buy him clothes or toys, I buy him male- or neutral-gendered things unless he actively asks for something different. I am still trying to untrain myself to abide by these same narrow definitions of what it means to be a gendered human, to walk through society as a "he" or a "she" and how much that dictates what our life looks like. How guilty we feel when we leave our kids to go to work, or how freely we can cry at a funeral. What jobs we have. What toys we play with. What colors we like.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZRj78o53jW1GEVTl3as741PvWTDalfPnxIFnNCmSTEJ1i_yM0SL_QqhF8jjXflQGWUaMKJGsbRUF8fmD0W3CBansDglf5e2EZ8rsF3pkv-aK5_1BAOmpVN8Wsy-z8uL3nw1QBUBIBOQY/s1600/10514226_10152454150733527_1556748887981384210_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZRj78o53jW1GEVTl3as741PvWTDalfPnxIFnNCmSTEJ1i_yM0SL_QqhF8jjXflQGWUaMKJGsbRUF8fmD0W3CBansDglf5e2EZ8rsF3pkv-aK5_1BAOmpVN8Wsy-z8uL3nw1QBUBIBOQY/s1600/10514226_10152454150733527_1556748887981384210_o.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
But I love who he (or she) is and who they will become in all of the myriad and undefinable ways a parent should love their child for exactly who they are, despite personality or ability or gender identity or sexual orientation. He is still only 5, which is why we are hesitant to move forward with really proclaiming him transgendered and embracing his self-identification. He has a lot of learning and growing and discovering to do. Maybe in two years, this will all be a thing of the past and he will be very much the boy he was born as. But if he's not, we will briefly mourn the little boy that once was and embrace whatever person they decide to become and however this kid decides to self-identify.</div>
Caitlin Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417848115673458546noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-8786269398392505692015-02-27T22:17:00.000-07:002015-02-27T22:17:04.848-07:00Our house as it is<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We've been slowly making our apartment more home-like, adding things bit by bit and Ikea trip by Ikea trip. We seem to have settled on an arrangement that we like for now, so here is some documentary evidence after we cleaned it for some reason or another.<br />
<br />
<b>Kids room</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
So bright and gender neutral!<br />
<b><br /></b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW5zMopv0eH3l4WJ-tqmikxJ6qfK19JJ5oP1rcKxYWNgou6SzsKQ_Lo5pOljWbZv7Z-cNMY-kPegY37ZtdUkRC3JDw8dh6MpJoXopt7BAY6keWuTFzQx_Tti35z6eI_AKI3AR9iJIqcuOK/s1600/IMG_0291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW5zMopv0eH3l4WJ-tqmikxJ6qfK19JJ5oP1rcKxYWNgou6SzsKQ_Lo5pOljWbZv7Z-cNMY-kPegY37ZtdUkRC3JDw8dh6MpJoXopt7BAY6keWuTFzQx_Tti35z6eI_AKI3AR9iJIqcuOK/s1600/IMG_0291.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZNfqzmpVd9L_6PQIstlDKMr5hLEdR8mw3NNB8m1Aggll2Nmfr-JH-CqIsMOO66VDQIqJUF9BbpoCzUKA7T5Oos5OfWXEHnvViSmaaAskNpEZo0UhVVS7At-Cct5qBKdHnigkK9KSVzPoK/s1600/IMG_0292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZNfqzmpVd9L_6PQIstlDKMr5hLEdR8mw3NNB8m1Aggll2Nmfr-JH-CqIsMOO66VDQIqJUF9BbpoCzUKA7T5Oos5OfWXEHnvViSmaaAskNpEZo0UhVVS7At-Cct5qBKdHnigkK9KSVzPoK/s1600/IMG_0292.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1u5t7lM24quPVlXIJdmlbsAa-2lx6l6i3W5pWYHA5TxLabGD6v4xJuxDttqDh4YV72QsSrvcE4wZF0U7WImT4wK8iONNk_LVcTipm3PP5rQh7PX4GudPCy6dXjRSVh_nqg0hLzSyWF8R/s1600/IMG_0293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1u5t7lM24quPVlXIJdmlbsAa-2lx6l6i3W5pWYHA5TxLabGD6v4xJuxDttqDh4YV72QsSrvcE4wZF0U7WImT4wK8iONNk_LVcTipm3PP5rQh7PX4GudPCy6dXjRSVh_nqg0hLzSyWF8R/s1600/IMG_0293.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Our bedroom</b><br />
<br />
Kid in a blanket.<b> </b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQ_8jO64QzpsDmnixm61v4RtHaJUXZmOlY3uMAIGv7pu1c5dKa3bDbUsCMlPotiLaQ13KUlBl7EqCocBe2XIIvIhc6bBghUw0wSw92BaKR4MUuKV9RRmrlKstOJPURlJJeF8hcg7OlccN/s1600/IMG_0295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQ_8jO64QzpsDmnixm61v4RtHaJUXZmOlY3uMAIGv7pu1c5dKa3bDbUsCMlPotiLaQ13KUlBl7EqCocBe2XIIvIhc6bBghUw0wSw92BaKR4MUuKV9RRmrlKstOJPURlJJeF8hcg7OlccN/s1600/IMG_0295.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>The office</b><br />
<br />
Steve Carrell not included. I like the cool tones of this room contrasting with the brightness of the rest of the house. This is also the room all our neighbors get an eyeful of when they walk to school because it pokes out from our house near the main path and I never close the blinds.<b> </b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMC77NYkZCv96g8NfxrQJkgF5Dr44HQH8IhG4kZ5kTveVNWUPeSnNVOFVcp04IqMMBMiQF60EoGUZo0qpMbVvhpx5dR1xMpNcP2Vz8iY2p_39rE0j2-0lZZS9wMRQiMElASrfnv0XP3w0i/s1600/IMG_0294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMC77NYkZCv96g8NfxrQJkgF5Dr44HQH8IhG4kZ5kTveVNWUPeSnNVOFVcp04IqMMBMiQF60EoGUZo0qpMbVvhpx5dR1xMpNcP2Vz8iY2p_39rE0j2-0lZZS9wMRQiMElASrfnv0XP3w0i/s1600/IMG_0294.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>The front room.</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Come over any time.<b> </b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNeUJlIoNDxfDKmeFQi5_L7Cuzf7maDFyYVdX9Psr_s0-HOR1Sy1mBwbMk8dPjhyphenhyphen5AtYlLByWMaqX7YosokltbvOI1CbO__I00OIuBzAmVlRm_6ZKz_5KpJBTBL83i-TCkDmkjE8kLRT2i/s1600/IMG_0303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNeUJlIoNDxfDKmeFQi5_L7Cuzf7maDFyYVdX9Psr_s0-HOR1Sy1mBwbMk8dPjhyphenhyphen5AtYlLByWMaqX7YosokltbvOI1CbO__I00OIuBzAmVlRm_6ZKz_5KpJBTBL83i-TCkDmkjE8kLRT2i/s1600/IMG_0303.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXoLrvJZTcRXTCYXLGpK8-XR3Tp4iKdz7RVyqYI2Bg_Qsv8jeAP6hIHSPRVlqsD7fLaGyoKbG-RWTLPzxmZujZ7yocKWyvORxTpL60IDzvtj9XR5gd3dN8w33RGBsPdip1Z0jan7iO4QF5/s1600/IMG_0304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXoLrvJZTcRXTCYXLGpK8-XR3Tp4iKdz7RVyqYI2Bg_Qsv8jeAP6hIHSPRVlqsD7fLaGyoKbG-RWTLPzxmZujZ7yocKWyvORxTpL60IDzvtj9XR5gd3dN8w33RGBsPdip1Z0jan7iO4QF5/s1600/IMG_0304.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dancing with a sharp pencil is the best kind of dancing, right?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPwHsklM8z7S9lP3hyphenhyphenZVewP1LMi2EAXFR3IpqShfwlxu454gnkqSaI-58SlXh3_HQTWjVvhQwluV6WYEB1n659Z7HUZvnFWZd-2MubPhsbzO5O4SFzYE63qO4RwCjJw9cOan_gR6LdOdvR/s1600/IMG_0299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPwHsklM8z7S9lP3hyphenhyphenZVewP1LMi2EAXFR3IpqShfwlxu454gnkqSaI-58SlXh3_HQTWjVvhQwluV6WYEB1n659Z7HUZvnFWZd-2MubPhsbzO5O4SFzYE63qO4RwCjJw9cOan_gR6LdOdvR/s1600/IMG_0299.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZd79bc2d3Eh3WTxj0kLjX9_fmTSJNQZwwB7jPElpz8WMMjT3aq5-MDUkawIwg2xxDfpgjJj5N2pGiJQOVga85QMq8EnohnPH3vkwwRW1pBURuXfENwFTzevNqbs9ufe62RcbUSBu7P271/s1600/IMG_0301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZd79bc2d3Eh3WTxj0kLjX9_fmTSJNQZwwB7jPElpz8WMMjT3aq5-MDUkawIwg2xxDfpgjJj5N2pGiJQOVga85QMq8EnohnPH3vkwwRW1pBURuXfENwFTzevNqbs9ufe62RcbUSBu7P271/s1600/IMG_0301.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZIg4fz8d3Sc2eCvlHujkwpEcwcc4Bef0_1dU4Jfxc_3GCK9zpEZWpGXtQ9QCyh34tblpxk14IxiR7iDzdUOpPA-X3Le4q67Ek59bk4xiY9bun_ltEgahfjC5nh4tY3rLpxnI6KXmO5G13/s1600/IMG_0302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZIg4fz8d3Sc2eCvlHujkwpEcwcc4Bef0_1dU4Jfxc_3GCK9zpEZWpGXtQ9QCyh34tblpxk14IxiR7iDzdUOpPA-X3Le4q67Ek59bk4xiY9bun_ltEgahfjC5nh4tY3rLpxnI6KXmO5G13/s1600/IMG_0302.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art station</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
It's taken a little time to settle in here, but as the good memories build, this place is becoming more and more like home.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999429103487593176noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-15180639865004172842015-01-03T19:33:00.003-07:002015-01-03T19:33:56.226-07:00The four of us in 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We very blatantly stole the form for this post from <a href="http://mamaneverfumbles.wordpress.com/2014/12/30/2014-wrap-up/">Cait's sister.</a> Thanks, Aunt Lala.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNXTQqs4vKUAnk7jR-67QMjniHIm24r6Zj4ZTfoEwjShDpnZ-_lhsqRQi1Mp7uTEDa9fWqVf8jiOSbliuxDUnWcEbnZCdhdNtPNGI6mpW6NJDTPbjiKyHWj92lZVgdsx1PhVtPOQWVwTf/s1600/IMG_0229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNXTQqs4vKUAnk7jR-67QMjniHIm24r6Zj4ZTfoEwjShDpnZ-_lhsqRQi1Mp7uTEDa9fWqVf8jiOSbliuxDUnWcEbnZCdhdNtPNGI6mpW6NJDTPbjiKyHWj92lZVgdsx1PhVtPOQWVwTf/s1600/IMG_0229.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Name: Tallulah</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Age: 2, almost 3</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Favorite book: Fancy Nancy, Mouse Soup</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Favorite song: You are My Sunshine, Do You Want to Build a Snowman, ABCs</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">My teachers: Mommy</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">My good friends: Silas, Jaren, Jessie, Austin, Katherine</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">How I like to spend my time: Reading books, play with dollies, play with brother</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Favorite color: Yellow</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Favorite food: Pizza, cereal</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">What I learned this year: Talk in sentences, ride a bike/scooter</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Hardest thing of the year: Slipping on slippery floors</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Some of my goals: Potty training at night, swimming</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Current favorite saying: "Scratch my back!" "What time is it?"</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6uX-pB1E81_OwPgcf_0WaQJn77uJQAyhOesWCcKT-T0maEXdosXlLrAV2V25NaANPR-KpbReiNTino-lYj0dH367T_P2ZhFdB86mqYYY0W0ZUNvspJP86-pl8NlwiusqcXJMVcpJsnHAQ/s1600/IMG_0232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6uX-pB1E81_OwPgcf_0WaQJn77uJQAyhOesWCcKT-T0maEXdosXlLrAV2V25NaANPR-KpbReiNTino-lYj0dH367T_P2ZhFdB86mqYYY0W0ZUNvspJP86-pl8NlwiusqcXJMVcpJsnHAQ/s1600/IMG_0232.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Name: Atticus</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Age: 5</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Favorite book: Star Wars Books</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Favorite song: Star Wars Music</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">My teachers: Mommy</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">My good friends: Endra, Caison and Jaren</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">How I like to spend my time: reading books, pretend in my brain, devices</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Favorite color: Blue and Purple</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Favorite food: Oatmeal</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">What I learned this year: Addition, reading, bike riding</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Hardest thing of the year: </span><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Leaving school</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Some of my goals: Read longer books, be happier, be a good brother, visit my grandmas and grandpas and go to the beach and swim at the swimming pool</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Favorite current saying: "What a bargain!" "Kugichagolia"</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzm7nCxBxlpJ3a8dMrECwoWkdzURYppKKwN9RFq_Y6UQMFcZN-7fmWLyXDCvNYP3pNiy7JbnS3C0x09Bie-mMEcoyglg8sVLquttu_q4oAE9AADpw7cJs_VRO3B-5jG1h9VWE6oK235gRd/s1600/IMG_0211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzm7nCxBxlpJ3a8dMrECwoWkdzURYppKKwN9RFq_Y6UQMFcZN-7fmWLyXDCvNYP3pNiy7JbnS3C0x09Bie-mMEcoyglg8sVLquttu_q4oAE9AADpw7cJs_VRO3B-5jG1h9VWE6oK235gRd/s1600/IMG_0211.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Name: Caitlin</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Age: 28</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Favorite book: Sue Monk Kidd (<i>The Invention of Wings, The Secret Life of Bees, Dance of the Dissident Daughter), </i></span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Favorite song: The Lumineers</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">My teachers: Jakob </span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">My good friends: Jessie, Andrea, the Austins in all their many varieties, Katherine, Melanie, Jenny, Eliza, Nina, Tallia, Melissa</span></span></span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">How I like to spend my time: reading, yoga, cooking, waiting for my Madsen bike</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Favorite color: Green</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Favorite food: Indian</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">What I learned this year: Danish, the crisis intervention model</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Hardest thing of the year: Tunisia</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Some of my goals: Be more present with my kids, get into grad school, shave my head</span><br />
<span style="color: #373737; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Current favorite saying: "</span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Jeg taler godt dansk"</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihrS-XNpRR8eoR_wRIXIKx6Gvqy05yMptOW4xUeLPCR6fTlvOO-IeEbMwHPV_KjnpU0XpmI9fezZfxqeUSKz11HgoI7NF4i0MXp-RT6IYAt6sgZvfqzqa1HMGZnGaCPhthYz_x1Taz3OW1/s1600/IMG_0195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihrS-XNpRR8eoR_wRIXIKx6Gvqy05yMptOW4xUeLPCR6fTlvOO-IeEbMwHPV_KjnpU0XpmI9fezZfxqeUSKz11HgoI7NF4i0MXp-RT6IYAt6sgZvfqzqa1HMGZnGaCPhthYz_x1Taz3OW1/s1600/IMG_0195.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Name: Timothy</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Age: 29</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Favorite book: The Sparrow, The Prophet, Mary Oliver</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Favorite song: Winter Song-Head and the Heart</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">My teachers: Presbyterians</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">My good friends: Jessie, Austin, Daniel, Catherine, Arlen</span></span></span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">How I like to spend my time: reading, organizing, planning</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Favorite color: Kindle black</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Favorite food: Coffee</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">What I learned this year: The difference between the imminent trinity and the economic trinity. Also, I learned to trust myself</span><br style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Hardest thing of the year: Cognitive dissonance, existential </span><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">dilemma</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Some of my goals: Reduce useless distractions, communicate more sincerely</span><br />
<span style="color: #373737; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Current favorite saying: "Sure, right after I finish this chapter."</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #373737; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8RSpCYCq2x6RwmhQwUnRB4XDFZ9wn3nsm1gTpzBptL3Lr9eTdGQ6zNYrgmeDGhHmZmPatvTPWGIJtDdDd2kfcPDfccts3RdIHAUl0bbF1mdn2hHyA3Kp8NKZWwCJ7jIgHkmIPYISBjQD/s1600/IMG_0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8RSpCYCq2x6RwmhQwUnRB4XDFZ9wn3nsm1gTpzBptL3Lr9eTdGQ6zNYrgmeDGhHmZmPatvTPWGIJtDdDd2kfcPDfccts3RdIHAUl0bbF1mdn2hHyA3Kp8NKZWwCJ7jIgHkmIPYISBjQD/s1600/IMG_0220.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaT7u9JZ158qluoOIgcuy0k3rrLWOdCAYVYe9Uw-cAxlM9J9En11ur1E6IFW7TocxHJ68ZWXFl1uAW3snfidvBIuCQla2SafJnHKH0JgUoim-pb-mKe1vf5xGJcfUtJJuzL8h2MYipE7uH/s1600/IMG_0246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaT7u9JZ158qluoOIgcuy0k3rrLWOdCAYVYe9Uw-cAxlM9J9En11ur1E6IFW7TocxHJ68ZWXFl1uAW3snfidvBIuCQla2SafJnHKH0JgUoim-pb-mKe1vf5xGJcfUtJJuzL8h2MYipE7uH/s1600/IMG_0246.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27hQ8-29V8ByWaJ2RqYf8mugFTVR66r5ocRPkurPyy7wIuZDoRjItB2ihGiPAV6gA66O1HHf5yNkopAEh1REJzP2LIv7qeEABbz2j-tb35_6G1vU1TAafLG93wjsYkor_BeYdA9N6BOxY/s1600/IMG_0254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27hQ8-29V8ByWaJ2RqYf8mugFTVR66r5ocRPkurPyy7wIuZDoRjItB2ihGiPAV6gA66O1HHf5yNkopAEh1REJzP2LIv7qeEABbz2j-tb35_6G1vU1TAafLG93wjsYkor_BeYdA9N6BOxY/s1600/IMG_0254.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999429103487593176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-23043122334266583242015-01-01T19:53:00.000-07:002015-01-01T19:58:39.541-07:002014, in review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
2014 was quite the eventful year, so I want to try to document everything that is happening and has happened. It's been a good year in spite of the busyness and the unexpected changes, and I think Tim and I both agree we have ended it in a really good place both individually and as a family as a whole.<br />
<br />
The beginning of the year had us returning from <a href="http://timandcait.blogspot.com/2014/01/to-provs-and-back-again.html">Utah</a> and my <a href="http://timandcait.blogspot.com/2014/01/january-20-26-back-to-school.html">settling back into school</a>. Atticus started preschool at Bernie's Place where Tallulah had been in the toddler room since September. After a rocky start (missing Teacher Laura school!), he ended up loving it there and made lots of friends. Tallulah did as well, and was crazy about her afternoon teacher Kate, who would carry her in the Ergo for the entire naptime until she adjusted to sleeping on the mat by herself. We survived the polar vortex, the few sporadic weeks of sub-zero weather during these months, with the windchill down around -40 at some points. We spent a lot of time with good friends and bundling up to head to FUS. Tim ran the FUS volunteers for the Road Home, was on the anti-gun violence committee, and headed the University Apartments Assembly in Eagle Heights.<br />
<br />
Sometime around mid-January , as the weather grew colder and more bleak, we were talking about Tiny Texas Houses, and joked it'd be cool to move to Austin. Tim, who had been contemplating going to seminary for a few months by this point, looked up APTS and we read about their subsidized housing, liberal leanings, and tight-knit community and decided to consider applying. <a href="http://timandcait.blogspot.com/2014_02_01_archive.html">Tim flew down</a> in late February for Discovery Weekend, just to check it out, though at this point we were planning pretty seriously on doing a distance program based out of Berkeley.<br />
<br />
In March, <a href="http://timandcait.blogspot.com/2014/03/happy-birthday-lu.html">Tallulah turned 2</a> with a <a href="http://timandcait.blogspot.com/2014/03/tallulahs-pi-party.html">Pi Party</a>, the days gradually became sunnier and warmer and I attended an amazing <a href="http://timandcait.blogspot.com/2014/03/womens-retreat.html">women's retreat</a> at FUS and left feeling rejuvenated and powerful.<br />
<br />
The next few months we soaked in as much of the new spring as possible after that long, long, cold winter. We went to the library and the children's museum and the Wisconsin Science Festival and Whole Foods. Tim began applying for grad school and spent more time writing for Writers' Domain. We had a <a href="http://timandcait.blogspot.com/2014/05/easter-sunday-spectacular.html">glorious Easter at Bob and Kelly's house</a>. During the next few months we went back and forth over whether we would go away for seminary or Tim would do a distance program. He really liked the community and the people at Austin, but we ended the spring on the side of staying in Madison for me to finish up, since I was so close to being ABD.<br />
<br />
I finished school in May and <a href="http://timandcait.blogspot.com/2014/05/welcome-in-tunisia.html">headed almost straight to Tunisia</a>. I had been given a grant to do research on the women's movement in Tunis and was excited to be on the ground running with my pre-dissertation research. It was a lot more challenging than I thought before I went, and I spent a lot of time wandering aimlessly around Tunis. Tim and the kids missed me, obviously, but also had <a href="http://timandcait.blogspot.com/2014/06/since-caits-been-gone-week-1.html">a great time playing outside a ton </a>and Tim played on a co-ed recreational softball team put on by my department.<br />
<br />
While I was gone, we heard back from the seminary about grant money and the subsidized housing option, and <a href="http://timandcait.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-next-step.html">we decided to move to Austin</a> after realizing that we would save like $40,000 a year in student loans. (!!)<br />
<br />
Post Tunisia, I spent a week in Budapest, <a href="http://timandcait.blogspot.com/2014/07/eurotour-2014-zagreb.html">Zagreb</a>, and Plitvice Falls with my friend Dana Rose and her friend Sarah. I had my first experience hitch-hiking. It was really fun being an independent 20-something woman with no kids to cart around on my travels. I returned to <a href="http://timandcait.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-return-of-mommy.html">a glorious reunion and tornadoes</a>. We had an awesome summer with <a href="http://timandcait.blogspot.com/2014/07/summer-staycation-week-at-lonsdale-farm.html">a week at our friends' farm</a>, some in-between time staying in the Bradshaws' apartment, and then a few months house-sitting at the Allens'. We really enjoyed living in a real home with a garden, cats, and a TV to watch seemingly endless episodes of <a href="http://timandcait.blogspot.com/2014/08/my-deepest-fears-expressed-through.html">Borgen</a> and Orange is the New Black. We bought 20-class passes on Groupon to the nearby yoga studio and went several times a week until we left. I also did a pottery class at the parks and rec building and loved being artistic for a change.<br />
<br />
We finally went to <a href="http://timandcait.blogspot.com/2014/08/devils-lake-finally.html">Devil's Lake</a> when our dear old friend Analiesa (the only person besides us to be at both of our children's births) had a wedding reception there. We had our own wedding reception of sorts when we <a href="http://timandcait.blogspot.com/2014/09/getting-married-again-why-not.html">renewed our vows</a> at FUS under the guidance of the wonderful Minister Kelly.<br />
<br />
What felt like both a blink of an eye and an eternity, our lovely, calm Madison summer ended, we bought a car after being car-free for years, and we were on <a href="http://timandcait.blogspot.com/2014/09/we-live-in-texas.html">our way to Texas</a>. Texas! The last place on Earth I thought we would ever end up. The first few days were rough, we arrived to an empty apartment with ugly tile floors and ZERO appliances, with only our mini mini-van full of things. We spent the first week in bed sick with the flu, fortunately staying in the seminary's guest room while we recuperated. Once we got into our apartment, bought some super-sketchy appliances and a million rugs, things started to look up. It only took us four months to get a bed! Our first since living in DC many moons ago when we had an awesome Murphy bed that we would love to replicate one day. We also bought a <a href="http://timandcait.blogspot.com/2014/10/urban-homesteading-vermiculture.html">worm composter</a>, which Cait is a little too crazy about and Tim is indifferent towards. The first few months here were HOT, hot and we did so much swimming and lounging. Atticus went to school, for a few months, before we decided to start home-schooling over Thanksgiving break. Another big change was my getting a job which I love at the National Domestic Violence Hotline.<br />
<br />
In summary, where we are now: Tim thinks his program is the bomb, we have neighbors with three little boys who play with ours so well (and their parents are awesome, too), my job pays well and is meaningful to me, and our Austin friend group is ever-expanding. Atticus and Tallulah are finally in a place where they play independently together and have less and less need of our constant attentions, they sleep through the night, we don't have to change diapers, and we are beginning to branch out and pursue hobbies. Tim started playing guitar again, and we recently joined the YMCA and have been spending many mornings there while the kids go to music/dancing/gymnastics and I do yoga. We are in such a good place in our lives, and looking forward to what 2015 will bring us.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Caitlin Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417848115673458546noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-65050577099584861562014-12-30T13:49:00.000-07:002015-01-01T19:12:50.638-07:00Christmas with the Carroll-Brownings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As much as I like being around family for the holidays, I love spending our Christmases with just our little clan. It's the perfect combination of relaxation and celebration. It was especially exciting this year, as we had so many opportunities to celebrate the coming of winter and the spirit of giving in many different ways.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There was a very laid-back, non-traditional nativity (though there was a baby Jesus, to which Atticus said: "Is that the REAL baby Jesus?") at FUUCA. When asked why by an outsider we do a nativity when we aren't a Christian faith tradition, I loved what Minister Mari said: "Because it's in our heritage. And we enjoy it, and the kids enjoy it. Kids in costumes are adorable. It's fun. So why would we not?"</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHhDgXbLV5uw3W7_2E3m521aLb4KQxYP8-PYOpPlluJkJanVZbGl2bfCCQyu4xYKr7DHeNaatnHfRwPIow2DpV9erm7i1LYpZ0LtlPK_wqxi_sEOKUyak9KLCr0R5PtyLN1blwbJLwNEQ/s1600/IMG_1547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHhDgXbLV5uw3W7_2E3m521aLb4KQxYP8-PYOpPlluJkJanVZbGl2bfCCQyu4xYKr7DHeNaatnHfRwPIow2DpV9erm7i1LYpZ0LtlPK_wqxi_sEOKUyak9KLCr0R5PtyLN1blwbJLwNEQ/s1600/IMG_1547.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiolDx49LL-m4JlnPJhvY20jH2WIhrhtoK_8TvWd128_DLRoRg5Wsm1LNWND6SpsNr6PpDBcG1DDT9zzLnjZQOIab80JfGiXjYM57c8Ky9yqryji4ZNrBQyGbisB1fqlKgEXeWlKc216Toi/s1600/IMG_1549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiolDx49LL-m4JlnPJhvY20jH2WIhrhtoK_8TvWd128_DLRoRg5Wsm1LNWND6SpsNr6PpDBcG1DDT9zzLnjZQOIab80JfGiXjYM57c8Ky9yqryji4ZNrBQyGbisB1fqlKgEXeWlKc216Toi/s1600/IMG_1549.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2u5bmm5guzNuzK6uMquFonGVZjEf_amV337PDxmGAlJr-Zxjik6-TFPryGIws3_f-cZqDR9Af8ewHePTkPy1ElUIV5JnzqHOMu5zhhpyiJeYovp1E1fMykYRBKsnRmJbxc7SROGWoFiar/s1600/IMG_1552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2u5bmm5guzNuzK6uMquFonGVZjEf_amV337PDxmGAlJr-Zxjik6-TFPryGIws3_f-cZqDR9Af8ewHePTkPy1ElUIV5JnzqHOMu5zhhpyiJeYovp1E1fMykYRBKsnRmJbxc7SROGWoFiar/s1600/IMG_1552.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0nXvw-YeAWd0JcqFuZxv7LTYW4r5nt3K6mY_tc9sAchBPE15tcB1AgLdH3wOFWHvnFdxiaojkGeCvhC7nuKD9spJ7et93k-Xe5PNxDV8AOUgSA75cGM09IPsTQm32H0G3paCB75rh0qKl/s1600/IMG_1558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0nXvw-YeAWd0JcqFuZxv7LTYW4r5nt3K6mY_tc9sAchBPE15tcB1AgLdH3wOFWHvnFdxiaojkGeCvhC7nuKD9spJ7et93k-Xe5PNxDV8AOUgSA75cGM09IPsTQm32H0G3paCB75rh0qKl/s1600/IMG_1558.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJj9Q81pZH45V3ZXBvkz2AXJzIAX6TtJH_r21T8HEKjO0JAW5nmW7y90nnmu1K_q04_PugEyfrLPTcjaPzRJVcTlyO48E29MvJ5AZZdJsv0dAwcdpZW2Z-KkOWZV9o1l41eUXqRXPZgDn9/s1600/IMG_1559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJj9Q81pZH45V3ZXBvkz2AXJzIAX6TtJH_r21T8HEKjO0JAW5nmW7y90nnmu1K_q04_PugEyfrLPTcjaPzRJVcTlyO48E29MvJ5AZZdJsv0dAwcdpZW2Z-KkOWZV9o1l41eUXqRXPZgDn9/s1600/IMG_1559.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWylw1RW0rN6xl7-hTBdR0ImgWKuuKTJVdyuGXZX6GyrabgV-R5_gd1a1tTPVFEq9IeLO2Gns26S8ayNjykQec167H3DbpECpMA7gPL9ck6FPapRJT7PrOarHyg8s1iyw6T9g2YyGlcg5/s1600/IMG_1562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWylw1RW0rN6xl7-hTBdR0ImgWKuuKTJVdyuGXZX6GyrabgV-R5_gd1a1tTPVFEq9IeLO2Gns26S8ayNjykQec167H3DbpECpMA7gPL9ck6FPapRJT7PrOarHyg8s1iyw6T9g2YyGlcg5/s1600/IMG_1562.JPG" height="640" width="638" /></a></div>
<br />
The next week fellow seminarian Wendy gave us four tickets to shuttle down to the Festival of Lights. It was a rainy and cold night, and so it wasn't nearly as busy as we have heard it can be. The rain actually held up the whole time we were there, and the cold was obviously doable for us stout former Wisconsinites (it was probably in the 40s or 50s). It was still busy, but we were able to push our double BOB around effortlessly. We even got to see Santa after waiting in line for only 5 or 10 minutes.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-N8KSVonLLzJ1VnU-fdqPmd3tL83I13DH4qJV5X3SLiwSjZPnQshpIlRm9J2bxk3zsJawLW7pKxvtjGE-yTDjHAJSPDGehMCWwhqIQ0IosnsIONCJxJdqZHwo_M7WXN0IPiZbjVgjP8V/s1600/IMG_1566.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-N8KSVonLLzJ1VnU-fdqPmd3tL83I13DH4qJV5X3SLiwSjZPnQshpIlRm9J2bxk3zsJawLW7pKxvtjGE-yTDjHAJSPDGehMCWwhqIQ0IosnsIONCJxJdqZHwo_M7WXN0IPiZbjVgjP8V/s1600/IMG_1566.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHH8S1mDXXuCzILfW3fzOyzkqTIYuxBZFkPvDIBQTYcoWmYlLLoP-z_Wt8IyAuNf_w6x8GKKyRac9uSWWyTw8jYNCHAVEMN230po1Jw4HSby0TqoCRPMWPGZGL4HWIwAYGYK2k78vEW1EN/s1600/IMG_1567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHH8S1mDXXuCzILfW3fzOyzkqTIYuxBZFkPvDIBQTYcoWmYlLLoP-z_Wt8IyAuNf_w6x8GKKyRac9uSWWyTw8jYNCHAVEMN230po1Jw4HSby0TqoCRPMWPGZGL4HWIwAYGYK2k78vEW1EN/s1600/IMG_1567.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1gsiwSV5Qz4R-gHntGietvJ1mhEC4smxuBI6MJefuL2dhRy_BhhsFB6mYV_TO0IIs6Ek2-1yPihvNwgAnuPEZyyCCtM6Csi0bhUihX2vyEYueWJTxX91uQa3madsQbbD-n9-qIyLODHJT/s1600/IMG_1568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1gsiwSV5Qz4R-gHntGietvJ1mhEC4smxuBI6MJefuL2dhRy_BhhsFB6mYV_TO0IIs6Ek2-1yPihvNwgAnuPEZyyCCtM6Csi0bhUihX2vyEYueWJTxX91uQa3madsQbbD-n9-qIyLODHJT/s1600/IMG_1568.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFqa59IS-Xs0vC0x-Dl3K7t4EvZBkH0ldRs8Svp8PQnwXTN2aILb8Gl2IPhfZjpUQru8bpJ8X6wM89sc2xnsAJt26evpLGFUIEMbjxp_cM38NX5ogYkasuMbePxw9j4AV4tLEZlv8LTd_/s1600/IMG_1570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFqa59IS-Xs0vC0x-Dl3K7t4EvZBkH0ldRs8Svp8PQnwXTN2aILb8Gl2IPhfZjpUQru8bpJ8X6wM89sc2xnsAJt26evpLGFUIEMbjxp_cM38NX5ogYkasuMbePxw9j4AV4tLEZlv8LTd_/s1600/IMG_1570.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKco6Ic7Dt7jXw_NwZjhTWGzElT5PD8ROHS9MMO_izLoTUVuLuLOQwltPT8C9yWIYaIJK4OmjOiJA-12GWcN9dV0FmWhEoB_VhuEvsGKDigHHuT2JdFJUIoGAVGuHHgfUI5xuwDMGnrQlQ/s1600/IMG_1571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKco6Ic7Dt7jXw_NwZjhTWGzElT5PD8ROHS9MMO_izLoTUVuLuLOQwltPT8C9yWIYaIJK4OmjOiJA-12GWcN9dV0FmWhEoB_VhuEvsGKDigHHuT2JdFJUIoGAVGuHHgfUI5xuwDMGnrQlQ/s1600/IMG_1571.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixderOidRq7316JJc25KH-dRLn-9PJtfNFw3TX21wZmDDt2nY6vjGpiN8aORRQOmmORJoHT35p4vTHdzuv4F_Ou2-oNOdA37ppEuZdBQ0keUoZiYhCQYIzZfz2jHuOz95-RR6TGNne01kz/s1600/IMG_1572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixderOidRq7316JJc25KH-dRLn-9PJtfNFw3TX21wZmDDt2nY6vjGpiN8aORRQOmmORJoHT35p4vTHdzuv4F_Ou2-oNOdA37ppEuZdBQ0keUoZiYhCQYIzZfz2jHuOz95-RR6TGNne01kz/s1600/IMG_1572.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOmilZI2RlbsS_h0l3M4j_TVf0D8E3vz104oVC8yCxrhOK3GY58RIo2KfNr5f-IkCYKwdYftTdJ3ysd6FdpBaXnPsyKFp7UZOH1i0dXdLMPIvh3_dqktXwHMK-y24AHIGLupQoSFUb8cUf/s1600/IMG_1576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOmilZI2RlbsS_h0l3M4j_TVf0D8E3vz104oVC8yCxrhOK3GY58RIo2KfNr5f-IkCYKwdYftTdJ3ysd6FdpBaXnPsyKFp7UZOH1i0dXdLMPIvh3_dqktXwHMK-y24AHIGLupQoSFUb8cUf/s1600/IMG_1576.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fake bubble snow is such a funny concept to me now, after hating the snow for so many months.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next week at church (right before Christmas) the kids wore their fanciest clothes. I pulled out this smocked Nutcracker dress for Tallulah, but since it was a little long for her Atticus decided it was his and wore it over his button-up. The kid still loves dresses.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr5A3sFMSIn1T-dG3fpV1kxwcZjFIT4anAdPSHeh2kTTHfx6WUnkbqN8g8Nn5epde8otz6FG4odhdTm5yVAZMnEURsKu8yLIgviq-0M0sT25NNzvLBaNsVOkp47hnf92vlOqTSHEKRAjOP/s1600/IMG_0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr5A3sFMSIn1T-dG3fpV1kxwcZjFIT4anAdPSHeh2kTTHfx6WUnkbqN8g8Nn5epde8otz6FG4odhdTm5yVAZMnEURsKu8yLIgviq-0M0sT25NNzvLBaNsVOkp47hnf92vlOqTSHEKRAjOP/s1600/IMG_0040.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6ot4GstvldNjC1ZhwpSeNU-8RGIcmiMdz5nZOdps5d8Fi5Ma1rfZsCBluxBJOj_BqINUQfJlHXaM13B04kYPNcv-8vNt2VGqwFYiW2nBaGcQOekvzc_VdKrrhO1sfzE_ccaXSLmGH8Mu/s1600/IMG_0043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6ot4GstvldNjC1ZhwpSeNU-8RGIcmiMdz5nZOdps5d8Fi5Ma1rfZsCBluxBJOj_BqINUQfJlHXaM13B04kYPNcv-8vNt2VGqwFYiW2nBaGcQOekvzc_VdKrrhO1sfzE_ccaXSLmGH8Mu/s1600/IMG_0043.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wyAdNPYoF0Z48fK-KvdfDtT2EETtt_Yf5xEezL1A50ECiqQ2Sosg3Pyi93BsMBSXj6dFMQiTAq_Hl7CJ8m6ZYz73Jkm0YumUW2M04wBX9rn8hsmUPpDsn_9SyLgtd_uqszQ2C7AmaVZp/s1600/IMG_0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wyAdNPYoF0Z48fK-KvdfDtT2EETtt_Yf5xEezL1A50ECiqQ2Sosg3Pyi93BsMBSXj6dFMQiTAq_Hl7CJ8m6ZYz73Jkm0YumUW2M04wBX9rn8hsmUPpDsn_9SyLgtd_uqszQ2C7AmaVZp/s1600/IMG_0050.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUoSunldrkclsDeeNWzNlkyPYn-kbzEbImSU_lUKSaSUAuDDIw_o5gQ_2yFpZxOnG7QxN8-fSQoINJL0CkAL9vYvlOaLserGt1_oNJdlQ9E_p4r9fb1riqX3NXTXGvTiQeTuu24WiU17X/s1600/IMG_0053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUoSunldrkclsDeeNWzNlkyPYn-kbzEbImSU_lUKSaSUAuDDIw_o5gQ_2yFpZxOnG7QxN8-fSQoINJL0CkAL9vYvlOaLserGt1_oNJdlQ9E_p4r9fb1riqX3NXTXGvTiQeTuu24WiU17X/s1600/IMG_0053.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I worked Christmas Eve morning (while the kids dressed themselves in ridiculous attire and harassed the neighbors) but then came home in the afternoon for lentil soup, homemade bread, and a child-friendly candlelight Christmas service at the Lutheran church across the street from us. Our kids were the worst behaved, but it was still a really nice service.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkXSgXqwQIHwllUKJdzXnr6iyw7bZbGxvR8wGsaTU1EvkzgDI4sS1M2IPPy5DliY98JFOmETUuMo7bJwgGCNrTxNcSz4KzAP6ljDD3JxLFuxRMPAPpHl7ZtaRYtpANRv7XxRNMS7DwnysA/s1600/IMG_0055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkXSgXqwQIHwllUKJdzXnr6iyw7bZbGxvR8wGsaTU1EvkzgDI4sS1M2IPPy5DliY98JFOmETUuMo7bJwgGCNrTxNcSz4KzAP6ljDD3JxLFuxRMPAPpHl7ZtaRYtpANRv7XxRNMS7DwnysA/s1600/IMG_0055.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA2glIjeWz6V7Fz6uKYIsumgL74thsREU4NWRwT-F8RK7LkSUW2BZLYeB5-VlPspvb0FrIkNK-g-y___1_mYpxuYcsh6NINi71t3bnQ1yYP5tM-SKwMPa6_rJrL_CokIsLLYo0Ug6xWw0Y/s1600/IMG_0057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA2glIjeWz6V7Fz6uKYIsumgL74thsREU4NWRwT-F8RK7LkSUW2BZLYeB5-VlPspvb0FrIkNK-g-y___1_mYpxuYcsh6NINi71t3bnQ1yYP5tM-SKwMPa6_rJrL_CokIsLLYo0Ug6xWw0Y/s1600/IMG_0057.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRi3azaNOWaUIvVgurLA3PPc_1FD2w6TC16VzSQfPx1hrajXgAvph7bGyYVxQR3PWeoIe82PwplFfQult_BDb5vBL1stk42cm73865ad9E-SWLOPZWMlPHUYCfqaTIR60EU-QlGOL64mP2/s1600/IMG_0058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRi3azaNOWaUIvVgurLA3PPc_1FD2w6TC16VzSQfPx1hrajXgAvph7bGyYVxQR3PWeoIe82PwplFfQult_BDb5vBL1stk42cm73865ad9E-SWLOPZWMlPHUYCfqaTIR60EU-QlGOL64mP2/s1600/IMG_0058.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love that we have insta-best friends in the other half of our duplex.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMOjsIwy3taCm5l8vZ3lLZ_ITxE1HddxQU7ngJeL4QpE9HpSD1ODi6IlLg1nsq_e-CA-kRN6iPLKywqfEJNruD2-eBb0052MB1OthCb_fxoKtMo85tE0oTJ7Jbp9GsluEevJsIOCGP6R2E/s1600/IMG_0059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMOjsIwy3taCm5l8vZ3lLZ_ITxE1HddxQU7ngJeL4QpE9HpSD1ODi6IlLg1nsq_e-CA-kRN6iPLKywqfEJNruD2-eBb0052MB1OthCb_fxoKtMo85tE0oTJ7Jbp9GsluEevJsIOCGP6R2E/s1600/IMG_0059.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuY9QQGZNK9rwvLb_WrppJ3Z9Z_X9Wte3ltg7cPRQr_Zr6qZBNlB3uorkhOPw5zqRSqUWdWLQ8jlv-6aLatB0DReJkw1EUKE884X_qF-t0_e5pCoCeYTdnFMHtr8Mfan-0q_sw0mQxUt_r/s1600/IMG_0065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuY9QQGZNK9rwvLb_WrppJ3Z9Z_X9Wte3ltg7cPRQr_Zr6qZBNlB3uorkhOPw5zqRSqUWdWLQ8jlv-6aLatB0DReJkw1EUKE884X_qF-t0_e5pCoCeYTdnFMHtr8Mfan-0q_sw0mQxUt_r/s1600/IMG_0065.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTsBBY-wV9o8BAe_fTNjPNixsxtBUkAXycqno-Syu39TR9396NEtzgryIgn5IzAONzwxWkZfFKIMZjE63wJOdOOKZUB2YE_fwF9HECvGiPLwYpAFkCFM0AsgUE4RUk9-4dpBQT7gjedr6/s1600/IMG_1586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTsBBY-wV9o8BAe_fTNjPNixsxtBUkAXycqno-Syu39TR9396NEtzgryIgn5IzAONzwxWkZfFKIMZjE63wJOdOOKZUB2YE_fwF9HECvGiPLwYpAFkCFM0AsgUE4RUk9-4dpBQT7gjedr6/s1600/IMG_1586.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq4qbU2-qKDM8-EcUv7f8aJ0gEjlDqen8fhBOaL2jJO6XS_pArIFIfp7RNAZySh28I0Ix5fwqGze9YaM4XLreJ3Z-mUaOaLEyV6xAuSZXnp_vkiwfXt9PsWKFkX1YGnhfnaBmy8239jGGe/s1600/IMG_1587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq4qbU2-qKDM8-EcUv7f8aJ0gEjlDqen8fhBOaL2jJO6XS_pArIFIfp7RNAZySh28I0Ix5fwqGze9YaM4XLreJ3Z-mUaOaLEyV6xAuSZXnp_vkiwfXt9PsWKFkX1YGnhfnaBmy8239jGGe/s1600/IMG_1587.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZW0440782Jegb4G7euTQNmojrcG2qqF4IxAB9IqEHKTV3R6E1aPNu6kZ4KGzCobKK-ZYx4Uh4EcG0qvb-IV7HD14057idyoDVm4k0uN7Edom_YdWCB69qGq8IGGR1HdV2A_MPmq-e9mL9/s1600/IMG_1588.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZW0440782Jegb4G7euTQNmojrcG2qqF4IxAB9IqEHKTV3R6E1aPNu6kZ4KGzCobKK-ZYx4Uh4EcG0qvb-IV7HD14057idyoDVm4k0uN7Edom_YdWCB69qGq8IGGR1HdV2A_MPmq-e9mL9/s1600/IMG_1588.jpg" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_difv-FoG79WTEZpoMhfEpt9LJmeL0UAQwvtP1esCiXzj1_aLppTCGPmoEXSSEi97IyNxCPYc7vVUO9OJt9eQe3Q-ISMrElvGAyGhB879iw9lAHhheiBL-ztPrwUlA0tCZJfUcUHueNMA/s1600/IMG_1604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_difv-FoG79WTEZpoMhfEpt9LJmeL0UAQwvtP1esCiXzj1_aLppTCGPmoEXSSEi97IyNxCPYc7vVUO9OJt9eQe3Q-ISMrElvGAyGhB879iw9lAHhheiBL-ztPrwUlA0tCZJfUcUHueNMA/s1600/IMG_1604.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Star Wars PJs for Christmas Eve!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5EUcq3EeEYOl0UYLge4qTIgS2f18dVotEA6lMjahcHVGRdtPEZdyhea1nqQPzZvUiCkMpTlvlW6xzcOSiL9KwbcPGNsBy1arl4grEri9EPseHOL9rg3HufoNTHxCNKkeAAhZfsu1A-tfk/s1600/IMG_1600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5EUcq3EeEYOl0UYLge4qTIgS2f18dVotEA6lMjahcHVGRdtPEZdyhea1nqQPzZvUiCkMpTlvlW6xzcOSiL9KwbcPGNsBy1arl4grEri9EPseHOL9rg3HufoNTHxCNKkeAAhZfsu1A-tfk/s1600/IMG_1600.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9RXa7rcQaIi3PgNkN_xaC4-6UczJYW3oi2tDI6_fKtUjBaMTmtfinmK4wRbupVzCQoyEF39B5sBR115QMlkzRVcCyyB_sIofL-aVyRD1_0vtDQHjmLH58bgET6KE4bItTNYU4M-lrWtR4/s1600/IMG_1594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9RXa7rcQaIi3PgNkN_xaC4-6UczJYW3oi2tDI6_fKtUjBaMTmtfinmK4wRbupVzCQoyEF39B5sBR115QMlkzRVcCyyB_sIofL-aVyRD1_0vtDQHjmLH58bgET6KE4bItTNYU4M-lrWtR4/s1600/IMG_1594.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpS6Mid8mdwcs1AWX7jRk0NHG95zEW2jtem5EuQjo8FZPhg1AQwC4wHEEpUCWbSYd7nbVTKZ8HoXMEOmvNUUc3MnUZBDo7qh6xgcdN3lz6TsSbdEZDbFRDj12w6f_HdK-_cww_5YE5vVII/s1600/IMG_1590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpS6Mid8mdwcs1AWX7jRk0NHG95zEW2jtem5EuQjo8FZPhg1AQwC4wHEEpUCWbSYd7nbVTKZ8HoXMEOmvNUUc3MnUZBDo7qh6xgcdN3lz6TsSbdEZDbFRDj12w6f_HdK-_cww_5YE5vVII/s1600/IMG_1590.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdP1cKXIETlCvH7W9yhGUVUcpTm_LuVar2yNneB5KiQQCkwjVXJYD96mLhxdv9QEcjUHpN-8jyuT74WM9HXn8bKiuXuRZTZS6prxbzlNqcj7si0Fiaf37wgwM2FYV5QljPWvBFqnCba6fn/s1600/IMG_1589.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdP1cKXIETlCvH7W9yhGUVUcpTm_LuVar2yNneB5KiQQCkwjVXJYD96mLhxdv9QEcjUHpN-8jyuT74WM9HXn8bKiuXuRZTZS6prxbzlNqcj7si0Fiaf37wgwM2FYV5QljPWvBFqnCba6fn/s1600/IMG_1589.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshz_bbt6xd85kkj4zZS21W_ZMFP0HkPafz006nSsOyCwVZHP-xYlLsvMrIO3xkWs1l2-qmnKonJnqa4apYcq89mR_r8H8tDwQw7Q4nys718j52HPflZkf19Mcthti3840_PorAkhI7Wl4/s1600/IMG_0101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshz_bbt6xd85kkj4zZS21W_ZMFP0HkPafz006nSsOyCwVZHP-xYlLsvMrIO3xkWs1l2-qmnKonJnqa4apYcq89mR_r8H8tDwQw7Q4nys718j52HPflZkf19Mcthti3840_PorAkhI7Wl4/s1600/IMG_0101.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSVju0whRqAyVupKS2CdaYh4FAIVJc6xUscc5fyQCmzi1A1x0l6DeiceNHI62uFCZYRMYBOYgGNgMPWn_JFGvRRt0pbalVy6Y23zU3hbGW2SyABdcTRlRclMOuYzDkiyFDuDyw3NHaqTpv/s1600/IMG_0079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSVju0whRqAyVupKS2CdaYh4FAIVJc6xUscc5fyQCmzi1A1x0l6DeiceNHI62uFCZYRMYBOYgGNgMPWn_JFGvRRt0pbalVy6Y23zU3hbGW2SyABdcTRlRclMOuYzDkiyFDuDyw3NHaqTpv/s1600/IMG_0079.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tallulah is getting goofier and goofier every day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We woke up around 8 on Christmas morning, and Atticus was so confused as to why he couldn't go into the living room until we said so. He was SO surprised about the marble run, even though he had been asking for it for a long time. He kept saying "how did Santa know?! I didn't tell him!" Tallulah got a set of zoo Legos (one of the only sets I could find with a female character not a princess!) They each got a few gifts from their Utah grandparents too. It was a simple and perfect morning.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-F_CUcXauP_VM-9VopaRLX54_Vxfs-S1H1ZtCUi5HYf89AK0J6HUrVWqLlzv_5INJ-B6I_m0iubjEhXvaeDzaLMMOxULRpu8DFWKijEKcmDeJPgpftb39wzRBny5nnfjZKWqUAItwLWB/s1600/IMG_0130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-F_CUcXauP_VM-9VopaRLX54_Vxfs-S1H1ZtCUi5HYf89AK0J6HUrVWqLlzv_5INJ-B6I_m0iubjEhXvaeDzaLMMOxULRpu8DFWKijEKcmDeJPgpftb39wzRBny5nnfjZKWqUAItwLWB/s1600/IMG_0130.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIdzOXI5plPhCIaJC2_sdGk6-W_4fp3d8SEFDJBzIG2NJi-BVnxnQxueQncLTn2EwPOUy3GwvN-t2koDW2J74Tqkrl-QnDLOZo5ocKAW8n48OEEA6EbpxXcUDb58bwLZhguw3RuZSMBE3/s1600/IMG_0131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIdzOXI5plPhCIaJC2_sdGk6-W_4fp3d8SEFDJBzIG2NJi-BVnxnQxueQncLTn2EwPOUy3GwvN-t2koDW2J74Tqkrl-QnDLOZo5ocKAW8n48OEEA6EbpxXcUDb58bwLZhguw3RuZSMBE3/s1600/IMG_0131.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdbtIozhu9A4EtquYfpEZn7JeIeq-nu_3W6XiUmkaKbeUZACVlj76WFbPDK40UPgGxykOLuubWtpl349-jxuMcwSEjMh2SaTW5j-7zAIcwD-RzfG3oQJYwz85_kRdABsm-VQG5uKSZeKgK/s1600/IMG_0132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdbtIozhu9A4EtquYfpEZn7JeIeq-nu_3W6XiUmkaKbeUZACVlj76WFbPDK40UPgGxykOLuubWtpl349-jxuMcwSEjMh2SaTW5j-7zAIcwD-RzfG3oQJYwz85_kRdABsm-VQG5uKSZeKgK/s1600/IMG_0132.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilySI9jC3qHP-WhmCQCN4dtHps22cVunMBhljvIAZWwSjiMYglHzgMx3oxUV3Ih9VbrUtU7Y_FX-VxpWCMSzOb00QzT4Uufjvhdp1zTv9MD4HlzUNtIdkzlnAoL-URXsc-Tn3uUaIWn8y_/s1600/IMG_0134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilySI9jC3qHP-WhmCQCN4dtHps22cVunMBhljvIAZWwSjiMYglHzgMx3oxUV3Ih9VbrUtU7Y_FX-VxpWCMSzOb00QzT4Uufjvhdp1zTv9MD4HlzUNtIdkzlnAoL-URXsc-Tn3uUaIWn8y_/s1600/IMG_0134.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVXQ3Q2xXHAGqT3lEXgyZnDqEetmzhj2XM2ayeqWMTpLa6BD7NgIkbJ_9aC8J9tdwtWbK_WEXTHOo3OjT-TKwIAa7SVHLugbolPuwxZBkBmDn4k5955K0aIm_01tfdt6zoS28HyT3njV7/s1600/IMG_0136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVXQ3Q2xXHAGqT3lEXgyZnDqEetmzhj2XM2ayeqWMTpLa6BD7NgIkbJ_9aC8J9tdwtWbK_WEXTHOo3OjT-TKwIAa7SVHLugbolPuwxZBkBmDn4k5955K0aIm_01tfdt6zoS28HyT3njV7/s1600/IMG_0136.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmUuYgOh2cygMSJTQNZT_3apxQ6JquOQQ5wx9UwuGwo0ggxy0LBUXIBN_pNWshz3eftdYX0n2fCI0DJ60o70vI5TZmH-ya4TeA_Ka93Zt8kMoyOUjwMC5uXD9gKSuqD50Bn4jpyCV1rIqt/s1600/IMG_0140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmUuYgOh2cygMSJTQNZT_3apxQ6JquOQQ5wx9UwuGwo0ggxy0LBUXIBN_pNWshz3eftdYX0n2fCI0DJ60o70vI5TZmH-ya4TeA_Ka93Zt8kMoyOUjwMC5uXD9gKSuqD50Bn4jpyCV1rIqt/s1600/IMG_0140.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_MqnuKRxqHqgTp3P5aOv4letOeOfVtpiyf0CGQow-x4C_Rt5NX5BDNFeqH1CugFXo1Tm-UBLFZZgpoBvoplRxPWEPScqOf4TSqN8fffvXEDQJkShHUld6Zcps5AFFf12YI9dtnj5eY01/s1600/IMG_0141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_MqnuKRxqHqgTp3P5aOv4letOeOfVtpiyf0CGQow-x4C_Rt5NX5BDNFeqH1CugFXo1Tm-UBLFZZgpoBvoplRxPWEPScqOf4TSqN8fffvXEDQJkShHUld6Zcps5AFFf12YI9dtnj5eY01/s1600/IMG_0141.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPgXi4YAsJoHdRqsWcWg4u7oFKcFY7cZWYMLLfD9mxX9BIWTf8Lkb2nLhDEHQYamDJllRjlhtIQRyAgPq3PBxuiXQIgt9eSDqTC6znItOwI2ABnL3KPYtcVe-w3-9WMGJRBY7iVtiznwU6/s1600/IMG_0146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPgXi4YAsJoHdRqsWcWg4u7oFKcFY7cZWYMLLfD9mxX9BIWTf8Lkb2nLhDEHQYamDJllRjlhtIQRyAgPq3PBxuiXQIgt9eSDqTC6znItOwI2ABnL3KPYtcVe-w3-9WMGJRBY7iVtiznwU6/s1600/IMG_0146.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After we played with presents for a sufficient amount of time, we decorated gingerbread cookies.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8aTgavFkulTmXUINgSJhbFWhCRamw_fYTOsrOhBrT7J6GsAZ2oUXUU_T3_Mbf3H-XChNSywUY5UjOWMs9SllzgzL5LgzwNPslU09Bb1oY7xeheiKKtxR-isuT5JCkeqMb85YoX84f7c8/s1600/IMG_0149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8aTgavFkulTmXUINgSJhbFWhCRamw_fYTOsrOhBrT7J6GsAZ2oUXUU_T3_Mbf3H-XChNSywUY5UjOWMs9SllzgzL5LgzwNPslU09Bb1oY7xeheiKKtxR-isuT5JCkeqMb85YoX84f7c8/s1600/IMG_0149.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
As we were decorating, I realized there was no way we'd eat all these. We took some to our neighbors but no one else was really around to deliver them to. Then I remembered that the fire station next to us would be open, even on Christmas! So we gave them our Christmas picture we made and a plate of cookies. They are all so nice to the kids, any time we walk by they ask if the kids want to ride in the truck or sound the sirens.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGWDFAa4Tr9XMku-t5l7mIyPp2oJnbFrdDUpAP59ZAfU3AAQxtYT13qXF1Ghq2hd_8GVSyCIpHs25UwXWVErPm4Xdl3j9zPi4xrMEPCsIieeO4lr-t9lNjhFca9rLrFRR0NiS07D4tATg5/s1600/IMG_1619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGWDFAa4Tr9XMku-t5l7mIyPp2oJnbFrdDUpAP59ZAfU3AAQxtYT13qXF1Ghq2hd_8GVSyCIpHs25UwXWVErPm4Xdl3j9zPi4xrMEPCsIieeO4lr-t9lNjhFca9rLrFRR0NiS07D4tATg5/s1600/IMG_1619.jpg" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKcqXDyLj3g0Iyrh09-njxvTve_TFAQ9c7lN0GiC6XjKlCrPuZok_4kFqw-RLtRKSfsaCs4awPRvbXQADonbAtoUYOJXZWp8hDy_-S9YCGD-XfJuLLQhvCExI2nB-dUg5Z0X7KAVW1BJk/s1600/IMG_1617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKcqXDyLj3g0Iyrh09-njxvTve_TFAQ9c7lN0GiC6XjKlCrPuZok_4kFqw-RLtRKSfsaCs4awPRvbXQADonbAtoUYOJXZWp8hDy_-S9YCGD-XfJuLLQhvCExI2nB-dUg5Z0X7KAVW1BJk/s1600/IMG_1617.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibcjL2MN1eeBskoz5ZtxhzSXV-wfd-rsmlcJ4Gnwhazz9dEhTzKtcrs-VkzY1QImpr36pMmjLhfAhtkQ9VSwbodc0HFohvXeLJZU1ZSSR4EKqGFwICeaOQVih3vjezvvVcVaWWnnMPJh4M/s1600/IMG_1615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibcjL2MN1eeBskoz5ZtxhzSXV-wfd-rsmlcJ4Gnwhazz9dEhTzKtcrs-VkzY1QImpr36pMmjLhfAhtkQ9VSwbodc0HFohvXeLJZU1ZSSR4EKqGFwICeaOQVih3vjezvvVcVaWWnnMPJh4M/s1600/IMG_1615.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ-xkj8Ya9rdTjvnMFv7s46FjjyyBedfuIkDSX72kwJNKsD-tuLbztyO4hrjbbZI9DKTtMO468aiRGWbvP_ELKVAoUSk9H7AEYAjSrUbXe8JLkf3Pcgk-QXjgqFnr9RfAiHgBBxCFTPfoP/s1600/IMG_0155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ-xkj8Ya9rdTjvnMFv7s46FjjyyBedfuIkDSX72kwJNKsD-tuLbztyO4hrjbbZI9DKTtMO468aiRGWbvP_ELKVAoUSk9H7AEYAjSrUbXe8JLkf3Pcgk-QXjgqFnr9RfAiHgBBxCFTPfoP/s1600/IMG_0155.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTXBH7iugKnUljbqfcwNejzGxMq8X23P-nvI_9LgSIzj1QgdmSQ5LsR8q9a6kIo_jUHufHpr3J1D84br05-dgL1_HSFqsHZGdQRYhdF7D2qQyKY4PSk5FaqsePepFv2kR0cvRfvn9JEbl/s1600/IMG_0168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTXBH7iugKnUljbqfcwNejzGxMq8X23P-nvI_9LgSIzj1QgdmSQ5LsR8q9a6kIo_jUHufHpr3J1D84br05-dgL1_HSFqsHZGdQRYhdF7D2qQyKY4PSk5FaqsePepFv2kR0cvRfvn9JEbl/s1600/IMG_0168.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAi0q7Q9HUtLSinRBhIeN5ymATl0AVlfNHUZ8FzYfYWT_pCQKaTtolYhBpOxlGUs-d6OPO8Ya4iq2Vl9sR10blEA93pht4gZ5uO7b9Q0fWMw3LrQ7BTIb9luEFdkWpDOwzWnw8Tw0OJM3P/s1600/IMG_0169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAi0q7Q9HUtLSinRBhIeN5ymATl0AVlfNHUZ8FzYfYWT_pCQKaTtolYhBpOxlGUs-d6OPO8Ya4iq2Vl9sR10blEA93pht4gZ5uO7b9Q0fWMw3LrQ7BTIb9luEFdkWpDOwzWnw8Tw0OJM3P/s1600/IMG_0169.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmpcpVRS6UfOlgGFgAOxNYfwWl47PCSKeQlcd8KW4xjBh0Qi8_-wF7BXAiL52BmNYbpK3xW-0Zy9GlLMj0ZIv-PEinsgdf12eK-TKeNgvIptmfno5HbouTU5hE0MPczsXF9IWr3vlH-WHK/s1600/IMG_0174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmpcpVRS6UfOlgGFgAOxNYfwWl47PCSKeQlcd8KW4xjBh0Qi8_-wF7BXAiL52BmNYbpK3xW-0Zy9GlLMj0ZIv-PEinsgdf12eK-TKeNgvIptmfno5HbouTU5hE0MPczsXF9IWr3vlH-WHK/s1600/IMG_0174.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkWU2TOmMsUO6NPurG6JasRulnaqdH0yxo3nF6-zsMbN3us5YzCc9L3iMsdc52ovwf1lM61hsMjszVWABz1SwKO2qsmeu2F1NAXcS8-4u8UeNg50ltb0a1wWGDZWHhq1gEk5BBfFhJ5Ma/s1600/IMG_0175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkWU2TOmMsUO6NPurG6JasRulnaqdH0yxo3nF6-zsMbN3us5YzCc9L3iMsdc52ovwf1lM61hsMjszVWABz1SwKO2qsmeu2F1NAXcS8-4u8UeNg50ltb0a1wWGDZWHhq1gEk5BBfFhJ5Ma/s1600/IMG_0175.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRQ_nIQOcacQDyXo_P1w0uArWZBR9rBLcYpDhdB4nEcp2iQrnwtCyMeZaxeCpYHT5sOalHeo-EjCLb_UAoVjjxicY4Dive0u-BdslHSjBJxH03fM6-YrTx3DWW-SkSUVT4jOzJ80E8u7F-/s1600/IMG_0178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRQ_nIQOcacQDyXo_P1w0uArWZBR9rBLcYpDhdB4nEcp2iQrnwtCyMeZaxeCpYHT5sOalHeo-EjCLb_UAoVjjxicY4Dive0u-BdslHSjBJxH03fM6-YrTx3DWW-SkSUVT4jOzJ80E8u7F-/s1600/IMG_0178.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZyY8cs53jIws7WbNwERc9YIaWDslVZSyuQo2OVT-wZOj_RVtttoTD45mlCvMh-Hw2yysUWHUSWfV0pRSgaQ28WSv2N-6WRjhQ_3ORTnw5GdidF36BRmTljY9DeDN8osBHbi9jANgR8SKy/s1600/IMG_0180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZyY8cs53jIws7WbNwERc9YIaWDslVZSyuQo2OVT-wZOj_RVtttoTD45mlCvMh-Hw2yysUWHUSWfV0pRSgaQ28WSv2N-6WRjhQ_3ORTnw5GdidF36BRmTljY9DeDN8osBHbi9jANgR8SKy/s1600/IMG_0180.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipG0f_R8k-QIeKu7q9DfCbsrDp2piIXDcuDC2zH9exC-tnFia7o_HS0Uq6Mt-d0I3McTIlkCKET7zdxcKO0yVxKTiJqwoAcpmRl_Sf8N4zwG0fqNy7XO30ElZHskvJ2HMOhA9zVKEfrWmB/s1600/IMG_0181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipG0f_R8k-QIeKu7q9DfCbsrDp2piIXDcuDC2zH9exC-tnFia7o_HS0Uq6Mt-d0I3McTIlkCKET7zdxcKO0yVxKTiJqwoAcpmRl_Sf8N4zwG0fqNy7XO30ElZHskvJ2HMOhA9zVKEfrWmB/s1600/IMG_0181.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvn0cmkNWiKefgtKoLkErSTbf3QMuWc8F4nLAsV0WVbsj8ZLPC_N5gUbsD1eHQqt43SPy5w1db2NhYa7LF13sK50M051oC_yb57dJv0YDPa4GXkgGbZ9Dfo6cVG4Cb4vGK30mY64beJN3d/s1600/IMG_0190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvn0cmkNWiKefgtKoLkErSTbf3QMuWc8F4nLAsV0WVbsj8ZLPC_N5gUbsD1eHQqt43SPy5w1db2NhYa7LF13sK50M051oC_yb57dJv0YDPa4GXkgGbZ9Dfo6cVG4Cb4vGK30mY64beJN3d/s1600/IMG_0190.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBlObmjGyPYQfZii3DEma4r_z2Kokul-PXeJ0Wzwvd5WS4fmYF6iMEbREXgrSqm_qkXhDLuAmbxdqPENH5pvpEpfJzjXE6QkWYTueMVgyJXZhzyAfXwRj2uB5s_2g5H-ZvddLIvm9Wowap/s1600/IMG_0191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBlObmjGyPYQfZii3DEma4r_z2Kokul-PXeJ0Wzwvd5WS4fmYF6iMEbREXgrSqm_qkXhDLuAmbxdqPENH5pvpEpfJzjXE6QkWYTueMVgyJXZhzyAfXwRj2uB5s_2g5H-ZvddLIvm9Wowap/s1600/IMG_0191.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The men of the duplex.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
Caitlin Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417848115673458546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-29621255664659542682014-12-30T12:56:00.001-07:002014-12-30T12:56:55.412-07:00Cait's Mimosa-PJ party<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It was a glorious morning, one we should replicate in the near future for some other occasion. We ate grits casserole and cinnamon rolls and yogurt/granola and quiche and fruit. Many, many mimosas were also imbibed. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAu8_0zABYqf9JrihQ3gflOw5YmnSCr-qpSX6tj5MGNbffF3p0QNabrNanHyMsq3u49QUdVlIxnhhkH_XjyMzWDAiEU3svfeOgva7P7JbT9t7sYrbY6zGV3UArgYZdYAsDy-RoxC-forOU/s1600/IMG_0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAu8_0zABYqf9JrihQ3gflOw5YmnSCr-qpSX6tj5MGNbffF3p0QNabrNanHyMsq3u49QUdVlIxnhhkH_XjyMzWDAiEU3svfeOgva7P7JbT9t7sYrbY6zGV3UArgYZdYAsDy-RoxC-forOU/s1600/IMG_0001.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK9wOa5bex4i0t1lUAAX1NIOjoM-CIQjZfevLV-uNkdxbMC6FpUmQ6NTAeLOq0AgTXYXn-NpoQrM8c4XJnIaBgHpDBn7tw1t2IDOUZSGdc5fasupfcBx_zwfj6dQjTUBeaBvW0qWLMu-YU/s1600/IMG_0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK9wOa5bex4i0t1lUAAX1NIOjoM-CIQjZfevLV-uNkdxbMC6FpUmQ6NTAeLOq0AgTXYXn-NpoQrM8c4XJnIaBgHpDBn7tw1t2IDOUZSGdc5fasupfcBx_zwfj6dQjTUBeaBvW0qWLMu-YU/s1600/IMG_0002.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7cPynjbTafIbRxn_N2E-GkDvJLQ4n57XJjrs33RyK_4SDYgGBnyMcZ1yaFjabWkFgmciEwLEjMB4v0JQiDI6-w-OfCSJV1p2w3SF-AQTp6_eDB8GLtytRGANpKSEZDA5bxmZY-v0FcxS/s1600/IMG_0007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7cPynjbTafIbRxn_N2E-GkDvJLQ4n57XJjrs33RyK_4SDYgGBnyMcZ1yaFjabWkFgmciEwLEjMB4v0JQiDI6-w-OfCSJV1p2w3SF-AQTp6_eDB8GLtytRGANpKSEZDA5bxmZY-v0FcxS/s1600/IMG_0007.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgbIVRmznGaJDRhSUtMCv2lq8hD-wNmaUxNv5uM3UAJLDB4lLjHBl2pyibmBV0YXO8jPPB6wow2FQxqtDNrCfO9Y4ju3ZgoKj8BM13XVUTsmof1wCv7Apcxhkt2DKfrMRr4bCoD4gxheo/s1600/IMG_0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgbIVRmznGaJDRhSUtMCv2lq8hD-wNmaUxNv5uM3UAJLDB4lLjHBl2pyibmBV0YXO8jPPB6wow2FQxqtDNrCfO9Y4ju3ZgoKj8BM13XVUTsmof1wCv7Apcxhkt2DKfrMRr4bCoD4gxheo/s1600/IMG_0009.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSG7ppai-6vqNvr6nIFttFviVUvLKmjgPGUARYDok5Z4S73vgJ7fvQ7Z-bbDsRZhyzRy-JxWOBk_ndA5KpsD69A7c6q1mPbgYKSV-FNgND0dHyCuWtufBz3aqBnfG8b0fVlfzgMAzTJOIk/s1600/IMG_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSG7ppai-6vqNvr6nIFttFviVUvLKmjgPGUARYDok5Z4S73vgJ7fvQ7Z-bbDsRZhyzRy-JxWOBk_ndA5KpsD69A7c6q1mPbgYKSV-FNgND0dHyCuWtufBz3aqBnfG8b0fVlfzgMAzTJOIk/s1600/IMG_0010.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing says 28 years old like laying on your mattress with a gay champagne-drinking chicken.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSyV9SzQ-Lp4EvpbkCoRexSt0RYN-AhUg88RIp9iDgWxSNs9yzIj7R_djXu4hxwhIb45SdpLk1uCYANGG7kZ18kBf_cwHDVkIQF4Dy5u0mc7jBxJZwpyDNx3JCsTEHIDWPSVLGMwMWdub/s1600/IMG_0017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSyV9SzQ-Lp4EvpbkCoRexSt0RYN-AhUg88RIp9iDgWxSNs9yzIj7R_djXu4hxwhIb45SdpLk1uCYANGG7kZ18kBf_cwHDVkIQF4Dy5u0mc7jBxJZwpyDNx3JCsTEHIDWPSVLGMwMWdub/s1600/IMG_0017.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidenzUjGjTdLZ_7lgu_yhTccBrJcxqXJerHFka70HaXwrd9izOVSCJsrGQkaToqY9AlOttveLkPvBzxlCUmuNDvLxTLAT5WRcm5MNhlUb2IVgJ6d6kk1xe3dKPGIFzMQifxMyy05InVEaZ/s1600/IMG_0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidenzUjGjTdLZ_7lgu_yhTccBrJcxqXJerHFka70HaXwrd9izOVSCJsrGQkaToqY9AlOttveLkPvBzxlCUmuNDvLxTLAT5WRcm5MNhlUb2IVgJ6d6kk1xe3dKPGIFzMQifxMyy05InVEaZ/s1600/IMG_0018.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every time we hang out, I fall in love with these folks all over again. We love this community of ours.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4SXcuk1fwJL6ZanBHF8akUWA_XtS6EBKC32Jwua6YHvd8xFp-KcoWitrAAMtghVMtDJC2kxvTsr6YIv_1riZGWs3hOzqOK4QSEihKgAHRg8fD8i0rXuh6WX9-w0twpWr59Rbhy6zZpefo/s1600/IMG_0022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4SXcuk1fwJL6ZanBHF8akUWA_XtS6EBKC32Jwua6YHvd8xFp-KcoWitrAAMtghVMtDJC2kxvTsr6YIv_1riZGWs3hOzqOK4QSEihKgAHRg8fD8i0rXuh6WX9-w0twpWr59Rbhy6zZpefo/s1600/IMG_0022.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB2vC6am60Hwbu3dBbUHYOqVjde1HRsrwGJrKPCbcJ-xsJLWSveKqRSvNUtvA4vt6EDogTzoqxgibkBOOBjyFwSb7fmTo7c5xYS5hhyphenhyphenNQT7KTjCjrmtUs1f3vtjwRglMEnOaHs75ATpcSr/s1600/IMG_0023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB2vC6am60Hwbu3dBbUHYOqVjde1HRsrwGJrKPCbcJ-xsJLWSveKqRSvNUtvA4vt6EDogTzoqxgibkBOOBjyFwSb7fmTo7c5xYS5hhyphenhyphenNQT7KTjCjrmtUs1f3vtjwRglMEnOaHs75ATpcSr/s1600/IMG_0023.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The action shots of these people say so much about their personalities.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdp2cZ4_TPDz8brrf8o17VVKn4lb3kqGBc6SDZYj_Ec1uf60YyHxQL2KIR2XhtcEFbQY8JUAZMWN4XdyEc_qiAROQtMy-XFYQTButqFAm86G40vExJIbn3S2HomskX23S4l9SjZNsup_Ze/s1600/IMG_0025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdp2cZ4_TPDz8brrf8o17VVKn4lb3kqGBc6SDZYj_Ec1uf60YyHxQL2KIR2XhtcEFbQY8JUAZMWN4XdyEc_qiAROQtMy-XFYQTButqFAm86G40vExJIbn3S2HomskX23S4l9SjZNsup_Ze/s1600/IMG_0025.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am not sure why we have such a picture, but regardless, I love it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mnsyLJSS7n6G_hia7jpLR-1ND08rg_ebQHbvrJYDZHqY_HwFRcxM92d15M3aaFEeTutN_IhjfIipFea5k0xQqnSyVp8whslyyDrjRAQ0e1bg4avpVYECozUf9ydGU1AuqaQQKXYOuY-N/s1600/IMG_0026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mnsyLJSS7n6G_hia7jpLR-1ND08rg_ebQHbvrJYDZHqY_HwFRcxM92d15M3aaFEeTutN_IhjfIipFea5k0xQqnSyVp8whslyyDrjRAQ0e1bg4avpVYECozUf9ydGU1AuqaQQKXYOuY-N/s1600/IMG_0026.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think Daniel forgot the OJ in my his mimosas.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLHS6TLdPwS5aB4pLYZLf4ryjoCUNr1uYL_tXB3I7d9aKR871RJItcwIeJtkKGxYz2GZLaC1sXlRynRJiF-pFk3Qo0dZ8T7IKrhJFqOQx43-G2veAIo7WubiyjXn2A1JLChIP2ACm6FiU/s1600/IMG_0029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLHS6TLdPwS5aB4pLYZLf4ryjoCUNr1uYL_tXB3I7d9aKR871RJItcwIeJtkKGxYz2GZLaC1sXlRynRJiF-pFk3Qo0dZ8T7IKrhJFqOQx43-G2veAIo7WubiyjXn2A1JLChIP2ACm6FiU/s1600/IMG_0029.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghuJhKvE6XCv1lqo0djsdj4NzX42aPHrqvti4s2srOSFRUFvjSzb_aA-kOFO_jJKkS_Ey_v2TD225DTk5P7hviwekERoUz_3tysCmoHTR-2ac0i-SqcuWmguCQYsnNaWY5yTexXNS6jQy1/s1600/IMG_0033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghuJhKvE6XCv1lqo0djsdj4NzX42aPHrqvti4s2srOSFRUFvjSzb_aA-kOFO_jJKkS_Ey_v2TD225DTk5P7hviwekERoUz_3tysCmoHTR-2ac0i-SqcuWmguCQYsnNaWY5yTexXNS6jQy1/s1600/IMG_0033.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jessie, Live-Instagramming my party AS IT HAPPENS.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-w0R3Be2Motcde_piK8gnwjT7cZILdwWe5l_zGd9l-VD5NX4S2WB7RTgMzeGgBKR1KRYW8K4xzbX0dV8VGM49ZEvkHWWjkFU9Tf47y-yyaNFJACxxqSrVmczAnE9tTw6InmMZNh0gsEL/s1600/IMG_0037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-w0R3Be2Motcde_piK8gnwjT7cZILdwWe5l_zGd9l-VD5NX4S2WB7RTgMzeGgBKR1KRYW8K4xzbX0dV8VGM49ZEvkHWWjkFU9Tf47y-yyaNFJACxxqSrVmczAnE9tTw6InmMZNh0gsEL/s1600/IMG_0037.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think Atticus had the most of all. He loves hanging out with his "grown-up friends".</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999429103487593176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-18514865474922854312014-12-21T15:27:00.003-07:002014-12-21T15:27:49.473-07:00Polity Bowl<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In early November, I took the kids to our seminary's Polity Bowl, where our flag football team (including employees, spouses and a daughter of a seminarian) played the flag football team of Seminary of the Southwest, another nearby seminary. I had a good time. Some people were really set on winning, making me realize that I've lost all my competitive spirit in the last few years. I played wide receiver, but didn't get a chance to catch the ball, as no passes ended up coming my way, but I guess that means that I didn't get a chance to drop the ball either, or to injure my knee trying to catch the ball, as happened to my friend Jessie. I did almost catch a tipped ball in the end zone, but I was illegally tackled while trying to do so. So ends my football glory. It was a fun day anyway and our team won the game. The kids had a great time being cheerleaders for a while and then playing hide and seek with the other kids. Cait, I'm sure, had a great time indoors training for her new job.<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmC5JWkUfa2C5wmn7y-JODYo5XuZsaK6MVTehzMh8ADpyGCrpDzaqRU6_ieR52zmvvniJTAE8Tq3bIFxErnyUftBaOSrXfN2S2C0OAIQAy7L9bS7U0rjOmY71dUAzdejTOBgvd3ng8VIX/s1600/IMG_2275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmC5JWkUfa2C5wmn7y-JODYo5XuZsaK6MVTehzMh8ADpyGCrpDzaqRU6_ieR52zmvvniJTAE8Tq3bIFxErnyUftBaOSrXfN2S2C0OAIQAy7L9bS7U0rjOmY71dUAzdejTOBgvd3ng8VIX/s1600/IMG_2275.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Jersey. Apparently our mascot is the Eagles. Didn't know that.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /><div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fCrKJFoRlM_ofLQOfAWIsu4xQOYlCZyd5f9L0tH7hSlF5XrZkhn03g40A1g6clNmrsaFmTBXbxWczDc7hTfuI96f3xDYUryNopNrLAOh_kW9xdTzqjFEuqQAC_1rL4aGLGrcXl8m7J1o/s1600/IMG_0240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fCrKJFoRlM_ofLQOfAWIsu4xQOYlCZyd5f9L0tH7hSlF5XrZkhn03g40A1g6clNmrsaFmTBXbxWczDc7hTfuI96f3xDYUryNopNrLAOh_kW9xdTzqjFEuqQAC_1rL4aGLGrcXl8m7J1o/s1600/IMG_0240.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhshCPE7V5S66TAUzep52p8ktYw8ZWD80G59w6FdFPd8LGfzb0QIMafBcrftCrGC2sYKmg9QWs7v96eqcCzYgpIiazEAMOzCgNpYanAMZzhhMC3U5qECAXl9NhLiv6rl8wsiyn7TVlFD9dw/s1600/IMG_0252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhshCPE7V5S66TAUzep52p8ktYw8ZWD80G59w6FdFPd8LGfzb0QIMafBcrftCrGC2sYKmg9QWs7v96eqcCzYgpIiazEAMOzCgNpYanAMZzhhMC3U5qECAXl9NhLiv6rl8wsiyn7TVlFD9dw/s1600/IMG_0252.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCmET9JSY7hO5tN3br4fOOoS-WxOceD-hNnImvjj6GEHY7fSZL-lKU_JTgn7Y5vv4u9gkI1yViOBO_LoE7n4OMk8CMEPbH3ZPb23hbvs2MfzRzmhN_CrdT8Nc64VAvuNsn0EhIsyMNCVx/s1600/IMG_0257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCmET9JSY7hO5tN3br4fOOoS-WxOceD-hNnImvjj6GEHY7fSZL-lKU_JTgn7Y5vv4u9gkI1yViOBO_LoE7n4OMk8CMEPbH3ZPb23hbvs2MfzRzmhN_CrdT8Nc64VAvuNsn0EhIsyMNCVx/s1600/IMG_0257.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11SaCxCjd251XdswyeNxDQ-MdBZVIkllEORMFZM5sG4TiRKkjhTe49Hf0yok-lMEkOpBasMP9-TsmwQtiB-Rja8dJBqARKfSiBel4o3w-O0RHxyUhNqs5Ofx-Tk5R8On_2AXemqH6vJRp/s1600/IMG_0264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11SaCxCjd251XdswyeNxDQ-MdBZVIkllEORMFZM5sG4TiRKkjhTe49Hf0yok-lMEkOpBasMP9-TsmwQtiB-Rja8dJBqARKfSiBel4o3w-O0RHxyUhNqs5Ofx-Tk5R8On_2AXemqH6vJRp/s1600/IMG_0264.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Episcopalians apparently felt the need to exorcise demons from the field or something, the guy to the far right was swinging around a smoking ball of incense and the priest did a crazy dance.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_924eaCqyYzDOI9f7HInEQcx7-Bt6K2xJ2rKz9TzQE6AKAsrlFRfuHxF79gWqxqFSHXha7dBmle98m8JOT9gVXEdFteRueFKAF1nyRSt3Ua0wCxh94NW3uiN66iWQClMgNBK657vQjVK/s1600/IMG_0265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_924eaCqyYzDOI9f7HInEQcx7-Bt6K2xJ2rKz9TzQE6AKAsrlFRfuHxF79gWqxqFSHXha7dBmle98m8JOT9gVXEdFteRueFKAF1nyRSt3Ua0wCxh94NW3uiN66iWQClMgNBK657vQjVK/s1600/IMG_0265.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1lXEoxE-DshFRwtSNYC2I0wFqHFfi7wsVg-6hcfieL67zcX-3pqoOZY8_N_XW_VRVfq32it9iEWMuSLuBpUx8c4mfttScUghQ-ibkUQzcR7ORMR0vhjy_qS86K4cATtNSm3Ml2YIP1lv/s1600/IMG_0268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1lXEoxE-DshFRwtSNYC2I0wFqHFfi7wsVg-6hcfieL67zcX-3pqoOZY8_N_XW_VRVfq32it9iEWMuSLuBpUx8c4mfttScUghQ-ibkUQzcR7ORMR0vhjy_qS86K4cATtNSm3Ml2YIP1lv/s1600/IMG_0268.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still very bald at this point</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXQOuAsZYea3VyVkubcpGIn63hmpk_ha-Ji8rDibS8yqoqndJpNqqt8GGzvkrNyxFXT4VdHs8iLIWvPdj2PuQ-r4IX5WULW8KP12036vzY0ZlhVfGR0hrRX6X9F_CBLs4jjSRu0ng2kAQ/s1600/IMG_0269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXQOuAsZYea3VyVkubcpGIn63hmpk_ha-Ji8rDibS8yqoqndJpNqqt8GGzvkrNyxFXT4VdHs8iLIWvPdj2PuQ-r4IX5WULW8KP12036vzY0ZlhVfGR0hrRX6X9F_CBLs4jjSRu0ng2kAQ/s1600/IMG_0269.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999429103487593176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-40906413614648283672014-11-29T20:55:00.000-07:002014-11-29T20:55:00.056-07:00That one time I shaved my head<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
One day in Hebrew class, talking about Halloween costumes I made an offhand comment to my friend Katherine (or maybe Jessie?) about how I should dress up as my friend Austin for Halloween, who was a few rows in front of us. Soon the plan was afoot to make this happen. So we planned a bit, Jessie, Katherine, Daniel (Austin's boyfriend) and I, but then it was the day before our last day of classes before Halloween, so I had to actually decide whether to go through with it or not. I went through with it.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After taking a test on campus, I raided Austin's room with the help of Katherine (who also picked up some sunglasses at Target which we popped the lenses out of for the glasses) and borrowed hair clippers from another student. So much preparation.</div>
<div>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBohnHTIjCc4zKcR0SSP8T7gOt5Nj2eJPIftRurOcRdY5Kp4xlzJJqtuSvRXWAioXAhGfMxe3lJKHYZ1rq3F1VGq0J7Udp1HZIzk8OARzfMCJAk927NijdzofN8nMim75s-y8pBZAuy9r/s1600/IMG_2239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBohnHTIjCc4zKcR0SSP8T7gOt5Nj2eJPIftRurOcRdY5Kp4xlzJJqtuSvRXWAioXAhGfMxe3lJKHYZ1rq3F1VGq0J7Udp1HZIzk8OARzfMCJAk927NijdzofN8nMim75s-y8pBZAuy9r/s1600/IMG_2239.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My last photo pre-haircut. This was while I waiting for my test in the library, which was distributed electronically because the seminary is totally on the cutting edge of technology.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3eyRg5siO_tYohjcq8PcwZiFUBevSSH58pWvVCRVk39GX2XE5Kz2CoIsBKZqEUZaud3BbfesEQOp-R0N1CFndD4dvpDop4i_qSbplNG03pZafPZJSH-_mrCTODBMZslxmGBQpjknpDB6t/s1600/10517955_10152352477888527_2667445676065383479_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3eyRg5siO_tYohjcq8PcwZiFUBevSSH58pWvVCRVk39GX2XE5Kz2CoIsBKZqEUZaud3BbfesEQOp-R0N1CFndD4dvpDop4i_qSbplNG03pZafPZJSH-_mrCTODBMZslxmGBQpjknpDB6t/s1600/10517955_10152352477888527_2667445676065383479_n.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first photo with Austin and Katherine. The first day of orientation I think.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2d8wwsboCPLY9OD5OEl4x6pnNvbaI7cEkQb3dF58kncU5rqq3Yr0cUHGvurFXXnlkOpKXdvzNRE-m5D6fxbzDllBKMd62L3Hz2s7U3m_hBTOdZMj8nIfOuzp3CG9gZW5EGP6Jzs4qoDJ/s1600/1891279_3150694604950_6506412597451361540_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2d8wwsboCPLY9OD5OEl4x6pnNvbaI7cEkQb3dF58kncU5rqq3Yr0cUHGvurFXXnlkOpKXdvzNRE-m5D6fxbzDllBKMd62L3Hz2s7U3m_hBTOdZMj8nIfOuzp3CG9gZW5EGP6Jzs4qoDJ/s1600/1891279_3150694604950_6506412597451361540_n.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Austin, Cait and Katherine at the President's house</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TkgzSU_BprZU9mMYDKkGoEJJ80DPQCjo8V8jJsDi6GaWcQSSsBG6XJBeLj7AT-CeGbn38coeTWjO3f9XlgXfSONb4BYLvOlCTCcebQ6ovGRvkxO7MA1pgGFzYKsn2OuwySlOOPKLrCPc/s1600/10427243_3150695564974_3307162253807566448_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TkgzSU_BprZU9mMYDKkGoEJJ80DPQCjo8V8jJsDi6GaWcQSSsBG6XJBeLj7AT-CeGbn38coeTWjO3f9XlgXfSONb4BYLvOlCTCcebQ6ovGRvkxO7MA1pgGFzYKsn2OuwySlOOPKLrCPc/s1600/10427243_3150695564974_3307162253807566448_n.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Austin and Jessie. This was the main photo I used for reference while cutting my hair.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdI_Z441xhPMd8EIVUZaW1Vd1SKFyaiEBhVQTxu9Ds98KuTBryTZAXcIZaAMACjyfdg8BYaCPoWeru7-cnkeVaWbdpsODJtK4FBrs89GB-d2R5Fzx4eiOtoede5eOuBVIk1JePhqLY2AOp/s1600/IMG_2741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdI_Z441xhPMd8EIVUZaW1Vd1SKFyaiEBhVQTxu9Ds98KuTBryTZAXcIZaAMACjyfdg8BYaCPoWeru7-cnkeVaWbdpsODJtK4FBrs89GB-d2R5Fzx4eiOtoede5eOuBVIk1JePhqLY2AOp/s1600/IMG_2741.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first picture right after shaving.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5Qm-op6nnxzzambMslBxofbZsFf2DN7xFoeQcbGNbJhVgI4ykTFShkhzAXPvcg0qMl5ptgUN5ZtxYHKhVDEoVt_1jrRlBKC_-rCwwaLswDlrIvhgNe_lSwVA2R2XTRM9m0X-iOH8h9OI/s1600/IMG_2241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5Qm-op6nnxzzambMslBxofbZsFf2DN7xFoeQcbGNbJhVgI4ykTFShkhzAXPvcg0qMl5ptgUN5ZtxYHKhVDEoVt_1jrRlBKC_-rCwwaLswDlrIvhgNe_lSwVA2R2XTRM9m0X-iOH8h9OI/s1600/IMG_2241.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course, Austin chose our first class to be one of the first he'd skipped. Sad that my surprise was ruined.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIWBlvm30Y-EMXNsU_J7-VNHHYXyaoXQ4tw9rLOivVEtrzUi4ywaM-MbISgQPSp9ReWQD3qZPVGVy-WdTu_rVMCHWROIob1Z8CN9fk_XBPzSc215mrZUd8nU_iIzuU0l25w37uJ83crTt/s1600/IMG_2242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIWBlvm30Y-EMXNsU_J7-VNHHYXyaoXQ4tw9rLOivVEtrzUi4ywaM-MbISgQPSp9ReWQD3qZPVGVy-WdTu_rVMCHWROIob1Z8CN9fk_XBPzSc215mrZUd8nU_iIzuU0l25w37uJ83crTt/s1600/IMG_2242.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We met up at chapel and the magic began.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUzWLFQp53fhzOk2zvghm1pMx75hS1ePe-qXOgsP3CyMBNG2TVlVKDou2hOep1nAnabz2YH91anmijudLUvk9JHihB21GYTvgpf4u0cni2ckskScw48x8jeuSMrC_-TwUn2UhcXPE5D6v9/s1600/IMG_2246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUzWLFQp53fhzOk2zvghm1pMx75hS1ePe-qXOgsP3CyMBNG2TVlVKDou2hOep1nAnabz2YH91anmijudLUvk9JHihB21GYTvgpf4u0cni2ckskScw48x8jeuSMrC_-TwUn2UhcXPE5D6v9/s1600/IMG_2246.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Austin changed his clothes so we were a closer match</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-yiplNdJhc22bVgjkPif1bWQUNxiTogJJSWfKS50kU5IaD3MsxiKd3zD5HCCCKvoYqEXcuxA1w8ND8thCA8OL_N57Zp1DDTCdtpvK2fVClauvl5u1DUvD8MBhLBnRCj84Vc2eXrZuV3w5/s1600/10632849_3367421589656_8661622303129021140_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-yiplNdJhc22bVgjkPif1bWQUNxiTogJJSWfKS50kU5IaD3MsxiKd3zD5HCCCKvoYqEXcuxA1w8ND8thCA8OL_N57Zp1DDTCdtpvK2fVClauvl5u1DUvD8MBhLBnRCj84Vc2eXrZuV3w5/s1600/10632849_3367421589656_8661622303129021140_n.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hebrew class. This was especially weird for our teachers I think.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDnglofEKyA7VL_nc2mCJVuUEl9rXMU7VzkiafEWafigqlaiy6uIhX80igArzP1d_Zf2tZEtvwakQWKD_LivJw6heFJKcXiSZog9pFpAe_8VN_GmohyphenhyphenpYRMrYl5pR6DdcgE6btJ6lE5dH/s1600/IMG_2244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDnglofEKyA7VL_nc2mCJVuUEl9rXMU7VzkiafEWafigqlaiy6uIhX80igArzP1d_Zf2tZEtvwakQWKD_LivJw6heFJKcXiSZog9pFpAe_8VN_GmohyphenhyphenpYRMrYl5pR6DdcgE6btJ6lE5dH/s1600/IMG_2244.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even Austin's boyfriend Daniel had a hard time telling us apart.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi86FC0B9WGK0MJxJkmgvxsi8bI6goWw4Bt8Fs2xMyeF6Nv0SyRjQV983YCxPuAOgJnyzTU4h56u_BqxProgJuG1q-pfVZ4EthE-VrxvcMJ2VwGCsUfTX2judFiIdiUZVUiHHQja6mESGMP/s1600/IMG_2247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi86FC0B9WGK0MJxJkmgvxsi8bI6goWw4Bt8Fs2xMyeF6Nv0SyRjQV983YCxPuAOgJnyzTU4h56u_BqxProgJuG1q-pfVZ4EthE-VrxvcMJ2VwGCsUfTX2judFiIdiUZVUiHHQja6mESGMP/s1600/IMG_2247.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the evidence</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Austin, I think, was equal parts flattered and weirded out. But he took it as well as anyone is likely to. So here's to him being a good sport. I had a few moments of "what have I done." But overall it was a pretty enjoyable day.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Most people, even those who know me and Austin well ended up having a hard time making the connection. When I told people I was dressed up as Austin, I think they assumed I was dressing up as the spirit of the city. Also, some people were afraid to ask me about it in case I had had to shave my hair for health reasons. Also, remember that it was only the day before Halloween, not actually Halloween. But with some Instagram and Facebook updates I think most people got it. It was a fun day. </div>
<br />
One of the amazing things to me is how quickly I have been able to make deep friendships here. So deep that I am able to feel mostly comfortable dressing up as one of my classmates for Halloween. Maybe you can dress up as someone you just met last night for a costume party, but for me that's something pretty special.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999429103487593176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-59135771178154388802014-11-28T20:06:00.000-07:002014-11-28T21:23:43.044-07:00Halloween<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Trunk or treat:<br /><div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79v8WubvtGRZ65vGaUChhe4LWo5J5a-PYB-eSz1PvTAjOTjGze3cCjV5vzNZEBJCL5oxtOEjvjkLwrjHAjzrQF98n_j-wA35LQcrVVdhvUagnfsIggTmubgPutkjZV65ec1vadtDAMvi_/s1600/IMG_0162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79v8WubvtGRZ65vGaUChhe4LWo5J5a-PYB-eSz1PvTAjOTjGze3cCjV5vzNZEBJCL5oxtOEjvjkLwrjHAjzrQF98n_j-wA35LQcrVVdhvUagnfsIggTmubgPutkjZV65ec1vadtDAMvi_/s1600/IMG_0162.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRaHm9LOH0YomKH63xiLlAUrpseRJcJ_qdZn-iXRwxkhDp72CYizxHmEUky8DTshD0xgLBfo-a0lTclKYU_Uo4PD8CycdLoKH0bRIi6jWP9pr6cog1HcK25MOnoowRL4uBpfEadmxmSo2m/s1600/IMG_0163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRaHm9LOH0YomKH63xiLlAUrpseRJcJ_qdZn-iXRwxkhDp72CYizxHmEUky8DTshD0xgLBfo-a0lTclKYU_Uo4PD8CycdLoKH0bRIi6jWP9pr6cog1HcK25MOnoowRL4uBpfEadmxmSo2m/s1600/IMG_0163.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLc8Wc_KnIUkaIIDUD8_P92cMQ2TzE-KhEHvPO7kpPjIxdm78AW1fz9e2HWhC1F_oitmj_qsEjZ1BQ4jZfDzHBylCZgvt7nPuSp1S9NUHiw3EV-PoGYfQ0Hm_GIIhfDvuWN5tJmH83Brt/s1600/IMG_0170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLc8Wc_KnIUkaIIDUD8_P92cMQ2TzE-KhEHvPO7kpPjIxdm78AW1fz9e2HWhC1F_oitmj_qsEjZ1BQ4jZfDzHBylCZgvt7nPuSp1S9NUHiw3EV-PoGYfQ0Hm_GIIhfDvuWN5tJmH83Brt/s1600/IMG_0170.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OLyQcPnFNxpN5ZMLYNC0RLn4uYr5bMwds_kn81jj5ZRwovevw5A0QN6UeXB-ecGtiVQBkYVH4pGmPA213DD9xnN6LIg4EeumRmXpSdk1Z_q6JYwKLjSQpIz6MfNmYq6h_ohfRyU_mptJ/s1600/IMG_0175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OLyQcPnFNxpN5ZMLYNC0RLn4uYr5bMwds_kn81jj5ZRwovevw5A0QN6UeXB-ecGtiVQBkYVH4pGmPA213DD9xnN6LIg4EeumRmXpSdk1Z_q6JYwKLjSQpIz6MfNmYq6h_ohfRyU_mptJ/s1600/IMG_0175.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzCqZWUqK43KdPDQofH4UROtKTzoNb_bL_vngXLs1wYiU67lpXopfrRC9t0CVKQIG10zEaTRHMakKONeVytbNEkAa6joZYP9mPWbZDDpk8etR8k31wicbA8iO49OCe3QkxT5NSw7hkxpH/s1600/IMG_0181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzCqZWUqK43KdPDQofH4UROtKTzoNb_bL_vngXLs1wYiU67lpXopfrRC9t0CVKQIG10zEaTRHMakKONeVytbNEkAa6joZYP9mPWbZDDpk8etR8k31wicbA8iO49OCe3QkxT5NSw7hkxpH/s1600/IMG_0181.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7Kw8SWJcn5LyWUWOPa0RNYirVzcB7DRVYs45QgPPMEnDXJ9Ev9Vbr-xtr-CiFmnTTNZMYnetiYC7jyujzt2zfjJymLi5jyHa7uJzYcGu9MFqd_KIh2VLJVMs6PjFDmz4IZEjiIai0Ulf/s1600/IMG_2223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7Kw8SWJcn5LyWUWOPa0RNYirVzcB7DRVYs45QgPPMEnDXJ9Ev9Vbr-xtr-CiFmnTTNZMYnetiYC7jyujzt2zfjJymLi5jyHa7uJzYcGu9MFqd_KIh2VLJVMs6PjFDmz4IZEjiIai0Ulf/s1600/IMG_2223.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mommy blogger.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgysgLl_SD8WDX5lF2epffMpNz4cys5k8jdX-M6yhb7IDGdi9VDce9NXxuQqJ2F8Qo38vinc4_OH9mrsjvdOoIwk960H_nSLDgHtpMZhDQgFBju5bZd9n0_4D-FWBXq3vUWBWMVG0RHWkGj/s1600/IMG_0197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgysgLl_SD8WDX5lF2epffMpNz4cys5k8jdX-M6yhb7IDGdi9VDce9NXxuQqJ2F8Qo38vinc4_OH9mrsjvdOoIwk960H_nSLDgHtpMZhDQgFBju5bZd9n0_4D-FWBXq3vUWBWMVG0RHWkGj/s1600/IMG_0197.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First score of the night</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpiYRBC66VpiaZxxnY-sD1QLeqB4euug8XCNLpGNt-pq8VYgsW6VFEF3V0N6FI4k2lewMnwK6Q55u2J2-I79fAgspy69KqODjv00P5ONAyEzHhu71xEQ61yrOjCHbRaC11NELszsISWRwA/s1600/IMG_0198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpiYRBC66VpiaZxxnY-sD1QLeqB4euug8XCNLpGNt-pq8VYgsW6VFEF3V0N6FI4k2lewMnwK6Q55u2J2-I79fAgspy69KqODjv00P5ONAyEzHhu71xEQ61yrOjCHbRaC11NELszsISWRwA/s1600/IMG_0198.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Witch's finger</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWkPDnc_QYP3geXXt3Dmb0iRoCbg6_u6Md0YecrXaA4One4Ra87zkoSGjfD7NUV9GMjmrUG5dlJDgvmjtjlXrRzLHefiuoLykuJ6jXSheLGnSc3PCNlPecSISZ4Q-ncZ_J9U_dQLohnVsU/s1600/IMG_0200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWkPDnc_QYP3geXXt3Dmb0iRoCbg6_u6Md0YecrXaA4One4Ra87zkoSGjfD7NUV9GMjmrUG5dlJDgvmjtjlXrRzLHefiuoLykuJ6jXSheLGnSc3PCNlPecSISZ4Q-ncZ_J9U_dQLohnVsU/s1600/IMG_0200.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGn7l3fwUGvVWcW0ILKFQCgLCJ-IJHb-uGIa3PDwYTwUoS9chhcTSr3x-Xmy32UUUJuYw1AxLfUpSO_cwgIvKdDwD_IOERKeQzGMAy1llXF1LGwRLzw6ragBPZA9oWSjBJCjffimsiIL2/s1600/IMG_0205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGn7l3fwUGvVWcW0ILKFQCgLCJ-IJHb-uGIa3PDwYTwUoS9chhcTSr3x-Xmy32UUUJuYw1AxLfUpSO_cwgIvKdDwD_IOERKeQzGMAy1llXF1LGwRLzw6ragBPZA9oWSjBJCjffimsiIL2/s1600/IMG_0205.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On toward adventure!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_A_r-tmOydE3nwI0bfXqLuiVxKg0wDmprtCgkHlLXhIFVrP4Qm9pBdOEHhyOBajcSOmpGrFUwTIGKse_cwWJ7pOewPKLMtH9kjdtpd0v8oYIMns6T_GY2ylKAdwqIMpm6RwRNN-_A6Sv/s1600/IMG_0207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_A_r-tmOydE3nwI0bfXqLuiVxKg0wDmprtCgkHlLXhIFVrP4Qm9pBdOEHhyOBajcSOmpGrFUwTIGKse_cwWJ7pOewPKLMtH9kjdtpd0v8oYIMns6T_GY2ylKAdwqIMpm6RwRNN-_A6Sv/s1600/IMG_0207.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We live right next to the fire station</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGkru009oDDya7HvYUCsgZVNKkCBYz1wzBz6maDcgUU7fpmTepiuSp_OZvNZOWAD3-CqpECyf4mnUa2BAAdhwufr7DPoZYvY4dOFm25IUemacWV6oJQgIEMja4E6IYZFW3IL9A4t_OaCth/s1600/IMG_0210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGkru009oDDya7HvYUCsgZVNKkCBYz1wzBz6maDcgUU7fpmTepiuSp_OZvNZOWAD3-CqpECyf4mnUa2BAAdhwufr7DPoZYvY4dOFm25IUemacWV6oJQgIEMja4E6IYZFW3IL9A4t_OaCth/s1600/IMG_0210.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">October 31st is also apparently reformation day, when Martin Luther nailed his theses on the door. So I'm nailing theses on these Lutheran doors.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRULEehn9SxLGkPxvKJxRIxDHoNVgQRPMOB1I9DuJip7tPKj6okb48uw7eYcTaYgLglufnetW34N01q7pURPfvkyK11DTu0Gm-wOcO-YRePOyy-OiDtlRKJnHDRvgG1SsFSCGzDwcAgxp/s1600/IMG_0213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRULEehn9SxLGkPxvKJxRIxDHoNVgQRPMOB1I9DuJip7tPKj6okb48uw7eYcTaYgLglufnetW34N01q7pURPfvkyK11DTu0Gm-wOcO-YRePOyy-OiDtlRKJnHDRvgG1SsFSCGzDwcAgxp/s1600/IMG_0213.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The theses are actually instructions for how to keep apples from turning brown once cut that were on the ground near the church.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqf9poQ3BwPGlC5YCmKzQL-t7GthVoHiCc0ky7XdL5MYdK0czKLuBbutyVxVvCF0RtujSVz_OeXow9xzOfMRTR5ao7UtDJyW2Ef4wOCIfpPDBFpbndRnh1RhyWfde599Nu3uDlTPJOnLQ/s1600/IMG_0215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqf9poQ3BwPGlC5YCmKzQL-t7GthVoHiCc0ky7XdL5MYdK0czKLuBbutyVxVvCF0RtujSVz_OeXow9xzOfMRTR5ao7UtDJyW2Ef4wOCIfpPDBFpbndRnh1RhyWfde599Nu3uDlTPJOnLQ/s1600/IMG_0215.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tire swing right by the Lutheran church, can you see it in the background?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvYJ-hSFh9HO0eP4wiOVC74TEhVP5zzafRierztgoPlSp5U6NN5z35DPRJJvLzAGgRAaoX1EmE9mICssBRnjXyxTuTPZHQFQQUsQt3_9k8nPnCVR_89HF-GUuGtIShl2zuskO5NHzt95C/s1600/IMG_0218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvYJ-hSFh9HO0eP4wiOVC74TEhVP5zzafRierztgoPlSp5U6NN5z35DPRJJvLzAGgRAaoX1EmE9mICssBRnjXyxTuTPZHQFQQUsQt3_9k8nPnCVR_89HF-GUuGtIShl2zuskO5NHzt95C/s1600/IMG_0218.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ran into our fellow seminarian Jarell dressed as an animal lover</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7g3qknZcRajNJKrWeCatF0UnBAbTky1_A7NpJyJhHSUHj7_Ip7q6b458rU2zAs3K1kwoj6G-FZD46KT9w-pRk3VrtFMg0Y0w_JzN7cviP-jUT_OasOVoCcMNJXfQcY1364olaG6M5jGXh/s1600/IMG_0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7g3qknZcRajNJKrWeCatF0UnBAbTky1_A7NpJyJhHSUHj7_Ip7q6b458rU2zAs3K1kwoj6G-FZD46KT9w-pRk3VrtFMg0Y0w_JzN7cviP-jUT_OasOVoCcMNJXfQcY1364olaG6M5jGXh/s1600/IMG_0220.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lulah loved the tire swing. Atticus was scared of it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkM66StXSbdy2o_NSCegYeu_4IjHoUQh5jkSayWBGjVLaoxhRzm6fPM16keV9XDBZdqoXTxgHjuJQ-EMd7ra3PpXZSwYJR9pHTQyhmG1hw7sr3Yptz_fBXdbOowXu1DPurWAafGoDq4TU/s1600/IMG_0222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkM66StXSbdy2o_NSCegYeu_4IjHoUQh5jkSayWBGjVLaoxhRzm6fPM16keV9XDBZdqoXTxgHjuJQ-EMd7ra3PpXZSwYJR9pHTQyhmG1hw7sr3Yptz_fBXdbOowXu1DPurWAafGoDq4TU/s1600/IMG_0222.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQlVLRVNtUTf9M2Jl_HTPJk98NhOh-cE-2HV2fjcotGgQ0tZTSAfBJhyphenhyphenfSM0aIE3wor0Pzkoa9GFL3bF0qfLlsW8I8V3NaPCTke34N6sW0cpYIkWNph91R1Kyf4BmOyXa85yVc-XF8pPbU/s1600/IMG_0229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQlVLRVNtUTf9M2Jl_HTPJk98NhOh-cE-2HV2fjcotGgQ0tZTSAfBJhyphenhyphenfSM0aIE3wor0Pzkoa9GFL3bF0qfLlsW8I8V3NaPCTke34N6sW0cpYIkWNph91R1Kyf4BmOyXa85yVc-XF8pPbU/s1600/IMG_0229.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN6fdg0npU7oksxC4r0KP1vUUXf0emmrFXLsRgOWqx2zqHUp6YnDPw5CKs1SOX17Wm1QsQ0uuB5M46XYxJK_R5HixAbb225R24BmXeQzy_cW9DR0S0kquob_iiXeFhnXY_9Q1nxs3I4-3p/s1600/IMG_0230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN6fdg0npU7oksxC4r0KP1vUUXf0emmrFXLsRgOWqx2zqHUp6YnDPw5CKs1SOX17Wm1QsQ0uuB5M46XYxJK_R5HixAbb225R24BmXeQzy_cW9DR0S0kquob_iiXeFhnXY_9Q1nxs3I4-3p/s1600/IMG_0230.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids were great trick-or-treaters</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM9XljF-oCdD_xCEsRRmAJcUU4G7K8SEaRGypmKUqDqowebab3xmBbkjC0rQxM8pR3BFbow08tggntDC24c-nAQ01GVkQsClxozGw7Syc-K2GklxWHRz8oi43YZ33pS57mpsfdb9wu6jAS/s1600/IMG_0233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM9XljF-oCdD_xCEsRRmAJcUU4G7K8SEaRGypmKUqDqowebab3xmBbkjC0rQxM8pR3BFbow08tggntDC24c-nAQ01GVkQsClxozGw7Syc-K2GklxWHRz8oi43YZ33pS57mpsfdb9wu6jAS/s1600/IMG_0233.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An under-canvassed neighborhood. Everyone was happy to see us.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqxIsKE3wpN9KRTqT39vjFQMprJ-AAFHjULBmRnHUQqH47IxHWcsbfU8zgV9yAwZDaGb2KK6N0Li6q0oZ4IYOtZRfG1ExwalNaLf-5aqEIVMxNoDXBdlg7wyd5Y90shgOt8qcWGvDmY4p/s1600/IMG_0235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqxIsKE3wpN9KRTqT39vjFQMprJ-AAFHjULBmRnHUQqH47IxHWcsbfU8zgV9yAwZDaGb2KK6N0Li6q0oZ4IYOtZRfG1ExwalNaLf-5aqEIVMxNoDXBdlg7wyd5Y90shgOt8qcWGvDmY4p/s1600/IMG_0235.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Generic hipsters, generic jedi and Dorothy of Oz. Atticus was insiste</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlq0ASh9TUFw_4CrYzwuvpB3WqSDIwjTkRm0UsolQ5c6R6hFgqtSh0FSsGFfWBy-aJ8wHnmwwKK17A0JLVRHB92r6BGIqih3JZc2eHm6s2zURJ8V5vdIvwcJkxKw3SAyvX-9mvGKn4x6n/s1600/IMG_0238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlq0ASh9TUFw_4CrYzwuvpB3WqSDIwjTkRm0UsolQ5c6R6hFgqtSh0FSsGFfWBy-aJ8wHnmwwKK17A0JLVRHB92r6BGIqih3JZc2eHm6s2zURJ8V5vdIvwcJkxKw3SAyvX-9mvGKn4x6n/s1600/IMG_0238.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We carved a pumpkin a day late</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH-QXkhV0Gqpw0Pn-zHZAWoIEyu7KOkcXdWvQ9hphtUsZzqh6Aqq9TtYs-ztZFve19mUhtN4IgPcLuApOljR2Ji3CEBUss0Vmmv5j2BCGC71rPFwj8PlPIGr2trKAVxS6MzQzU1AaDoig_/s1600/IMG_0239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH-QXkhV0Gqpw0Pn-zHZAWoIEyu7KOkcXdWvQ9hphtUsZzqh6Aqq9TtYs-ztZFve19mUhtN4IgPcLuApOljR2Ji3CEBUss0Vmmv5j2BCGC71rPFwj8PlPIGr2trKAVxS6MzQzU1AaDoig_/s1600/IMG_0239.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999429103487593176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-63478831244914059062014-11-17T09:12:00.001-07:002014-11-17T09:25:04.961-07:00What I lost when I lost Christ<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For many people, leaving the faith of their youth is a relatively simply transition away from a set of beliefs imposed by others that were never really internalized. For me, however, leaving the faith of my youth, Mormonism, was a deeply trying and emotionally and spiritually draining experience. I was, if I am to be honest, a true believer. I was thoughtful and questioning to an extent, but overriding all of that, I was obedient. I wasn't a perfect Mormon in terms of my behavior, but my belief in the truth of Mormonism was really firm and foundational for my life.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I think when one has left behind a set of beliefs that no longer are viewed as true, it is really easy to treat them as obviously false and of no worth. But if I look back honestly, the truths that Mormonism presented were of great worth to me, in the context which I used them. Of greatest worth, I believe, was my belief in Jesus Christ as God and Savior. I feel compelled to make an honest assessment of what I have lost as I have lost my faith in Christ. I don't intend to inspire pity, nor is this an attempt to reclaim lost faith. What I hope it is is an honest reconciling with what I have lost, so that I can more authentically appreciate what I have gained.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">My Lost God</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have lost my God.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The most all encompassing aspect of loss that I experienced when I realized that I no longer believed in Christ's divinity was that the God that was the center of my worship was no longer there. While each member of the Godhead (Mormonism's go-to word for referring to the three separate members of the traditional trinity) was important to my faith, I, like most Mormons, would say that my belief in God centered around Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ created the world under Heavenly Father's command, He was sent to earth to die for us, he visited the Nephites as the central story of the Book of Mormon narrative and He awaits us in heaven to welcome us back to Heavenly Father's home.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Prayer has fallen away from me as a spiritual practice, as I no longer am sure who or what I am praying too. I miss prayer, and I especially miss revelation. The idea that a God might speak to me and guide me along a path towards truth and righteousness was deeply comforting. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My belief and my spirituality no longer has a center outside of its originating center in my own mind and soul. There is some aspect of focusing on the human experience generally, how wondrous is it is that we are alive, we can recognize we are alive and we can talk about it together. However, there is also an aspect of my current spirituality that derives great benefit from attempting to place humanity in its universal context, as wondrous yet terribly finite, placed here on earth with only the most tenuous hold on the future, in part contingent on how we treat our earthly home, but in part on pure chance that no cosmic event wipes us out in an instant. This free-floating belief system, focused on nothing and everything at once is at times tense, but also at times wonderfully freeing and expansive.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">My Lost Savior</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Losing a divine view of Christ has meant that I have given up on the idea of divine salvation from my sins. Christ as divine is able to fully negate the effects of sin through His sacrifice on the cross. Christ as human is perhaps able to experience similar suffering as me, can serve as a model of sacrifice and brother- and sisterhood, but he cannot redeem me, whichever Atonement theory one might apply. My sins, my imperfections are ultimately my own and shared by no one else.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I no longer believe that I will one day be perfect. That is both a great sorrow and a great relief. If I will never reach perfection in the future, there is certainly no chance of achieving it now. Reconciling myself to that fact can be difficult, as I recognize my own potential for goodness and how often I am so far from achieving that. Loving myself and accepting myself as I am now is made that much more difficult when I no longer believe there is a Savior that has that love for me already in place, but it becomes no less necessary for my life and my progress therein.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At the same time that I have lost the idea of a Savior for my sins, I have not fully lost a sense of sin in my daily life. In my patriarchal blessing, which is a special blessing from a special ordained "patriarch" given to teenagers "when they feel ready," I was told that I would come to know that Satan was a very real individual who was determined to pull me from the path of truth. While I perhaps never had a firm confirmation of this, there was always a feeling that some power was pulling me away from truth and purity. Even as I now primarily assign those feelings to simple biological urges that have their history in evolution and past needs and desires expressing themselves in a different context, I still don't really like them at all.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It is a sad truth that my faith in God collapsed more completely than my faith in my own unworthiness. But I am satisfied that I am still the same person as I was with faith in God, with the same inherent worth and dignity, and still welcome gratefully the existence that I am moment by moment experiencing.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">My lost explanation</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Christ, for the majority of my life, has been the ultimate answer. Even though there was plenty about life and the universe that I did not understand, yet I had full confidence that Christ, under the direction of God the Father, was watching over everything. Whenever there was a question on a doctrine or practice of the church I could simply put it on a shelf, and know that no matter what, Christ would make it alright, that it was His job, as God, to make sure that all wrongs were righted and all paths eventually made smooth.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Christ also provided the firmest guide to how I should live a moral life. Christ, as a man presented in the bible still has much to offer in terms of example, but without the mantle of Divine Savior attached to the man, his actions and opinions become much more contextual and less relevant to modern applications. I still look to Christ as an example of communing with the poor, of questioning power structures and of a slow, contemplative life. But His demands for devotion to a hypothetical kingdom, His organizing of a chosen faith community and His apparent preference for male leadership of the community all have become much less relevant in my life.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The need to be constantly reformulating a moral system based on my own social and historical location and privilege, on my limited knowledge and perception of the world, and in a confused and turbulent modern moral landscape can be disorienting and disillusioning. However, the challenge presented by developing an individual moral system can also be invigorating and deeply instructive. I still believe in an absolute truth and something of an ultimate morality, but I simply believe that we, as limited beings, can only approach that truth through our own limited perspective, and that we not only have to seek out our truth, but also seek out a deeper understanding of our own perspective, abilities and limitations. I probably always believed this to some extent, even when steeped in Mormonism, but there is no doubt that it was much easier to do so when I believed that I had a divine source of revelation and truth against which to check my own assumptions and prejudice.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">My Lost Community</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Christ was not only at the center of my faith, but at the center of my community. Growing up in a town that was predominantly Mormon, Jesus might not have been a daily topic of conversation, but church was definitely at the social center of the community. And even though He got lost sometimes, Christ was still firmly at the center of the church experience. While the Mormon community is fairly homogeneous, there are still divides along many lines, especially stark at times around political or socio-economic lines, however, there could always be a coming together, in theory if nothing else, in our shared brother- and sisterhood in the body of Christ or the Kingdom of God.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My faith in other aspects of Church doctrine, such as the authority of institutional revelation, the divine nature of gender roles and the primacy of heterosexual relationships began deteriorating years before my faith in Christ as Savior also began to collapse. However, while I was able to feel good about attending church and participating in community when other aspects of my faith were in doubt, when I felt that I had lost my faith in Christ, I no longer felt authentic or honest in a Christ-centered worship community and my motivation for "making it work" in Mormonism also declined rapidly. I know that many liberal Mormons are clinging to their place in the Mormon church because they feel that it offers their best connection to the Christ that they love and trust, and I honor their struggle, but the dissonance that I experienced in a Mormon congregation was too strong to feel comfortable there once my connection to that core faith-centering doctrine faded.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have found an alternative community, mainly centered around Unitarian-Universalism's expansive and encompassing view of religion, but also among liberal Christians and spiritually minded atheists and agnostics. However, this community does not hold as firm of a unifying principle as worship of Christ. Thus there is no immediate bond of shared belief between members of the community, besides perhaps some very general ideals of a liberal society. It is not as close of a community. In some ways, I appreciate that. There is little idea of "us vs. them" at least in terms of claims to "the truth." There is also a great fluidity granted when God is not requiring or rewarding attendance, but that participation should be inspired by how fulfilling and wholesome the experience of community is. But that fluidity results in decreased stability and solidarity among the congregation, thus requiring greater effort to feel firmly a part of a religious community. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">My lost friend</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have lost my best friend</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With all of these other losses the most personal remains the most painful. I've lost a deity, I've lost a faith, but most of all, I've lost a friend. While Christ is perhaps not often seen by theologians or scripture as primarily a friend to the human race, that was certainly my experience. Some of my most dearly held religious or spiritual experiences have been when I felt Christ, as my friend, upholding me in moments of pain or sorrow, as only a friend who knew me intimately and personally could.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the Mormon book of scripture, the Doctrine and Covenants, Jesus after speaking to the church directly through Joseph Smith begins to repeatedly refer to Joseph and His fellow disciples as friends, as in Section 93 verse 45 when he says "I will call you friends, for you are my friends, and ye shall have an inheritance with me" right before rebuking Joseph for not keeping the commandments.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That relationship was very similar to what I felt my own relationship with Christ had become, especially during the last year of my Mormon mission and the faithful years that followed. Yes, Christ would rebuke me at times, for sloth or lust or any number of things, but He would always be there when I needed Him to be, always ready to be my friend. I have very distinct memories of memories of feeling that Christ was with me as I walked down the street with my head down or comforting me when I was deep in lamenting prayer for my own shortcomings or life situation. Now it is up to me to reach out to other fallible human friends and, in the end, to be my own best friend. But I have to admit that I am a poor substitute for what the friend I once had, imaginary or not.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>In the end</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As I wrote this, I was constantly tempted to stop and point out again and again what I felt like I've gained moving away from Christianity. And even though I did this in a few places, I think I achieved what I was setting out to do, make an honest accounting of what I've lost and left behind. I did not leave Christianity casually or hastily, it was an excruciating and overly-drawn-out split, even as it happened in a relatively short time span. Am I happier now? Probably. But separating my life situation and its impact on my happiness as opposed to the effect of my faith situation would be really difficult. In Madison, I wasn't so happy, but I also didn't have many friends and spent most of my day alone with toddlers. But I've also come to believe that happiness isn't necessarily the point. An authentic life has its own rewards, a questioned life has its own beauty. I'm not saying that you can't have an authentic or questioned life within Mormonism, of course you can, I'm just saying that even if I was somehow presented with the choice on whether to return to where I was before, comforted and comfortable, believing what I then believed, or stay where I am now, conflicted and wondrously confused, I, personally, would choose to stay here, embedded peacefully in the mystery.</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>This is mostly a first draft of a paper for seminary with some academic references removed, because nobody should have Calvin imposed upon them. But if you would like to read the full paper when I finish it in a few days, let me know.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 48px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999429103487593176noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-70248463651836357502014-10-29T15:44:00.000-06:002014-10-29T15:44:02.041-06:00Austin is winning, now<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Here's another boring update on our Austin life: sunshine-y, warm, pleasant. All around. We are making lots of new friends, playing Dungeons and Dragons, attending an adult sex-ed class (awesome!) and hanging out at The Local bar with aforementioned new friends. We went camping a few weekends ago with the Live Oak UU congregation, not our congregation but one up north that has a lot of young families. It was a blast, though a little awkward as most of the people there were really good friends. I hope one day we are part of such a tight-knit church community.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmD_f2t_r3emPAc2dTDv5CC08PuSMghf46_AEloSPTQ_os0dUKijlb2vUuPcySRiwibVLXwG1175ofzAv8_iF1Q9xH_caCLnfU0hHMQvCIYnbzk2xhHsFi9eQ2h4DyVdNWflrTaWB1E4rU/s1600/IMG_1357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmD_f2t_r3emPAc2dTDv5CC08PuSMghf46_AEloSPTQ_os0dUKijlb2vUuPcySRiwibVLXwG1175ofzAv8_iF1Q9xH_caCLnfU0hHMQvCIYnbzk2xhHsFi9eQ2h4DyVdNWflrTaWB1E4rU/s1600/IMG_1357.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmf2vy7f5dwzhyphenhyphen9hOOl1i0wjUSwtTzgXR4pBOws2dMMEy7GvjQWWalnkU7OYXkZ-1yiF9pXx14kim5ctuDxp39HjUCnjRkHGLsi_6auWaG_1rysXtgNsIRyZQ98sNss5TVcjpygyKB_u_G/s1600/IMG_1358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmf2vy7f5dwzhyphenhyphen9hOOl1i0wjUSwtTzgXR4pBOws2dMMEy7GvjQWWalnkU7OYXkZ-1yiF9pXx14kim5ctuDxp39HjUCnjRkHGLsi_6auWaG_1rysXtgNsIRyZQ98sNss5TVcjpygyKB_u_G/s1600/IMG_1358.JPG" height="476" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhhZOEZX4NXnamFTRTPAsYPO4VHFJMIrib7E-L6FQyY2eGjhUxgFZkP04qfl14Ui6rvgR9NBCyGSYxOxNZbViamb3EcLV8TxGNr7lRxL2XBVEqcorMhjC-TqDNNL6EG2Pv8uhhNAVr87_/s1600/IMG_1360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhhZOEZX4NXnamFTRTPAsYPO4VHFJMIrib7E-L6FQyY2eGjhUxgFZkP04qfl14Ui6rvgR9NBCyGSYxOxNZbViamb3EcLV8TxGNr7lRxL2XBVEqcorMhjC-TqDNNL6EG2Pv8uhhNAVr87_/s1600/IMG_1360.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLtlPbJ3XdJfQIxS-KNj16jZZKJYVVn11Yobgf0zHuWQmKNTktA9r4kpUHRg1gfi6-1JeVFPS1_IoCbw47W99i0GGa8_0nHSp_qp4piEr39d6O4OweGtRTG-_Pra1xHJEB_3cGzNn_3LKL/s1600/IMG_1361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLtlPbJ3XdJfQIxS-KNj16jZZKJYVVn11Yobgf0zHuWQmKNTktA9r4kpUHRg1gfi6-1JeVFPS1_IoCbw47W99i0GGa8_0nHSp_qp4piEr39d6O4OweGtRTG-_Pra1xHJEB_3cGzNn_3LKL/s1600/IMG_1361.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia_obo2gsGEyj_kTAORc29pg-o1YBfHiS3R12VaFu5KT6z_y0gVyR4fauIFYjpKfXjSTC136VhL_8jjlXBsAUPbsHTcWIC5o34o7z1vieLo_ToRKxCpjzomIqSkYJ8203siM5DeDFPnjso/s1600/IMG_1362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia_obo2gsGEyj_kTAORc29pg-o1YBfHiS3R12VaFu5KT6z_y0gVyR4fauIFYjpKfXjSTC136VhL_8jjlXBsAUPbsHTcWIC5o34o7z1vieLo_ToRKxCpjzomIqSkYJ8203siM5DeDFPnjso/s1600/IMG_1362.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7wl1alN99jyTtb4EdWfrI0jQP6zM3-qBpueIfjijo7JFG7RdL7udSKG5INMe4lfB9vGEEuR4tb5O2tSCk4ApsWQbGUs8bDio77y-m4GwI8rL7Gyj0PlCu7VfjRsbQUw9dh6vOC3LQJrY/s1600/IMG_1365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7wl1alN99jyTtb4EdWfrI0jQP6zM3-qBpueIfjijo7JFG7RdL7udSKG5INMe4lfB9vGEEuR4tb5O2tSCk4ApsWQbGUs8bDio77y-m4GwI8rL7Gyj0PlCu7VfjRsbQUw9dh6vOC3LQJrY/s1600/IMG_1365.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ciqFnEgK6swBS87VpUCMBhRQZ3kJ6jbk-gl7HsYOgZyrWjJQbUbq0xKmFIB2KQnEe7wbJKXjaWseOjWFaJmxkLgtvrqGAHiD1ULmqjnNwYPjRkzmzKuVa9WeGYpR1yHw0tgXki3ULe59/s1600/IMG_1366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ciqFnEgK6swBS87VpUCMBhRQZ3kJ6jbk-gl7HsYOgZyrWjJQbUbq0xKmFIB2KQnEe7wbJKXjaWseOjWFaJmxkLgtvrqGAHiD1ULmqjnNwYPjRkzmzKuVa9WeGYpR1yHw0tgXki3ULe59/s1600/IMG_1366.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFV6f59qxZLHefGI1S15FwjO9RE5rnfW3f3CMDsW3EM7f0GFR5gZYdKukLzPV3UPlgle8eK3W0NEMVf9lF6hch0nOTd8ykGlUPzjIMnWN60QxXCyJ3mZztVFp7oe57mdKkOpREdleu5Q5/s1600/IMG_1367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFV6f59qxZLHefGI1S15FwjO9RE5rnfW3f3CMDsW3EM7f0GFR5gZYdKukLzPV3UPlgle8eK3W0NEMVf9lF6hch0nOTd8ykGlUPzjIMnWN60QxXCyJ3mZztVFp7oe57mdKkOpREdleu5Q5/s1600/IMG_1367.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right before Atticus had a 30-minute meltdown after Tallulah stepped on a beetle he was holding.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYp1FRxrFcclF_ROIWWDY7vzTXCulcBqj4e5ice1fe8LpkWvyDaMw3TmKYYwENG32Rvvwpgwx6lJTO1yHDjGyQfv6DGSqGrr15gsWcqIPVhkDk-4om__PGRyHzTl2yIlr9nMvuG5reKvDn/s1600/DSCF2809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYp1FRxrFcclF_ROIWWDY7vzTXCulcBqj4e5ice1fe8LpkWvyDaMw3TmKYYwENG32Rvvwpgwx6lJTO1yHDjGyQfv6DGSqGrr15gsWcqIPVhkDk-4om__PGRyHzTl2yIlr9nMvuG5reKvDn/s1600/DSCF2809.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheQbpqXZOGAW3UISaAO3Gi1uPMCeDxjJfD7yzPKLEB_dT99QfXZjn3zS6aKvtEZPVaD4dyYEA-CvmgxFZHAGUPJeDEEOcvMc4tokQ2z5JgPJAPFkPMM69QOYTKxqnEJMmplvq_EyEyhZ6j/s1600/DSCF2810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheQbpqXZOGAW3UISaAO3Gi1uPMCeDxjJfD7yzPKLEB_dT99QfXZjn3zS6aKvtEZPVaD4dyYEA-CvmgxFZHAGUPJeDEEOcvMc4tokQ2z5JgPJAPFkPMM69QOYTKxqnEJMmplvq_EyEyhZ6j/s1600/DSCF2810.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUIc3x4MrrCKPKpHDr06Lsh6iZ0lRjBmjSS5pX9hqngEJ3ddhJljpPzxVYgZItBZDBbECVf5rSSXFb9JiwlFLKJhFXnfC7nk1Zyiz1GZCfkE7RAeoBq9l3d1YSljmsg7iUZGrsatE9rG_G/s1600/IMG_1368.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUIc3x4MrrCKPKpHDr06Lsh6iZ0lRjBmjSS5pX9hqngEJ3ddhJljpPzxVYgZItBZDBbECVf5rSSXFb9JiwlFLKJhFXnfC7nk1Zyiz1GZCfkE7RAeoBq9l3d1YSljmsg7iUZGrsatE9rG_G/s1600/IMG_1368.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDeVZxFJSoyOM8fwufakF_qpq8vXASKrQDDX3mZIhDwsp0v7AMfOd6Q-9oQ2F4pC-7ALh3smg5lE-gljgVNzUhcml2wnf1A5ulosjNPbI5Bhy4F1Fpnz7Oc_af8fhye7wbXl5vN3WblBw/s1600/IMG_1370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDeVZxFJSoyOM8fwufakF_qpq8vXASKrQDDX3mZIhDwsp0v7AMfOd6Q-9oQ2F4pC-7ALh3smg5lE-gljgVNzUhcml2wnf1A5ulosjNPbI5Bhy4F1Fpnz7Oc_af8fhye7wbXl5vN3WblBw/s1600/IMG_1370.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Indra and her parents (Erin and Paul) go to FUUCA, and we ate dinner at their house the day we came home from camping. She's only a few weeks older than Atticus but acts about two years older. She's taller by a foot and reads very, very well. They also have chickens and an A-MAZING house.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8ZNNlW8hyphenhyphen197h5dme_xvoYiJ0qeNBMSeCqGklY-YchxcmdPdtvt26rlmmaAjNMxa7C9222HfzrcCqU_l03WyydBemwm13_Ae9jBHi9qzDPr0mNBPU4Ll5sKrAo3kqi0UJuFlX06pjHj7/s1600/IMG_1378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8ZNNlW8hyphenhyphen197h5dme_xvoYiJ0qeNBMSeCqGklY-YchxcmdPdtvt26rlmmaAjNMxa7C9222HfzrcCqU_l03WyydBemwm13_Ae9jBHi9qzDPr0mNBPU4Ll5sKrAo3kqi0UJuFlX06pjHj7/s1600/IMG_1378.jpg" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKeB1EO0q4JCS-MR6sQPZ2M2rBVAGXXp7VbRodE9nxRM5rkwiJarUfBAK-1fyfLhM9oUPwHJ7peAnXTQtEryyyaaPr1OYiFgxBhB9tkr-oXfNA7s6ryAR20BszeP3hrD-jEBo7ElkDOdcw/s1600/IMG_2203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKeB1EO0q4JCS-MR6sQPZ2M2rBVAGXXp7VbRodE9nxRM5rkwiJarUfBAK-1fyfLhM9oUPwHJ7peAnXTQtEryyyaaPr1OYiFgxBhB9tkr-oXfNA7s6ryAR20BszeP3hrD-jEBo7ElkDOdcw/s1600/IMG_2203.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My pottery teacher mailed me my creations from the summer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYABJ2kpAe0jL2wwdXONk5pt9wQOWHapKmm9bNqgpFW0fqadJxbfJ7wd-esPc1KCWhF7Kzc25eYGFmdB7l-hggwB8uYU3aBkzX5sFujEuQghHRc2I587VUJMwxYti6-WiG8n6RSSKbEd0Q/s1600/IMG_2212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYABJ2kpAe0jL2wwdXONk5pt9wQOWHapKmm9bNqgpFW0fqadJxbfJ7wd-esPc1KCWhF7Kzc25eYGFmdB7l-hggwB8uYU3aBkzX5sFujEuQghHRc2I587VUJMwxYti6-WiG8n6RSSKbEd0Q/s1600/IMG_2212.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim took the kids on a duck tour with his school while I was at work last week.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4Wirw-ZJSrna32txOAQ6b24j9u_pCMwe17SXHZRj65Q7baPYMP9MgsJ0dIphXSw8wlRwQ1QaBSAq2wZdoa21D5N762kfiA6Ir9eWJodSTJM4ff_7AuaDxXwIBrLoaaxh-AIj158y0ChX/s1600/IMG_2214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4Wirw-ZJSrna32txOAQ6b24j9u_pCMwe17SXHZRj65Q7baPYMP9MgsJ0dIphXSw8wlRwQ1QaBSAq2wZdoa21D5N762kfiA6Ir9eWJodSTJM4ff_7AuaDxXwIBrLoaaxh-AIj158y0ChX/s1600/IMG_2214.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF3htcQ-x3yEBC9j9TZbmBUkhX-607-Eb_6NMd0juC0MWqNYhd2P-GfHAE8eq9CaeslydCUpyEvMXb6TSegyIbZwxF1KBr0xVe0pu8pTrURygNnDMe4fOkOsgol8Jw4NGQJp_jpz7Yw0bV/s1600/IMG_2215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF3htcQ-x3yEBC9j9TZbmBUkhX-607-Eb_6NMd0juC0MWqNYhd2P-GfHAE8eq9CaeslydCUpyEvMXb6TSegyIbZwxF1KBr0xVe0pu8pTrURygNnDMe4fOkOsgol8Jw4NGQJp_jpz7Yw0bV/s1600/IMG_2215.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Will and Tasha were in Egypt/Jordan/Israel with us in 2009, when Tasha was pregnant with Locke. They moved to Austin for Will to go to school and had baby Anna (who is pretty adorable). Tallulah loves her and asks if we can have a "baby Anna" on a regular basis. </span><span style="font-size: small;">We met up with them a few weeks ago to play at the free Austin Science and Nature Center.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6zx8hjGiuBWLRA0o6IU08syH8zsFd_YgrshsAgL-36v-LyoGKQcY6RenEvrHEZvOcxtfjk2WoCyQd-4dMDtMPo8Z-oXt6tf-2yKAIbyb6ozN4ucpm7u0-SsWiOht9Kd2tL32Rw_t5Sg4/s1600/IMG_1333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6zx8hjGiuBWLRA0o6IU08syH8zsFd_YgrshsAgL-36v-LyoGKQcY6RenEvrHEZvOcxtfjk2WoCyQd-4dMDtMPo8Z-oXt6tf-2yKAIbyb6ozN4ucpm7u0-SsWiOht9Kd2tL32Rw_t5Sg4/s1600/IMG_1333.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibDu_GuxQZZPrdeaXMw5d2wvBNg2iC-wiIkXyTtyomnVKbd8k28cNHZhzq14P5cTvPcKXxbaxAs5z26CQSV9TqRf32G3EDw-5HORTwtGXS6B7PFrlLMzH5Go-WG1XVPAec8iLgdarCrsvP/s1600/IMG_1334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibDu_GuxQZZPrdeaXMw5d2wvBNg2iC-wiIkXyTtyomnVKbd8k28cNHZhzq14P5cTvPcKXxbaxAs5z26CQSV9TqRf32G3EDw-5HORTwtGXS6B7PFrlLMzH5Go-WG1XVPAec8iLgdarCrsvP/s1600/IMG_1334.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0ALgpRIlHNdq3IxLsn3V_YICgCKuARJTKeYTz5wi2AhTuMLD8hxTR8LraXWyNHAtCjKeAKoKxhS5ayVPcf7YyE4UaP4xUWviBnqwbUdRyve-XIOBHkseLroy3yZhMc91-rFilbnpjP4U/s1600/IMG_1335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0ALgpRIlHNdq3IxLsn3V_YICgCKuARJTKeYTz5wi2AhTuMLD8hxTR8LraXWyNHAtCjKeAKoKxhS5ayVPcf7YyE4UaP4xUWviBnqwbUdRyve-XIOBHkseLroy3yZhMc91-rFilbnpjP4U/s1600/IMG_1335.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuR9AeuOBBWKkOpoIz4YysSlNS-q1gSPlNpq6DkTRVMHHWaDFzBZBBM18WVzDtq6SpImRlMs4PawxrlUIzDXRz55T1nkXJejqGbongEP12vrD6n0OxhA4a2opvrc5_265dvNWvBLiP0B5a/s1600/IMG_1336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuR9AeuOBBWKkOpoIz4YysSlNS-q1gSPlNpq6DkTRVMHHWaDFzBZBBM18WVzDtq6SpImRlMs4PawxrlUIzDXRz55T1nkXJejqGbongEP12vrD6n0OxhA4a2opvrc5_265dvNWvBLiP0B5a/s1600/IMG_1336.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5OE0C8w5MpwM71LXFlhc_KbVSirfaT1gIsgjH8ynArsL1hsbijxp4mlNgdRi_gBx6U2Y5jRetarnQpmzs6ALCIfIyneAo84bsRtvdFFH_-vjCkZmknoXeAb7UObD3H9lrrXoGXg7r3gR/s1600/IMG_0149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5OE0C8w5MpwM71LXFlhc_KbVSirfaT1gIsgjH8ynArsL1hsbijxp4mlNgdRi_gBx6U2Y5jRetarnQpmzs6ALCIfIyneAo84bsRtvdFFH_-vjCkZmknoXeAb7UObD3H9lrrXoGXg7r3gR/s1600/IMG_0149.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">His latest obsession is writing... all the time.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoIhXemvmzqO1Aw738mamhNmedLpoSHQUh0f-Y4b0F1A3cPNLtmPYEJzZC4Yr6YzKvLel1tk5PqPcWeJ5lpHCEIsqhj5IblsOwr46CRoCSLw6y7RGlgFiyhLU5wAQy8kr_I660LgxZa0Db/s1600/IMG_1348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoIhXemvmzqO1Aw738mamhNmedLpoSHQUh0f-Y4b0F1A3cPNLtmPYEJzZC4Yr6YzKvLel1tk5PqPcWeJ5lpHCEIsqhj5IblsOwr46CRoCSLw6y7RGlgFiyhLU5wAQy8kr_I660LgxZa0Db/s1600/IMG_1348.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atticus's writing -- "efterår" is the Danish word for autumn.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Last but certainly not least, we are loving FUUCA. It's not FUS, yet, but we are starting to make more friends and the kids love playing on the playground for a few hours after services end. Last week was women spirituality day service, and the women (or men, or whoever) were giving crowns to wear. Tallulah is my powerful little she-goddess daughter. I am crazy about her.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnHBCmzjfZj0BodFVIy_0FOalJkU4oIHaA7SEQHyoj6rXEUqsyC6c6gjLCu3VWIkxhgpSjvZcSdeZFhnGH5oTxNOmOYfkls5Or7KV9rNXbUMhyuKB-ICI6KY3D0zsJTT-BiuGbb3Lftz7/s1600/IMG_2226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnHBCmzjfZj0BodFVIy_0FOalJkU4oIHaA7SEQHyoj6rXEUqsyC6c6gjLCu3VWIkxhgpSjvZcSdeZFhnGH5oTxNOmOYfkls5Or7KV9rNXbUMhyuKB-ICI6KY3D0zsJTT-BiuGbb3Lftz7/s1600/IMG_2226.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgck_gXHAFPGBBX6z3BXsnjJ9DpBiXsMalVh5VJzKTEK-uNXahP3pEmXPkMNSot2DDg0k9kuIuMXDkqX1TcrjDMkeVB4Z6ibisLez921kdhyM7-m0Fsf7qdicSVjORz2awznI6c8TVw8d5v/s1600/IMG_2229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgck_gXHAFPGBBX6z3BXsnjJ9DpBiXsMalVh5VJzKTEK-uNXahP3pEmXPkMNSot2DDg0k9kuIuMXDkqX1TcrjDMkeVB4Z6ibisLez921kdhyM7-m0Fsf7qdicSVjORz2awznI6c8TVw8d5v/s1600/IMG_2229.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
</div>
Caitlin Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417848115673458546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-18744124201059098212014-10-22T09:36:00.001-06:002014-10-22T09:36:55.438-06:00Keeping Austin beautiful<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Life here has been hectic. I still don't feel settled and familiar with the city yet. With trying to get Atticus into school (and then wishing Atticus wasn't in school... but that's a whole different post), trying to find a job, and Tim's school schedule, we are being kept plenty busy but I'm also really bored and lonely. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Last Monday, Atticus had to get three vaccines. He really only needed one (Hep B) to be in compliant but he had two he needed to get before kindergarten so they did them all at once. I asked them not to, but apparently when you go to a free vaccine clinic no one listens to you about your child's body. The clinic was held in a high school gym, and there were several kids before us. Since there was no curtain or anything, Atticus watched kid after kid sit down, briefly cry, and go about their business. He was all set to get shots when we arrived, but by his turn he was *freaking* out. It took three of us to hold him down, and since he moved when the nurse poked him he bled and bled. All over me and his shirt. The nurse was also freaking out a bit, and started just sticking band-aids on rather than applying pressure. Then I had to drag two screaming (Lu started screaming when she saw brother being held down) children back to the car which was around the entire building. I walked past a police officer carrying two kids under each arm and I'm surprised she didn't stop and question me.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1qNGSOEFIwyA1sauBjreSnJk4suxZf0E2qMXUJAPaxSDsDiSo8Y0kO6LttNKyqnQ_VsU_r_oll482vV67bZtZ_EdlJ5PV4a7OxjUYicdw0tW2X3294zy0SD92a1PHY7vopmLPiKTfc326/s1600/IMG_1279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1qNGSOEFIwyA1sauBjreSnJk4suxZf0E2qMXUJAPaxSDsDiSo8Y0kO6LttNKyqnQ_VsU_r_oll482vV67bZtZ_EdlJ5PV4a7OxjUYicdw0tW2X3294zy0SD92a1PHY7vopmLPiKTfc326/s1600/IMG_1279.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7QP_uoXND8bjNjhcj3_M7-uy_7uLSFPPvb-k5rEpuLWzVu7_AOYezWNl8WinOj9dNsoVJmmsv1BfrPQsWyMCxjl89BzdA6me8R9Z8JrT3JSHBhst5LpdCu-N_zWyr4QGn4E4JrHwHvJzf/s1600/IMG_1281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7QP_uoXND8bjNjhcj3_M7-uy_7uLSFPPvb-k5rEpuLWzVu7_AOYezWNl8WinOj9dNsoVJmmsv1BfrPQsWyMCxjl89BzdA6me8R9Z8JrT3JSHBhst5LpdCu-N_zWyr4QGn4E4JrHwHvJzf/s1600/IMG_1281.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Last week, we also discovered The Thinkery, or the Austin children's museum. It was huge and amazing, and we didn't even make it to the second floor!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3-ul3yhJX1mvIAtFvNBUk2rowmSQnvjtZ9zJuJndUzBumKtRL7Z6drDtqsOzWooIAcW0i2HTvSBdEszBAksp6KrdEAe3G_aXi9_ErQp6YQpcl7SD1ZLAZMd6aGMtG9jGBWF4pV4lNnU-R/s1600/IMG_1290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3-ul3yhJX1mvIAtFvNBUk2rowmSQnvjtZ9zJuJndUzBumKtRL7Z6drDtqsOzWooIAcW0i2HTvSBdEszBAksp6KrdEAe3G_aXi9_ErQp6YQpcl7SD1ZLAZMd6aGMtG9jGBWF4pV4lNnU-R/s1600/IMG_1290.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Wyi89fz4vH3H-ywN3bkGKfpY1xZwiQsCLRyHhRVMzFGAWjYjQxfK7pgowcnQUveMujxpjwRQK4bW7Llz-cXhSZlnTLfVqLzgG95N-L3DuH6kBNASs0XJevrAy898a183FKODx4YUnlFn/s1600/IMG_1291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Wyi89fz4vH3H-ywN3bkGKfpY1xZwiQsCLRyHhRVMzFGAWjYjQxfK7pgowcnQUveMujxpjwRQK4bW7Llz-cXhSZlnTLfVqLzgG95N-L3DuH6kBNASs0XJevrAy898a183FKODx4YUnlFn/s1600/IMG_1291.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Last Friday, Tim was one of the officiants at the Blessing of the Animals at the seminary. He looked ridiculous (but in a sexy kind of way...) in his alb.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnnYUE8lNVsZQUdc4YF6VGtLh_h6U61b5T-nksB3xpN65Z9VRWwLoDGpxBjlCQlzQwDMp_33x0c99zPMFrDwmWrVz598ddl8Q6xydbqYu7eIG9vxq1fCkLW_lzCVsxHKaz493Imf9FVb_N/s1600/IMG_1292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnnYUE8lNVsZQUdc4YF6VGtLh_h6U61b5T-nksB3xpN65Z9VRWwLoDGpxBjlCQlzQwDMp_33x0c99zPMFrDwmWrVz598ddl8Q6xydbqYu7eIG9vxq1fCkLW_lzCVsxHKaz493Imf9FVb_N/s1600/IMG_1292.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynh-TxzquGl0Y_Yy9Ck9bKDuwGJtKd4gXPwc7tZ9fs60YKLYLIRQBq2P46FttWgMFkpaQIXqhbUzHwYQrpK5GEzJjFFdyZFwmacuZHE5yPasWMTWeDE_wnwSVnrPf4OXwOCmiSMh-f4hn/s1600/IMG_1293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynh-TxzquGl0Y_Yy9Ck9bKDuwGJtKd4gXPwc7tZ9fs60YKLYLIRQBq2P46FttWgMFkpaQIXqhbUzHwYQrpK5GEzJjFFdyZFwmacuZHE5yPasWMTWeDE_wnwSVnrPf4OXwOCmiSMh-f4hn/s1600/IMG_1293.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7BNOhUfpGYR-UtCPewuYFWqCv7tQXnEtzF2ji7wiFw5ybTeTJeur6H0JGZ0jNYr6LULwh6aDgeLM08CkwPZi6hEdqOJ98inIPzC3h8oX5ZVss0bVAdKTKXuJs7p9BBIvxvMCQyxWi8St/s1600/IMG_1295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7BNOhUfpGYR-UtCPewuYFWqCv7tQXnEtzF2ji7wiFw5ybTeTJeur6H0JGZ0jNYr6LULwh6aDgeLM08CkwPZi6hEdqOJ98inIPzC3h8oX5ZVss0bVAdKTKXuJs7p9BBIvxvMCQyxWi8St/s1600/IMG_1295.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tallulah loved the animal part of the ceremony. And brought her cat on her dress.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Last Saturday, we joined up with fellow seminarians for the Keep Austin Beautiful campaign to clean up the creek that runs between the housing and the school buildings. Tallulah made it all of three minutes before she fell in and needed to go home for a warm bath, but Atticus helped the entire time and even won the award for coolest thing found (an electric razor). He won a gift certificate to a local REI-type store and bought build-your-own robot magnets.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKKBNYaUoi631accpzjtQw0GFYbZgAv8TWUVsW_p7VT6qOdTrVPDlwzaOoYn1uTVHNxA_4BH7CFYgfqCpq-bDcSiFKmngg7-1KRY3H4bNkfHmP9gHZIURo1zBY_-AjCiTRXXq3KPL3H1gX/s1600/IMG_2145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKKBNYaUoi631accpzjtQw0GFYbZgAv8TWUVsW_p7VT6qOdTrVPDlwzaOoYn1uTVHNxA_4BH7CFYgfqCpq-bDcSiFKmngg7-1KRY3H4bNkfHmP9gHZIURo1zBY_-AjCiTRXXq3KPL3H1gX/s1600/IMG_2145.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJ9u829GN5klI620So8V352P3qK6Q4J_nRPJi75B9FdIeoKj8E_cAolmhm1dVTA8vN1bhbJkcZ7tJK4WeLiPINfVnGUFEvS33wezIRjZp6CVocqAUk-hD4q9r7dnXc1uNxjqOTWgp_ODV/s1600/IMG_2148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJ9u829GN5klI620So8V352P3qK6Q4J_nRPJi75B9FdIeoKj8E_cAolmhm1dVTA8vN1bhbJkcZ7tJK4WeLiPINfVnGUFEvS33wezIRjZp6CVocqAUk-hD4q9r7dnXc1uNxjqOTWgp_ODV/s1600/IMG_2148.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCc3QlXCif_oNov2eMH7Ex-CuzPSimA3bD8OUrFhU7tZW7_ydEHfa6CzMc-rxCJhvbd21T8XlFj7NS2XXaB0q5CCzNFq6Orl9N76gXwVuiupi2UBmjnaen-PWR4y0jZCLvceJKlmVgYk7W/s1600/IMG_2150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCc3QlXCif_oNov2eMH7Ex-CuzPSimA3bD8OUrFhU7tZW7_ydEHfa6CzMc-rxCJhvbd21T8XlFj7NS2XXaB0q5CCzNFq6Orl9N76gXwVuiupi2UBmjnaen-PWR4y0jZCLvceJKlmVgYk7W/s1600/IMG_2150.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBcmOMXh0RaVLnMRDgxAMSmuUtDcplz2XYNT4yYX6m71w266d6LGctVN2WJkEJH5S2t80BzNZczhyphenhyphendh8PaQV6mD-13uYx6qYxs3NuSZ0TtDZrEZOKZDwGVcB47EYAmhdGloMbb_wukDc5i/s1600/IMG_2157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBcmOMXh0RaVLnMRDgxAMSmuUtDcplz2XYNT4yYX6m71w266d6LGctVN2WJkEJH5S2t80BzNZczhyphenhyphendh8PaQV6mD-13uYx6qYxs3NuSZ0TtDZrEZOKZDwGVcB47EYAmhdGloMbb_wukDc5i/s1600/IMG_2157.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Since the weather on Saturday was glorious, we went for a hike too.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2J2ZcuUMFynnp9X9bYVbHRmnXQGvYTw2Z58NR_8TWLlBcT7NvfZ1p1rM472vsMHpKoUs6juCwrWu4Vxh9JcI8lt_qhffty93fWe9FwNPBboouJ9tQNYHQbWqvX-WdZ1qGf4Mdv5E3OpO/s1600/IMG_2162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2J2ZcuUMFynnp9X9bYVbHRmnXQGvYTw2Z58NR_8TWLlBcT7NvfZ1p1rM472vsMHpKoUs6juCwrWu4Vxh9JcI8lt_qhffty93fWe9FwNPBboouJ9tQNYHQbWqvX-WdZ1qGf4Mdv5E3OpO/s1600/IMG_2162.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-loFsOHxWmkiFNBIFk21kmGyyEF7iOzROcD4vVNLOcvTNeqxeJ1VL5ewbBhhpZrRiYZrNQSYwXXJ0F3VtIgG4NCzghizrxiWGAjX9u1rcyoUBw_68Kt99Fo-uxwTBJKITtigBpihMukv/s1600/IMG_2164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-loFsOHxWmkiFNBIFk21kmGyyEF7iOzROcD4vVNLOcvTNeqxeJ1VL5ewbBhhpZrRiYZrNQSYwXXJ0F3VtIgG4NCzghizrxiWGAjX9u1rcyoUBw_68Kt99Fo-uxwTBJKITtigBpihMukv/s1600/IMG_2164.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is *supposed* to be a full creek.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTHdJk0VuiUq6xEx8CnbklPnVIDd18MEAt7GcTSghVVJuFqeW5-uf7j5WC2_d650L_z0wM79KCkKqW5fL8cM1Jq-Smgmdv5cAj95oeWoSALgExuD5eDOWJ-0kScRTzQ61A4x3CEGKC_kQ8/s1600/IMG_2168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTHdJk0VuiUq6xEx8CnbklPnVIDd18MEAt7GcTSghVVJuFqeW5-uf7j5WC2_d650L_z0wM79KCkKqW5fL8cM1Jq-Smgmdv5cAj95oeWoSALgExuD5eDOWJ-0kScRTzQ61A4x3CEGKC_kQ8/s1600/IMG_2168.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfcj21bnTKGI1rScP0s2lOwM18Jixnv5chpdERApBnhFuDAk6rL1K4mcPqT6DlnpQi105yKb7nudm2UY7InliT6WxpIS2hcGrtd52rzJZZJxl0a26HIg1FjLNylThiAwHQtE3kWf05wHk/s1600/IMG_2169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfcj21bnTKGI1rScP0s2lOwM18Jixnv5chpdERApBnhFuDAk6rL1K4mcPqT6DlnpQi105yKb7nudm2UY7InliT6WxpIS2hcGrtd52rzJZZJxl0a26HIg1FjLNylThiAwHQtE3kWf05wHk/s1600/IMG_2169.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
In other news, I got a job! Tim got a job too, as the "Assistant to the Faculty" at the seminary which means he sits at a desk and does homework, and occasionally makes copies or scans book chapters. I got a position as "digital advocate" at the National Domestic Violence Hotline (thehotline.org). I'll be answering the incoming chats, counseling, providing referrals, etc. I'm excited to begin, though I have another week before we even start training, and then two weeks of training after that. I am going to be working evenings/nights so we won't have to pay for childcare which is great for now. We are still hoping Tallulah gets into the co-op preschool down the street but no luck yet. We've been going to a lot of unschoolers activities and have made some neat friends. Life is good.<br />
<br />
<span id="goog_113384769"></span><span id="goog_113384770"></span><br /></div>
Caitlin Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417848115673458546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-39925374935632388192014-10-22T09:36:00.000-06:002014-10-22T09:36:03.687-06:00Urban homesteading: Vermiculture<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have been obsessed with the notion of urban homesteading for awhile now. I love living around people, but I also love the idea of growing my own food, keeping chickens, having a few pet goats, bee-keeping, composting, etc. (want to learn more in a very readable, simple book? Check out <a href="http://littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/">Little House in the Suburbs</a>). When I found out that the city of Austin offers a $75 rebate for the purchase of a home composter, how could I not?<br />
<br />
After doing a little (ok, A LOT) of research, I found that keeping a large compost bin outside would be not plausible for us for a few reasons. Most compost bins need three parts browns (leaves, yard waste) to one part greens (food waste) and we have a lot more food waste and it would be hard for us to gather yard waste. The seminary is planning on doing composting at the main buildings, but they will be having it hauled away. I want to make my own for my future garden that is not yet in existence but will be in a few weeks (Texas! Year-round growing season!!) I realized that in a small space without our "own" yard I would need to do vermicomposting. If you don't want that means, it means: worms! Thousands of worms, living with us! Well, they were living with us inside for a while, until some roaches came, and now the bin has been relegated to a shady spot on our back "porch"... They can't be hotter than 80 degrees, so in the summer we'll bring them in and try to figure out how to keep the unpleasanter species out.<br />
<br />
I love them. I never thought it was weird for people to love their red wriggler composting worms, but wasn't sure how I would love these worms. And let me tell you, I am in love with this whole vermiculture thing. They are so fun. The kids love having 1,000 (or maybe more now) worms hanging out on our back porch and ask every chance they get to "check on them." I love that I get to feed them my kitchen scraps (mostly veggie peels and carbs, no fats/onions/meat/citrus, I have learned). I have attempted on multiple occasions to compost (hauling our rotten food to the campus bins at UW, throwing them on the piles at the gardens, etc.) but all my efforts have been fairly unsustainable. Walking a mile with a bucket of food waste (or bringing it on the bus!) when it's 10 degrees outside makes throwing it the garbage seem a heck of a lot easier. And this is easy. All I have to do it chop up our banana peels, throw in the coffee groups, the egg shells, the carrot peels. I keep it in a bucket on the counter and then at the end of the day empty it into the worms' home. I was afraid we'd kill them, having no experience with worms but it seems almost fool-proof. The container came with supplies to make bedding, you throw it in, keep it wet and order some worms online. They arrive, you dump them in, pour some water, and start adding food. Easy enough for the kids to do. While we don't have any "results" yet -- it takes a few months for compost to mature, I have a feeling it will just get easier, and so far the worms appear to be thriving in their new home. I love that my kids are thriving learning about nature and natural processes and reducing their footprint by not throwing away perfectly good banana peels.<br />
<br />
I am thrilled that I live in a progressive city that pays its residents to compost! You can also order a cheaper, super tiny trash can, which we have done but hasn't arrived yet. They also have a program to reimburse for rain barrels, my next endeavor.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc6ZSNbtXrph2FOgds0sIEifXw-w7MOicrFvPEXcBV3xWJAfWNOB_l-S0v6L4ifqCA2ufXs6lExiR_iVpGdh9TNt3A-cEnyZ67DIunyidxw3V8x0khhR1V6OeKeNDy43OtOJnH5REqhIVi/s1600/IMG_0155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc6ZSNbtXrph2FOgds0sIEifXw-w7MOicrFvPEXcBV3xWJAfWNOB_l-S0v6L4ifqCA2ufXs6lExiR_iVpGdh9TNt3A-cEnyZ67DIunyidxw3V8x0khhR1V6OeKeNDy43OtOJnH5REqhIVi/s1600/IMG_0155.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkp-TjeGJ1xTICWRaVcrgm53Delm2XmemnO3d8wcOTsfvZJ2pPXEYnmvvD-5Hc0o2qCykbs7Qr7DyA-aO8QuNol8df3IvcR7BwkjtIcB0Aop6Ki86v-or_xVdfVz0JjlFwfojDB12_gm0g/s1600/IMG_0156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkp-TjeGJ1xTICWRaVcrgm53Delm2XmemnO3d8wcOTsfvZJ2pPXEYnmvvD-5Hc0o2qCykbs7Qr7DyA-aO8QuNol8df3IvcR7BwkjtIcB0Aop6Ki86v-or_xVdfVz0JjlFwfojDB12_gm0g/s1600/IMG_0156.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQ7m_A4Qbscz6JHAzTMTI9utH47Vlp0FrfFB4B9xrMICU0Hmc_G8a9OfYAsIGQKsR7SJWW8FnvzYUMvP0OkUlJRmryTitakZ1lbaWLmYBYF7GtscQoIa7GUfZKgwn6R7sTbLa4yRu35H0/s1600/IMG_0157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQ7m_A4Qbscz6JHAzTMTI9utH47Vlp0FrfFB4B9xrMICU0Hmc_G8a9OfYAsIGQKsR7SJWW8FnvzYUMvP0OkUlJRmryTitakZ1lbaWLmYBYF7GtscQoIa7GUfZKgwn6R7sTbLa4yRu35H0/s1600/IMG_0157.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3OEj8rRLBwVgr7WhqIqbpOBcE8gBTdbtlhfQMabz7jhaSOaQ4V68H2eaFJ465eKWGIB_Vfk5CHZJuPQRS1evlT43hH8r9liGKYuuQBi_KC76vK7XF7yz-FNU21jZwek0K493-azwDtSh/s1600/IMG_0158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3OEj8rRLBwVgr7WhqIqbpOBcE8gBTdbtlhfQMabz7jhaSOaQ4V68H2eaFJ465eKWGIB_Vfk5CHZJuPQRS1evlT43hH8r9liGKYuuQBi_KC76vK7XF7yz-FNU21jZwek0K493-azwDtSh/s1600/IMG_0158.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZd-ImtRzgzkBT6eurVUAYk-Tii86Uyj7iG1Wn4gMHMVQGj4P2bOZteckTxIMu8_cWK4xY81bGUJILbSItfV7wR8mp6IQSDP4Pv0mnoe3YhP13PINr3KLoWIjoANFddXwea2u-R-OXM1FH/s1600/IMG_0160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZd-ImtRzgzkBT6eurVUAYk-Tii86Uyj7iG1Wn4gMHMVQGj4P2bOZteckTxIMu8_cWK4xY81bGUJILbSItfV7wR8mp6IQSDP4Pv0mnoe3YhP13PINr3KLoWIjoANFddXwea2u-R-OXM1FH/s1600/IMG_0160.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6uPXbomofQDrZNMhudX_yuIuGDN6Oji5meR21jVUuL16UOAKJi2xuBWW1qCiUuU2DaD-6D_89l_jzdCKFx6v9H8dvy75fuPapTZL0NyI4Cq0XLnEPm3obB0gg3tJPYhdObBOPsQ_nHL1V/s1600/IMG_0161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6uPXbomofQDrZNMhudX_yuIuGDN6Oji5meR21jVUuL16UOAKJi2xuBWW1qCiUuU2DaD-6D_89l_jzdCKFx6v9H8dvy75fuPapTZL0NyI4Cq0XLnEPm3obB0gg3tJPYhdObBOPsQ_nHL1V/s1600/IMG_0161.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Caitlin Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417848115673458546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-36057230411439894592014-10-13T11:32:00.003-06:002014-10-13T11:33:47.725-06:00Seminary so far<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've been a little hesitant to write about seminary, because, honestly it's been going so well and I felt bad, because I knew Cait was having a hard time. That's been one of the biggest challenges so far, for sure, Cait staying home full time for the first time. I was even hesitant about coming at all, because I didn't want it to seem, or be, that I gave Cait her little chance at school, and now it is time to get serious about my career. Hopefully, the reality is that we are simply continuing to share time at home and time away from home, shifting roles more or less smoothly as we look for good opportunities for our family. But now Cait is in a better place, she has a job, she's making friends, so I can now feel better about talking about seminary.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4KaPOUN_9C9FvAiObGYwUN-9mULMhqH79rTl23uW0nwyXofIZ8CBM3KISQxOfbjDQBYIGUeVAPVJF1BW8uM2E_fwnzAwPTF1UDQQoGoOFjfT_4eSenhY9fDt87ouwQL3huOjUtJbOxoq/s1600/IMG_1222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4KaPOUN_9C9FvAiObGYwUN-9mULMhqH79rTl23uW0nwyXofIZ8CBM3KISQxOfbjDQBYIGUeVAPVJF1BW8uM2E_fwnzAwPTF1UDQQoGoOFjfT_4eSenhY9fDt87ouwQL3huOjUtJbOxoq/s1600/IMG_1222.JPG" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
I am having a great time. Yes, I am sick of talking about the trinity. No, I'm not a huge fan of Calvin. But I am still having a great time. I am almost always excited to go to school, which was rarely true during my undergrad. I love the commute just walking across a bridge to get to school. I love the quality of the discussion in almost all my classes. I am finding some great activities and groups to be a part of here. And most of all, I've found some really great friends.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXyZ3sra-jrX69kg_9On2th91nthAkW-U_kY2COAiqMxkViqSs4OYuZGNgLrkexCf0UhtLnEJ4u4xU21DwtqWNyyj1OfECc4lAfcLwxY3k2VT2c1oTWpuRMFqaG1czq0q-966UHzJoGo4r/s1600/IMG_0035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXyZ3sra-jrX69kg_9On2th91nthAkW-U_kY2COAiqMxkViqSs4OYuZGNgLrkexCf0UhtLnEJ4u4xU21DwtqWNyyj1OfECc4lAfcLwxY3k2VT2c1oTWpuRMFqaG1czq0q-966UHzJoGo4r/s1600/IMG_0035.JPG" height="440" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
The biggest part of my choosing to go to seminary here in Austin over Starr King in Berkeley was how much cheaper it was going to be here. The second biggest part though, was the community that they seemed to have here. I saw part of it when I came out here for discovery weekend, both in the students that were in school and the people who were with me during the weekend. These are my kind of people. Some are very much like me in terms of personality, politics, sense of humor, and--dare I say it--religion. But others are not. What we all have in common, though, is that we are interested in getting at the big questions, and doing so in community.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKwfmQ5ePEOz7W86cweQ0l0X9vgCoOiOUd8JihcPDK03O_mg6LN1OosMjTeZXa155lFRzEVN7svT7W1GfegBHja8yWvUHDV6jg9yPXTI-GS5gR6IUyPKCAWcKhljjKSJXh1SCFLT9gv6U/s1600/IMG_2086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKwfmQ5ePEOz7W86cweQ0l0X9vgCoOiOUd8JihcPDK03O_mg6LN1OosMjTeZXa155lFRzEVN7svT7W1GfegBHja8yWvUHDV6jg9yPXTI-GS5gR6IUyPKCAWcKhljjKSJXh1SCFLT9gv6U/s1600/IMG_2086.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Cait has asked me a few times why I am so happy here. It's been hard to pin down exactly, but I think I've got it: I feel authentic. I've had good friends before and a stimulating intellectual environment before. And I do spend a lot of my time on ideas that aren't really important or moving to me, like trinity or scriptural inerrancy. But amid all that, there is plenty of room to be myself, to have my voice heard, respected and even, at times, sought out. I was steeped in the bible and religion enough growing up to have something to say on most topics, and my faith journey has taken me on enough twists that I can sometimes have a meaningfully different opinion on some issues.<br />
<br />
The balance has been tough though. I don't believe in God, but I believe that the concept of God is a very important placeholder for or conception of a lot of really important ideas of eternity, creation, sacredness, interrelation, etc. And I am certainly not out to take down anyone else's belief in God. So I have to be careful about being respectful of the common language that we are using to speak of things, and still being honest about what I believe. Mostly I do this by asking questions, not making statements, especially in class and saving my own statements of faith, or lack thereof, for safer or more open spaces.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7cs0BLeQ-fE/VDcqFFAm9MI/AAAAAAAAJZ8/fTuPnMKGVRc/w512-h685-n-o/IMG_1292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7cs0BLeQ-fE/VDcqFFAm9MI/AAAAAAAAJZ8/fTuPnMKGVRc/w512-h685-n-o/IMG_1292.jpg" height="640" width="476" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here at seminary, I don't have to be constantly justifying my fascination with religious topics to irreligious people or my lack of firm beliefs to firmly religious people. There's a definite recognition and respect for the religious journey of each person.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As far as the day to day goes, I now split my time between working as one of three assistants to the faculty, doing secretarial work (with a good amount of time left over for homework) and my four classes (Hebrew, Old Testament, Church History and Theology). To be honest, it doesn't feel all that different from BYU, when, with my Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic degree, my semesters were often full of classes of language and religion, whether on Islam or Mormon topics. They are easing us into the academic rigor of the program with shorter papers and traditional tests this first year. The papers will get longer and more frequent and the tests will disappear, as far as I understand it, in the next year. I am on a couple of committees, including the Library committee, the Corpus Christi eco-justice team, and a member of the Queer Alliance. Cait and I are also taking a sex ed class from one of our <a href="http://www.uua.org/re/owl/">OWL</a>-certified fellow seminarians, which has been great.The rest of my times is hanging out with the kids, doing the dishes and trying to convince my fellow seminarians to come over and watch netflix shows with us or going to one of the local hangouts with them after classes.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXhSg_tofavKBURh_9MAWRdAUjuq8wz6Piql1YGLcKdoR0sVy3mqQtt95tQCPR9aOsYL1crchJ-m3acI_3f7CEeZniolo-tEIKYLx2uHpY17_cn0UVbgq70zfbcg9KwEzDYvIS463Livc7/s1600/IMG_1294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXhSg_tofavKBURh_9MAWRdAUjuq8wz6Piql1YGLcKdoR0sVy3mqQtt95tQCPR9aOsYL1crchJ-m3acI_3f7CEeZniolo-tEIKYLx2uHpY17_cn0UVbgq70zfbcg9KwEzDYvIS463Livc7/s1600/IMG_1294.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Helping lead the Blessing of the Animal Service with Corpus Christi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Right now we are on a week of fall break, which is awesome, after having finished most of our midterms, including a couple of papers. So I am resetting for the rest of the semester, trying to get ahead on some of the readings again and thinking about final papers. Classes here only run until the Monday after Thanksgiving, so the semester will be wrapping up before we know it.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMzrDJfExQzl_gdsxHt-iDm2WnTG6e1xWIMs2CMefQ6_356vhrWqOYeTouhSkCQG7UjYGUsW399DJ3dNXZ90klscR4dWCm6HEH3K2YgOFG8e5QJpriYabi4XUE6MDV0SC9f3jPos199dK/s1600/IMG_2733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMzrDJfExQzl_gdsxHt-iDm2WnTG6e1xWIMs2CMefQ6_356vhrWqOYeTouhSkCQG7UjYGUsW399DJ3dNXZ90klscR4dWCm6HEH3K2YgOFG8e5QJpriYabi4XUE6MDV0SC9f3jPos199dK/s1600/IMG_2733.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Study desk with books</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There's lots more I could say about seminary, obviously, and I probably will. But I wanted to get this first post out of the way, so that at least I've said something. Come down and visit, we've got an office/spare bedroom that is quite cozy. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4g4-QzrTrt3OkWqh6ERgFmA4AjJxNHSWbSPX5IGS_BqXg7AejTZ7Vj6FvVgXNSvmJBYZROEWGkWNxR8JYp6Rew9i5IXLrCvE3uZRlzg3LdWXEZ9qimflSkoF_FUTvj2vyAw_Po_OE6a1_/s1600/IMG_1221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4g4-QzrTrt3OkWqh6ERgFmA4AjJxNHSWbSPX5IGS_BqXg7AejTZ7Vj6FvVgXNSvmJBYZROEWGkWNxR8JYp6Rew9i5IXLrCvE3uZRlzg3LdWXEZ9qimflSkoF_FUTvj2vyAw_Po_OE6a1_/s1600/IMG_1221.JPG" height="640" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First day of school</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999429103487593176noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-11060442876631875132014-10-02T21:10:00.000-06:002014-10-02T21:10:00.587-06:00Atticus's Star Wars Ballet Party<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
What's the best party when you are turning 5? Inviting all of your parents' child-free friends over and getting way too many awesome gifts!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMDkS4UfoPSyZcdrD-ilxTSE1lYJLvpoV8akfgbWoc0GBS6TVbI5_rgZqETi4j2tRZLfJ2FVzPOLnStIJpJ2_fNf-TuhHVe6oD8678_c4r-X2GzsNnpskkc7CGO83Rnvki7JNjkSyaxZqy/s1600/IMG_0028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMDkS4UfoPSyZcdrD-ilxTSE1lYJLvpoV8akfgbWoc0GBS6TVbI5_rgZqETi4j2tRZLfJ2FVzPOLnStIJpJ2_fNf-TuhHVe6oD8678_c4r-X2GzsNnpskkc7CGO83Rnvki7JNjkSyaxZqy/s1600/IMG_0028.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkr229CEeHc0A2KqlStLDhh63UUj6lL7kknRePMJETVjWlOouVtyuToTGetgLJjR0a_k7ai3GibSDe1bNswQ5Ok_2R3RXCQFh3esCjy26zRWGn5salpJCq_2A8G3K6HybP_BR8EjK5wY7/s1600/IMG_0030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkr229CEeHc0A2KqlStLDhh63UUj6lL7kknRePMJETVjWlOouVtyuToTGetgLJjR0a_k7ai3GibSDe1bNswQ5Ok_2R3RXCQFh3esCjy26zRWGn5salpJCq_2A8G3K6HybP_BR8EjK5wY7/s1600/IMG_0030.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYk3kjPaAb73sXKbRhGiYgu-KkqLUmoqPesPx7hzm2VqWA5Bw8Au3D81SsRi1CsKN5Nofn5-MSn1QsHlG_Y0X7_t78rKtzkC96IRbLy1LFxreHLSgsS3223C5qdrWogu9r4mc_QVrdKQz/s1600/IMG_0031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYk3kjPaAb73sXKbRhGiYgu-KkqLUmoqPesPx7hzm2VqWA5Bw8Au3D81SsRi1CsKN5Nofn5-MSn1QsHlG_Y0X7_t78rKtzkC96IRbLy1LFxreHLSgsS3223C5qdrWogu9r4mc_QVrdKQz/s1600/IMG_0031.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF22L1AUVKdUqPnnxqOs8bNue4xkmq1UJ15xrUKyRLyRN3MGVHBuEmPeDfv0YWKmUIQrRYLxs6-WcXKERUCZTPuf1Mw1iek02GJ863A7nBO-pTTnP8Ohw3w6E-hdqMewtU6K09Lrv0BZyH/s1600/IMG_0032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF22L1AUVKdUqPnnxqOs8bNue4xkmq1UJ15xrUKyRLyRN3MGVHBuEmPeDfv0YWKmUIQrRYLxs6-WcXKERUCZTPuf1Mw1iek02GJ863A7nBO-pTTnP8Ohw3w6E-hdqMewtU6K09Lrv0BZyH/s1600/IMG_0032.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWwF0bHBs0yEMUEEbChd8CrYFYkiJ_9vOLx2Gn4UTFRtiANdgGNmOjX2x7tjOhkMlUT4Nx9YDFVwkoD63Qys763Hmamf1dAmBamfd1xuI234pkA4KOF36DS0bd_HvHcVmHg0JWsZG6ubvk/s1600/IMG_0034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWwF0bHBs0yEMUEEbChd8CrYFYkiJ_9vOLx2Gn4UTFRtiANdgGNmOjX2x7tjOhkMlUT4Nx9YDFVwkoD63Qys763Hmamf1dAmBamfd1xuI234pkA4KOF36DS0bd_HvHcVmHg0JWsZG6ubvk/s1600/IMG_0034.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9pUDe87Np3YMHSTmwU2QrZel1ehKv_TzS9CHfZE77yfa5Ou2zKkTCZV3vCT2icXQSh7Ol6iJ62Eb9CjbH8QoI_1iE0r7Fd1nQHoO-hioEh0C7i9BCZw_OiCyKJAkatnhCqyiYiY9vZKJY/s1600/IMG_0035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9pUDe87Np3YMHSTmwU2QrZel1ehKv_TzS9CHfZE77yfa5Ou2zKkTCZV3vCT2icXQSh7Ol6iJ62Eb9CjbH8QoI_1iE0r7Fd1nQHoO-hioEh0C7i9BCZw_OiCyKJAkatnhCqyiYiY9vZKJY/s1600/IMG_0035.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Caitlin Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417848115673458546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-18080379392738567392014-09-30T21:02:00.000-06:002014-09-30T21:02:00.523-06:00I guess we live in Texas now<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjAIp7kAX-iniRdzZHqhi8LRb-8-xgBVxE9YgyGaxfusk4At5bo0CsmXV0Gj5zhz3iIH_qWoQe7Cw91IG6tgAnmcFzeD7hxibiy9zyXLP8m63hUse_DhxvEMcgqrWQH96qa3vNEW_uWcI/s1600/DSCF2764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjAIp7kAX-iniRdzZHqhi8LRb-8-xgBVxE9YgyGaxfusk4At5bo0CsmXV0Gj5zhz3iIH_qWoQe7Cw91IG6tgAnmcFzeD7hxibiy9zyXLP8m63hUse_DhxvEMcgqrWQH96qa3vNEW_uWcI/s1600/DSCF2764.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swimming at the end of September? I'll take it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Agk9mioU-KV0OD7ZdwEe6OCYnYWus3DwwTeUPDFHHsZh2grO3zEdyLcvcGyBjPrIt6I1qNSfcctxlTJjPqccJyPwXsyyRmBhWa5NgAXGR_ck0M7tHxRwhRCovrbGwrvcajGrjtWkAF5c/s1600/DSCF2784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Agk9mioU-KV0OD7ZdwEe6OCYnYWus3DwwTeUPDFHHsZh2grO3zEdyLcvcGyBjPrIt6I1qNSfcctxlTJjPqccJyPwXsyyRmBhWa5NgAXGR_ck0M7tHxRwhRCovrbGwrvcajGrjtWkAF5c/s1600/DSCF2784.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photography by Atticus.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aq_Mkd80dKpxeJ7YhrqN0Mg_Hzua06GX_w20F0obp-93if5SqSG8jAT5LxAF5PxRYa5j0-IKqCsB6aqsR4st3SnakkM5JffRMyjQ6Vi79adQLJU_FU5EmmQvgWj283Jm4h83QNKqQn-B/s1600/DSCF2792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aq_Mkd80dKpxeJ7YhrqN0Mg_Hzua06GX_w20F0obp-93if5SqSG8jAT5LxAF5PxRYa5j0-IKqCsB6aqsR4st3SnakkM5JffRMyjQ6Vi79adQLJU_FU5EmmQvgWj283Jm4h83QNKqQn-B/s1600/DSCF2792.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip1eZIISaxnlXPKvjgFwZhnqeIQ62BJlL-BgArvog-KWOL_WUpaqkKm7CpvvSQym9mzrARaTUadZiwWEejd8lCShegrOEJadXvRF6oeMk9Lfn1uc2wBkcgnrz_983M5V5Kwtkj2qaXjgTz/s1600/IMG_1245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip1eZIISaxnlXPKvjgFwZhnqeIQ62BJlL-BgArvog-KWOL_WUpaqkKm7CpvvSQym9mzrARaTUadZiwWEejd8lCShegrOEJadXvRF6oeMk9Lfn1uc2wBkcgnrz_983M5V5Kwtkj2qaXjgTz/s1600/IMG_1245.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsy9aTR3pykjSu_U7939TNFpHaH7ROzWRm6SRClq7SrM2licxMTtraORm-UuqKcwK8YNDo1tzXgftqHAmxSlYnHX7rPW9-cmx_T8w0g9VMzOOJYEj1rxeV4bol9cYCwGI8-1-9nIWffl7/s1600/IMG_1250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsy9aTR3pykjSu_U7939TNFpHaH7ROzWRm6SRClq7SrM2licxMTtraORm-UuqKcwK8YNDo1tzXgftqHAmxSlYnHX7rPW9-cmx_T8w0g9VMzOOJYEj1rxeV4bol9cYCwGI8-1-9nIWffl7/s1600/IMG_1250.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKD0ORKRDLVlMOIol35Ase8QViceer5ZN-8mdvNUz6B3yBupIEHiczqzr0ra-XLbDxQPaeh3NEv5TCZ1_pEjtyAQo-CAkwoCwrszgVIvG7x9yZA5vl1KhYRyjd4abqlK-Z_krYhMTkWRbj/s1600/IMG_1257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKD0ORKRDLVlMOIol35Ase8QViceer5ZN-8mdvNUz6B3yBupIEHiczqzr0ra-XLbDxQPaeh3NEv5TCZ1_pEjtyAQo-CAkwoCwrszgVIvG7x9yZA5vl1KhYRyjd4abqlK-Z_krYhMTkWRbj/s1600/IMG_1257.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGg_3hysx8u8qWNAdeH-gpGWdXMlgPcfjYLhR6EJaw6pxWwoAOvDbBAoCo6lcuDMU4LYQwIqxTfqXtKqONKB9GqipVZ3xA8mevaPsMDdW1BT-d9CcOz8Y4E12FXzHV1rdnkJIviqw6dseU/s1600/IMG_1258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGg_3hysx8u8qWNAdeH-gpGWdXMlgPcfjYLhR6EJaw6pxWwoAOvDbBAoCo6lcuDMU4LYQwIqxTfqXtKqONKB9GqipVZ3xA8mevaPsMDdW1BT-d9CcOz8Y4E12FXzHV1rdnkJIviqw6dseU/s1600/IMG_1258.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anniversary dinner!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ncWNbjsZQONBYLhj40__epus1ymZ5XIC8VaTZORpW_dShTLxDPV0gonMAJzax36NqxczlOe_rYqpkNs462tdyZ8qiIIcIWb5TexwDpYEFpjSob-7l3t9iRSxG85mdQHTpF4_Bddgpu-A/s1600/IMG_1261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ncWNbjsZQONBYLhj40__epus1ymZ5XIC8VaTZORpW_dShTLxDPV0gonMAJzax36NqxczlOe_rYqpkNs462tdyZ8qiIIcIWb5TexwDpYEFpjSob-7l3t9iRSxG85mdQHTpF4_Bddgpu-A/s1600/IMG_1261.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfSfQk0BQOqCpXN5jIi634Gx1sIPRz8aKp6FKA63DBNSPMK3ln1orS9nonA8msfnotZtSwt2-YNLO2uj-OrhIDmynXHAipxrdVOf3s6-Xq0Qe5vjC_m8iKBaMPhYrcjCVhNyOdey9sdEVX/s1600/IMG_1269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfSfQk0BQOqCpXN5jIi634Gx1sIPRz8aKp6FKA63DBNSPMK3ln1orS9nonA8msfnotZtSwt2-YNLO2uj-OrhIDmynXHAipxrdVOf3s6-Xq0Qe5vjC_m8iKBaMPhYrcjCVhNyOdey9sdEVX/s1600/IMG_1269.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gay pride festival.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPhAOoT6WlmSwD3JbO8fY7MmnMs9ekmGJD1KZJCrJLI3g20_zpnHnQsjLLgQkBDfloxtYD0G3vsrhVYsh4gOrpgRNOzzcQesV4-vqvM0AqeKu8PqBZ50wr9pvno1WXYF-5LzYs9TMDSVP/s1600/IMG_1271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPhAOoT6WlmSwD3JbO8fY7MmnMs9ekmGJD1KZJCrJLI3g20_zpnHnQsjLLgQkBDfloxtYD0G3vsrhVYsh4gOrpgRNOzzcQesV4-vqvM0AqeKu8PqBZ50wr9pvno1WXYF-5LzYs9TMDSVP/s1600/IMG_1271.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQXXHR7tWkoAuTQPD6dyocKgC7hKHEv_H4K5J0tyN6vL48dbjujEeEDrffrGmotYEdhePurWGPu3_wQYVpuHmdSQ_A9hqZDUDZicc2PeVpwbvgG4T5o7YVyAZk4nBa03qr-D7uZv9gUC8/s1600/IMG_1272.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQXXHR7tWkoAuTQPD6dyocKgC7hKHEv_H4K5J0tyN6vL48dbjujEeEDrffrGmotYEdhePurWGPu3_wQYVpuHmdSQ_A9hqZDUDZicc2PeVpwbvgG4T5o7YVyAZk4nBa03qr-D7uZv9gUC8/s1600/IMG_1272.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5clIls4wbXmF9Py4VJQ9R5fxTA2uHHQBqABmpHPkEZBGsCe_TF_1n3_9yMD682IDsU-NAuQuJwEYZEH8cLf0sYzA5A5kMi1EhlICe_Ej68j24FQYrdbXYyTH1zy5XgPEEn2WxIc8EDKZ-/s1600/IMG_2101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5clIls4wbXmF9Py4VJQ9R5fxTA2uHHQBqABmpHPkEZBGsCe_TF_1n3_9yMD682IDsU-NAuQuJwEYZEH8cLf0sYzA5A5kMi1EhlICe_Ej68j24FQYrdbXYyTH1zy5XgPEEn2WxIc8EDKZ-/s1600/IMG_2101.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbfRxWrJlI8dQVZW8E0jk2X4hzinLoZwd6NCRqG4YDfqGmPp9ecGxZ7tRXUUdGpr_rNqU__oO26aaFGdKrUd_-BULrRjETAOJIoxtqpVhTVs9V-39PHlOBuCjsgBtplkgy2Ht8wNpummf/s1600/IMG_2118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbfRxWrJlI8dQVZW8E0jk2X4hzinLoZwd6NCRqG4YDfqGmPp9ecGxZ7tRXUUdGpr_rNqU__oO26aaFGdKrUd_-BULrRjETAOJIoxtqpVhTVs9V-39PHlOBuCjsgBtplkgy2Ht8wNpummf/s1600/IMG_2118.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2hBTWYAHIlP8pO87Ki5a_s9baZT4KpjfFsCqIgCPcpAWTkUytKqHQb73ofyPLAtq-EDNH67FdqqezYhsZ7BWVO2zEHfw28Rrtv9hvSJ32M0C8CNt5g2tQi0_ceqSxhiRTSxGZiqiGXKV/s1600/IMG_2127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2hBTWYAHIlP8pO87Ki5a_s9baZT4KpjfFsCqIgCPcpAWTkUytKqHQb73ofyPLAtq-EDNH67FdqqezYhsZ7BWVO2zEHfw28Rrtv9hvSJ32M0C8CNt5g2tQi0_ceqSxhiRTSxGZiqiGXKV/s1600/IMG_2127.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitPq1V1hA-6eDwQkaoKhndxwRoHRQlQLDu6_QTD7-ad4ZGh0mTIKa7P-394QUuXnvlH2lc058Hy6m6-OmU3XgQWvMAnyLNpT6BXgSrC5NPH7kJDXQikPssn77qjd5BinL8yPDg0_BSu9Bj/s1600/IMG_2130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitPq1V1hA-6eDwQkaoKhndxwRoHRQlQLDu6_QTD7-ad4ZGh0mTIKa7P-394QUuXnvlH2lc058Hy6m6-OmU3XgQWvMAnyLNpT6BXgSrC5NPH7kJDXQikPssn77qjd5BinL8yPDg0_BSu9Bj/s1600/IMG_2130.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYLJZ5uGB2i7oX9rDlNhlTASCdI1pR1_AasXIYxuH2Kz-uU3YcbHynYM3PuO3iEZrmPzd3dwAJ-v9ZXErIAjtvc_DIHRWRJN4PVvUFTlI4Dsmr5j26t9W9aWxohu-cgH3zAwNalwimvJy/s1600/IMG_2131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYLJZ5uGB2i7oX9rDlNhlTASCdI1pR1_AasXIYxuH2Kz-uU3YcbHynYM3PuO3iEZrmPzd3dwAJ-v9ZXErIAjtvc_DIHRWRJN4PVvUFTlI4Dsmr5j26t9W9aWxohu-cgH3zAwNalwimvJy/s1600/IMG_2131.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Caitlin Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417848115673458546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-85819939715774198092014-09-19T18:38:00.000-06:002014-09-19T18:38:00.056-06:00Getting married again... why not?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before we left Wisconsin, we decided to renew our vows at FUS in the Landmark Auditorium on Tim's birthday and a month shy of our 6th wedding anniversary, which is tomorrow. We had come to see the meetinghouse as our second home, and wanted to renew our commitment to one another in our new faith tradition especially since our previous marriage covenants had been made "null and void" as we were told when we left the Mormon church.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was a lovely experience, well-attended by our dear friends whom we hold so close to our hearts and officiated by our favorite minister Rev. Kelly Crocker.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNeTnIKCx54YcXY8UfHXbKs67i9uaBA9y4xP6impGyJIsjeLhGpRjHGXmuhWyjtUNTsi9E1HMX1SXp4cpMmcSuljgwkVWst63vSlnsegfu-Q_eoa6ucndxbCURtULJoudmQc3buhwN9Xzv/s1600/IMG_0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNeTnIKCx54YcXY8UfHXbKs67i9uaBA9y4xP6impGyJIsjeLhGpRjHGXmuhWyjtUNTsi9E1HMX1SXp4cpMmcSuljgwkVWst63vSlnsegfu-Q_eoa6ucndxbCURtULJoudmQc3buhwN9Xzv/s1600/IMG_0005.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5GZHSbil9UUDnSGtqWyvsOdn1dBh9uf4lR23rBZvNFEkMr_ENLBSz3UUeIfstFkJlZ-pzObwN1HolEb3Ofq642x3Ado9a4CUScOwAvG-gFWG8eTBVa96mjMO0vJoH4nbd125xX57Udrh5/s1600/IMG_0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5GZHSbil9UUDnSGtqWyvsOdn1dBh9uf4lR23rBZvNFEkMr_ENLBSz3UUeIfstFkJlZ-pzObwN1HolEb3Ofq642x3Ado9a4CUScOwAvG-gFWG8eTBVa96mjMO0vJoH4nbd125xX57Udrh5/s1600/IMG_0006.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Atticus and Donovan played iPad together.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIWUdvuKWbUXllo4QG3L0aYwdyETF6B7VQLDhGCbpw_GIRpmkcDaE_R3akvyuIW1sdYME4TR5DsJI0R239kcYTQ4_qbYSBeHps0np5Ng8SJ4zQCHjDQY2dnDkSr3hg2_cYB12AJdtcrmlt/s1600/IMG_0007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIWUdvuKWbUXllo4QG3L0aYwdyETF6B7VQLDhGCbpw_GIRpmkcDaE_R3akvyuIW1sdYME4TR5DsJI0R239kcYTQ4_qbYSBeHps0np5Ng8SJ4zQCHjDQY2dnDkSr3hg2_cYB12AJdtcrmlt/s1600/IMG_0007.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgWTOnnjsgGKxMmHenNZ0QOXMtyi7Z-obK6jdWP0BSzbgtyd5WOFRVdzZVFePEGxdmQVzHlCjKVkGsWXkEUgPH-Dud2X0W52426C7-ASOwI26TbNRDA2gnQix_YCVpXhXRrBSAwJ0mdRR/s1600/IMG_0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgWTOnnjsgGKxMmHenNZ0QOXMtyi7Z-obK6jdWP0BSzbgtyd5WOFRVdzZVFePEGxdmQVzHlCjKVkGsWXkEUgPH-Dud2X0W52426C7-ASOwI26TbNRDA2gnQix_YCVpXhXRrBSAwJ0mdRR/s1600/IMG_0009.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmgacil-b_RNh85Tz8lnyJwQlbAyhg521tBhnP0AUqsAK7NuzYDCUVeYE-YY0C5LHzVSur4hkIvoO-NKlWk35pcbh8TJ7aVrrdEvGRy4TgdOgMdd0od9cL5QayhV8sPcg8Gkvo6MpZE-X/s1600/IMG_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmgacil-b_RNh85Tz8lnyJwQlbAyhg521tBhnP0AUqsAK7NuzYDCUVeYE-YY0C5LHzVSur4hkIvoO-NKlWk35pcbh8TJ7aVrrdEvGRy4TgdOgMdd0od9cL5QayhV8sPcg8Gkvo6MpZE-X/s1600/IMG_0013.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjscCEeogqWMO3kZ2ZpauVy6Dc1f7ssBTjwiDyUtXAGvbEVB0Yi8j-r9Xi42eIiF4i-uHHn9mgwCTAoq7cxnNhdyyMknOSy0QgyQSLoMq4YyFgqKs7jWK8J0Ve2c9pNVHtpMdj44oF1sKkm/s1600/IMG_0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjscCEeogqWMO3kZ2ZpauVy6Dc1f7ssBTjwiDyUtXAGvbEVB0Yi8j-r9Xi42eIiF4i-uHHn9mgwCTAoq7cxnNhdyyMknOSy0QgyQSLoMq4YyFgqKs7jWK8J0Ve2c9pNVHtpMdj44oF1sKkm/s1600/IMG_0015.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">During our Instagram joke.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihvyMVjY0cPgsd3H6tT6n8-1rTe44-41o9BjpMrJr8CtMoe_MYg4R9nxFyXRvwrm3ijlVKy4VVCYgzAi0x6kZrqfl1kHSQQDVpFN0P72ZV2pv85FTtZsdVaR4WK-yLl12PuKoFAMRRkdCA/s1600/IMG_0016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihvyMVjY0cPgsd3H6tT6n8-1rTe44-41o9BjpMrJr8CtMoe_MYg4R9nxFyXRvwrm3ijlVKy4VVCYgzAi0x6kZrqfl1kHSQQDVpFN0P72ZV2pv85FTtZsdVaR4WK-yLl12PuKoFAMRRkdCA/s1600/IMG_0016.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-3lFFYJ8kk3FLrh4P8Z2xpcImx81Aqv3Tu0u0gPAfDkcRMca0etoV_Ky206kLU-YjzMT0YgirazsRJriryNclQ1vbMvDIKzBVoi78BlDohLVW9DB2atZ_IzvgCP_SqP3k4H88omhN7BH/s1600/IMG_0017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-3lFFYJ8kk3FLrh4P8Z2xpcImx81Aqv3Tu0u0gPAfDkcRMca0etoV_Ky206kLU-YjzMT0YgirazsRJriryNclQ1vbMvDIKzBVoi78BlDohLVW9DB2atZ_IzvgCP_SqP3k4H88omhN7BH/s1600/IMG_0017.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQbhp3axq4kNBESc91Vaaxx32O_FJvDyygORDDjoIY4UofOHMnKtOpO8KQwEMpGzjMK5bUul3IwiurGoK2Yrhrc-riU3QhLrcI8C9VlcGo4tczCtLTvyo5cRt5yebYg-yCTiYPlwpUSEoc/s1600/IMG_0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQbhp3axq4kNBESc91Vaaxx32O_FJvDyygORDDjoIY4UofOHMnKtOpO8KQwEMpGzjMK5bUul3IwiurGoK2Yrhrc-riU3QhLrcI8C9VlcGo4tczCtLTvyo5cRt5yebYg-yCTiYPlwpUSEoc/s1600/IMG_0018.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2P3rD2hGtl2_1Htb-ZY2-BgJNGcLAUFYbvFRTly-dwnmebnn_VeYImOFLg1gJlNoD4sVIfUmlDPEZXgqXGpgvYKvOliPcPDQCd6ZLBInAX4SPV8jV3pLye6-0ZhW1CHVdSJUg8wH2I8nb/s1600/IMG_0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2P3rD2hGtl2_1Htb-ZY2-BgJNGcLAUFYbvFRTly-dwnmebnn_VeYImOFLg1gJlNoD4sVIfUmlDPEZXgqXGpgvYKvOliPcPDQCd6ZLBInAX4SPV8jV3pLye6-0ZhW1CHVdSJUg8wH2I8nb/s1600/IMG_0020.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYVyBs6cTBT2NcnoxZYyP8sAc-fmN9R-bcEE94Ca2ket02hwoUPfbYdC5RcJv7uy6kBLp18vuDTfLFgEm4czx-vdUYVAcrE-phuYgJs_alcLWlPSMexLWBkxEB1OmN1oVUOSTMhYiuzK7L/s1600/IMG_0023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYVyBs6cTBT2NcnoxZYyP8sAc-fmN9R-bcEE94Ca2ket02hwoUPfbYdC5RcJv7uy6kBLp18vuDTfLFgEm4czx-vdUYVAcrE-phuYgJs_alcLWlPSMexLWBkxEB1OmN1oVUOSTMhYiuzK7L/s1600/IMG_0023.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This picture makes me think of this joke I heard on some TV show (I think Orange in the New Black... or Parks and Rec....), and now whenever people compliment me on my hair, I want to say "<i>Thanks! It's genetic and unattainable!"</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4IBoVcd-kwmSoRMHXhNlmNWo9Y7zSV0_7aDgBMUVC4f1zgboyWr7IGO9xVZoSwVOuQF2FDtjRJkQzhrlAekkLKtFProbtWHX3qkbl-v3czhQ0dakP1sbi80awHczmetaWgttWOgqj-iUN/s1600/IMG_0025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4IBoVcd-kwmSoRMHXhNlmNWo9Y7zSV0_7aDgBMUVC4f1zgboyWr7IGO9xVZoSwVOuQF2FDtjRJkQzhrlAekkLKtFProbtWHX3qkbl-v3czhQ0dakP1sbi80awHczmetaWgttWOgqj-iUN/s1600/IMG_0025.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Tallulah slept through the ceremony, and woke up right at the end.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5a29WoUsdYSTGcgdjknA-gGU5LrVcpoKFkr3Vr1V5risjEVLp7aTkCx9SL5-qFdexqkl1S3c7szLCP1s7_c9eKiW3QD4vn4PrGYKAfbhvPewnQTdNfj_sVTay-nv1Shdgkd8uEzElq4p/s1600/IMG_1201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5a29WoUsdYSTGcgdjknA-gGU5LrVcpoKFkr3Vr1V5risjEVLp7aTkCx9SL5-qFdexqkl1S3c7szLCP1s7_c9eKiW3QD4vn4PrGYKAfbhvPewnQTdNfj_sVTay-nv1Shdgkd8uEzElq4p/s1600/IMG_1201.jpg" height="478" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Bringing together our favorite Madison friends, Bob and Kelly, and one of my dearest BYU comrades, Weston.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our ceremony read as follows (Tim wrote most of it, but Kelly also said some words that I don't have a copy of):</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reading from Hafiz, as creatively translated by Daniel Ladinsky:</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"There are different wells within your heart.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some fill with each good rain,</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Others are far too deep for that.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In one well</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You have just a few precious cups of water,</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That "love" is literally something of yourself,</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It can grow as slow as a diamond</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If it is lost</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Your love</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Should never be offered to the mouth of a</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stranger</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Only to someone</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who has the valor and daring</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To cut pieces of their soul off with a knife</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then weave them into a blanket</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To protect you.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are different wells within us.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some fill with each good rain,</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Others are far, far too deep</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For that."</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If Unitarian-Universalist weddings are already quite ambiguous in their purpose, prone to shift dramatically in focus and tone depending on the couple and their desires for their wedding day, a Unitarian-Universalist <span class="il" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 204);">vow</span> renewal is sure to be even more so. Does God sit here with us today? Perhaps. Will she recognize what happens here today as a binding commitment for the eternities? Probably not.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let it be enough for us to hold love as it is today, whatever shape it might take as it shifts and turns over time. Let it be enough that we are filling each others deepest wells now.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today is about celebrating the give and take, the creating and the receiving that is at the heart of any soulful relationship. Unitarian-Universalism affirms the central role that connection plays in the life of each person, and how vital it is for us to live lives filled with both the giving and the receiving of love, whether it is with a spouse or a pet, a parent or a child, a beloved near or far, here or departed.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">History of love</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Caitlin and Timothy do not have a perfect relationship. But they have a relationship worth celebrating, the type of celebration that they and I believe should make up a more regular part of our lives.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tim and Caitlin met six years ago on a sunny May day on the campus of Brigham Young University. Their courtship was both short and, at the same time unhurried. Falling naturally into step, side by side, they soon were wed. In a similar short but un-rushed manner, they were soon joined by Atticus, and then, several years later, just as their time in Utah was wrapping up, by Tallulah.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Timothy and Caitlin joined us in Madison and at FUS a little over two years ago. It has been great coming to know them and walking with them on this short but important step on their spiritual journey. They will leave here with many firm friendships sewn and memories forged.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This moment marks both a beginning and an end for our friends, as they prepare to move on to a new stage in life, and I think I speak for us all, when I say that we wish them many blessings on the journey.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span class="il" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 204);"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our vows</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And so we promise. We promise to take things one day at a time. To be present in the miracle that is "us." We are truly miraculous.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We promise to strive to reach deeper than we have before to tap into our inherent ability to love and share, to take and to receive.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the same time, however, we promise always to have a life outside of each other other, and outside of our family. We recognize that the world is rich in experience and wonder, and we will be best together when we take time out to gather</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Prophetess Mary Oliver:</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“When it's over, I want to say: all my life</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was a bride married to amazement.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When it is over, I don't want to wonder</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">if I have made of my life something particular, and real.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't want to find myself sighing and frightened,</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">or full of argument. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't want to end up simply having visited this world.” </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">― Mary Oliver </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We proudly place ourselves within the "slow marriage" movement. We will, as Thich Naht Hanh instructs try to "smile, breath and move slowly" as we continue to learn and grow together. We will savor the long conversations, the simple gestures and the quiet moments that make for a deeper relationship even if they don't make for great instagram photos. But we also promise to take plenty of instagram photos.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We do not promise to see our marriage through any difficulty. If the time does come for our marriage to end, we promise to do so with the greatest civility possible, with a focus on preserving the love and friendship that has formed the basis of our relationship these last six years.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, we also promise to fight for what we have. To bend and to sway near to the point of breaking to shift with the changing winds that call on our relationship to be flexible yet firm. We recognize the value of our relationship and will go to extraordinary ends to preserve it, cutting pieces of our soul off with a knife, if necessary, to weave into a blanket that will cover us both for years to come."</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let it be so.</span></div>
</div>
Caitlin Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417848115673458546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-47178716302959076312014-09-14T21:13:00.001-06:002014-09-14T21:13:05.630-06:00Saying goodbye<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Some unpublished thoughts about leaving Madison, from a month or so ago:<br />
<br />
I had a meeting with our graduate chair today. It was something I was glad to get over with, going over the logistics and figuring out a plan for the future. It was also something that made me sad and depressed in a way I had not anticipated. I may have even cried when I walked out of North Hall for the very last time. This bleak, old building with its endless staircases and overpowering heating system has become my second home for the past two years. I spent so many hours giggling at inappropriate things with Jose Luis in the computer lab and going on feminist rants with Camila in the hallways and complaining about the workload of 856 with... well, everyone. I made friends with my cohort and with my professors and the staff. I felt supported and befriended even though I was this weird anomaly with two kids. While I did not enjoy every waking moment of grad school here (who does? I'd like to meet her) I felt like my time here was well spent and a huge growing experience. I have never been more of a leftist socialist feminist anarchist in my whole life! (yay, gender studies department)<br />
<br />
It also doesn't help that the weather in Madison has been a balmy 75 degrees and sunny, sunny, sunny for the past month. Our bushes are overflowing with red raspberries and we are biking more than ever before... to lakes, playgrounds, friends' houses, Trader Joe's. We are living in a lovely bungalow that's not unlike the future home we hope to own, and spending our evenings cuddling on the couch watching top-quality Danish TV shows. Even though I am excited for our next adventure, I am more than a little sad to be leaving this one. We had high expectations for our lives here in Madison, and they were met or exceeded. We love the midwestern friendliness, the international flavor, and the homey vibe of this city. Now we only have two or three more weeks to soak it all in and see as much of it as humanly possible ...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
sigh.</div>
Caitlin Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417848115673458546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-45233617425273935442014-09-14T21:09:00.004-06:002014-09-14T21:09:44.556-06:00We live! In Texas!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Welcome back to our awfully neglected blog. I kind of missed blogging, but have felt rather uninspired. Does anyone care to hear about our loooooong drive through Kansas? Our night at the Motel 8? The traffic in Dallas/Ft. Worth that we sat in for several hours? How we really, really, really miss Madison but are sure we may come to like Austin too? Probably not. Here are some photo highlights for you, though:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJy7wiwLVng_BPvWcTfoMAuy9i9pJF-TPIrm0z4eCVpDPdonDEWh1ji_3o8gYNol2B8blP7AxBHHGXCneGdxi6C9DkkUFtcB7HzSs3eIa7A5iLxSdoz6u2cuhC4yXgMNgq58nc6oOZVP1y/s1600/IMG_1208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJy7wiwLVng_BPvWcTfoMAuy9i9pJF-TPIrm0z4eCVpDPdonDEWh1ji_3o8gYNol2B8blP7AxBHHGXCneGdxi6C9DkkUFtcB7HzSs3eIa7A5iLxSdoz6u2cuhC4yXgMNgq58nc6oOZVP1y/s1600/IMG_1208.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saying "hej-hej!" to many of our Madison friends at Rennebohm Park.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1NKxzxWJuHeLthfVn3ZTJBXZs9g1-ngwHnPDBcMEAge47k7FFUAt-vxcSyILdhhK6drCdXFWstMtwVb9hyphenhyphenRQnK8iHEI8VmVyCu51nSBKy8dej6aHsPZGUK03wgpot-B-gUaYdX_s5B8b/s1600/IMG_1210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1NKxzxWJuHeLthfVn3ZTJBXZs9g1-ngwHnPDBcMEAge47k7FFUAt-vxcSyILdhhK6drCdXFWstMtwVb9hyphenhyphenRQnK8iHEI8VmVyCu51nSBKy8dej6aHsPZGUK03wgpot-B-gUaYdX_s5B8b/s1600/IMG_1210.JPG" height="476" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On our way out of Madison, in the pouring rain. Apparently this is the only picture we took on the whole trip?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia4Y5KRNyL7pVIf1bL48PG8De-O9Cxv8G8s5hKuIggiu5eyoG0Omj2zded44UvmNllIGs2MX9phyphenhyphenxlU3s334jddtEerqwYDlNhVgOVIYTLX3Yf3g94uaYqzfU9QG3qSrBs6RuFDXZMPTNb/s1600/IMG_1212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia4Y5KRNyL7pVIf1bL48PG8De-O9Cxv8G8s5hKuIggiu5eyoG0Omj2zded44UvmNllIGs2MX9phyphenhyphenxlU3s334jddtEerqwYDlNhVgOVIYTLX3Yf3g94uaYqzfU9QG3qSrBs6RuFDXZMPTNb/s1600/IMG_1212.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We all came down with a terrible cold the first days here in Austin. Tim's director of student affairs took pity on us and put us up in their guest rooms for the weekend until we could sort everything out with appliances and furniture.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKQJjVypZgDYuhlTqxkDmsOfza-oje7Ahc9VI9_jEqjQCEXr4RyTQoCJsYqewFbNQS3121ZkumXByDwTB6ToYSzyVT279c8HPPsD-o-uI5CbUwedWD7jOnGjsIOitgXrQdSZe-NHvBZoZB/s1600/IMG_1215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKQJjVypZgDYuhlTqxkDmsOfza-oje7Ahc9VI9_jEqjQCEXr4RyTQoCJsYqewFbNQS3121ZkumXByDwTB6ToYSzyVT279c8HPPsD-o-uI5CbUwedWD7jOnGjsIOitgXrQdSZe-NHvBZoZB/s1600/IMG_1215.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Asian ice cream food truck. Tallulah calls them "trains!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKLlkv9CH_5am_3zyrugaQ9hr_Ic2PO_BdnaRc-7xKxpJRqFydw28RauYZwS32ey3QF4HrB7xS9eo9ZQwU6lPx27UzOCcoCn1ZK2Saq5GOdI-GJUdG6QVQ8kIDvT1yrL1nBpwzkpffge2Y/s1600/IMG_1218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKLlkv9CH_5am_3zyrugaQ9hr_Ic2PO_BdnaRc-7xKxpJRqFydw28RauYZwS32ey3QF4HrB7xS9eo9ZQwU6lPx27UzOCcoCn1ZK2Saq5GOdI-GJUdG6QVQ8kIDvT1yrL1nBpwzkpffge2Y/s1600/IMG_1218.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I came in to the student lounge while Lu was watching TV. It was PBS Kids, until the Newshour came on. I asked her what she was watching and this is the face she gave me. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhH4kK7P2KCEViD9UfQecOhmWPIlANojhyphenhyphenFyM5F46bs4Grs7DuXf9b8CM_HTnvQ6h4XwVJoTLT3cw4nu9Ka24Hri7gcT_Z5na8X0bgFFRe8bMA4t9yi8WcjxPhxJjpIZyflVHm8h2-P619/s1600/IMG_1234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhH4kK7P2KCEViD9UfQecOhmWPIlANojhyphenhyphenFyM5F46bs4Grs7DuXf9b8CM_HTnvQ6h4XwVJoTLT3cw4nu9Ka24Hri7gcT_Z5na8X0bgFFRe8bMA4t9yi8WcjxPhxJjpIZyflVHm8h2-P619/s1600/IMG_1234.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We're slowly replenishing our toy bins. Girl is into trains now!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsKnElcn6XlL3ebEEb8Ba8NggErzFObDE1mbfqJsorVr_eEPFNLzGIvnsmV4LjafFPeHnWJb9Gaaiq5JncetMKtLgH3YKKbK5I2GhmvPW9CxECHigyDVlNBThlIKumIcqU20ohahTXxSTf/s1600/IMG_1230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsKnElcn6XlL3ebEEb8Ba8NggErzFObDE1mbfqJsorVr_eEPFNLzGIvnsmV4LjafFPeHnWJb9Gaaiq5JncetMKtLgH3YKKbK5I2GhmvPW9CxECHigyDVlNBThlIKumIcqU20ohahTXxSTf/s1600/IMG_1230.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah, to have a library close by!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxTCv8RPmDwP4TnitEJbdFBgQaJKb4LYXQfQ9HZwQsRev27CdRXyguxm3p5sioZHvIBenwHu9htPftsamVzrpxMEQw2PDw6JlgJOmwiHwA92AKNRvtgQHR1lI8Mw16_kMvxpmIdIRuG3rR/s1600/IMG_1224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxTCv8RPmDwP4TnitEJbdFBgQaJKb4LYXQfQ9HZwQsRev27CdRXyguxm3p5sioZHvIBenwHu9htPftsamVzrpxMEQw2PDw6JlgJOmwiHwA92AKNRvtgQHR1lI8Mw16_kMvxpmIdIRuG3rR/s1600/IMG_1224.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids' room. I found this bed on Craigslist, and nice Texas man drove an hour to deliver them AND assembled them for us. HUMANS CAN BE SO AWESOME SOMETIMES! THANK YOU, DUWAYNE!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hGfJQAFEVCE_JTXldeoFgEBFwJhQQlJyQNwzno_15z-E5TBRKorWa_D-7CR-9bSyZ67enkNE8zK6BO6KqrI4IfS1mVsfyMLidsYf48nVUUa6-sicDDfSCtQ2TdwRMmN40pHp2p5LrjPT/s1600/IMG_1220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hGfJQAFEVCE_JTXldeoFgEBFwJhQQlJyQNwzno_15z-E5TBRKorWa_D-7CR-9bSyZ67enkNE8zK6BO6KqrI4IfS1mVsfyMLidsYf48nVUUa6-sicDDfSCtQ2TdwRMmN40pHp2p5LrjPT/s1600/IMG_1220.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She loves her soccer shirt, and her tiny babies.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhm97BFuKzNIQUoEixwT1eSG8CY4GtfoD30gbMe-sJzGqF-q9gzlZSylcSTDQltyiGhzvbhoEECk_J6od_8P3Uay-21rL87bYAjzKJzUH1Y4MUaiBsyS2SoDAaujGe_XT633cyChYW4BPV/s1600/IMG_1239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhm97BFuKzNIQUoEixwT1eSG8CY4GtfoD30gbMe-sJzGqF-q9gzlZSylcSTDQltyiGhzvbhoEECk_J6od_8P3Uay-21rL87bYAjzKJzUH1Y4MUaiBsyS2SoDAaujGe_XT633cyChYW4BPV/s1600/IMG_1239.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She also loves giving me black eyes, as evidenced here.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAljHpmRcHIVmYnw-py8SkYEHGaHw5o1s3sqg-ftpOjnbwSg1ykakIpY404aBqfqYowZpIZtPxPcT0roF1N4RTa_JtzA4noFxQCW8roxpDotDBKtvMss5HvZmrJ_GXM6YerDQEsofFKiI/s1600/IMG_1240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAljHpmRcHIVmYnw-py8SkYEHGaHw5o1s3sqg-ftpOjnbwSg1ykakIpY404aBqfqYowZpIZtPxPcT0roF1N4RTa_JtzA4noFxQCW8roxpDotDBKtvMss5HvZmrJ_GXM6YerDQEsofFKiI/s1600/IMG_1240.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">We are mostly settled in now... </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJnJp9tOCuzHeppzC8jxtvPpMu1bJ0dXjwVwIw_ifWFmVUH4ZCReBRtlN-D4vHHzqRd_Yq2n1jKBVdr4jwKivWojfR0fR-JMgGmYc1psUrs5_zDkCTiN3ClNlxRXOeF5e420hcOMncmx78/s1600/IMG_2666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJnJp9tOCuzHeppzC8jxtvPpMu1bJ0dXjwVwIw_ifWFmVUH4ZCReBRtlN-D4vHHzqRd_Yq2n1jKBVdr4jwKivWojfR0fR-JMgGmYc1psUrs5_zDkCTiN3ClNlxRXOeF5e420hcOMncmx78/s1600/IMG_2666.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And happy to be in Texas while Tim embarks on his new life, and we are along for the ride.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
Caitlin Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417848115673458546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-62261407695047508552014-08-18T07:07:00.000-06:002014-08-18T07:07:45.040-06:00Devil's Lake, finally<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Although Devil's Lake is only an hour away from us by car, we have never made an effort to go. I knew we needed to before we left Madison, so when we received an invitation from our dear friend/doula/soul mate Analiesa for her wedding reception in August, we found our perfect opportunity. Since we were heading down on a Sunday, we stopped by a UU church in Sauk City, the Free Congregation of Sauk County. It was (and kind of still is) a German Free Society, which was a society that was persecuted in Germany and so the members came to the US for religious freedom. It was a thriving community until the world wars when German persecution became rampant and members were distancing themselves from all things Deutsch. Membership declined dramatically, and the Free Congregation partnered with the UUA in order to stay afloat. It was a pleasant little old building with super kind (mostly old) people.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSRLycINGW7NwXSuqqvQMyVbg4eDWYBtba9ZibCD6aeKuXEBTUtfZ7h4opK2pKbkGEJIAp3rRwCntSiZOvt5pgcRN_nPsYkgMTI-QryD-6FKtZoaB-uh8SGFq047gFCyLGK-Gba5PmehxX/s1600/IMG_1113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSRLycINGW7NwXSuqqvQMyVbg4eDWYBtba9ZibCD6aeKuXEBTUtfZ7h4opK2pKbkGEJIAp3rRwCntSiZOvt5pgcRN_nPsYkgMTI-QryD-6FKtZoaB-uh8SGFq047gFCyLGK-Gba5PmehxX/s1600/IMG_1113.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGKUTIoVNBYhPYwmhEqQpA_qyqEYqX2MmW9tofX3yaXVBfcADsL81zD4xHpo1XlXjnuelGVeY62z0ucIH8cO4EwPOMbvpXhjr3B58SSQ4stVKbKZgVFcP321wbkZ7w_5445t8GCgREV22/s1600/IMG_1114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGKUTIoVNBYhPYwmhEqQpA_qyqEYqX2MmW9tofX3yaXVBfcADsL81zD4xHpo1XlXjnuelGVeY62z0ucIH8cO4EwPOMbvpXhjr3B58SSQ4stVKbKZgVFcP321wbkZ7w_5445t8GCgREV22/s1600/IMG_1114.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXLzkIDPsm4jGTq1tWanf3ZCt0KAWvg0zFNWfKxaQR_fKf2IzWdSxKFiQujCPjCU_eAy60fp3m5L8aV2daoJ3KkXOxBaXQECt4aexg3X6GYz4p-mp5u1D7Lu970EL-HJNYIpnkUW_SLPo/s1600/IMG_1118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXLzkIDPsm4jGTq1tWanf3ZCt0KAWvg0zFNWfKxaQR_fKf2IzWdSxKFiQujCPjCU_eAy60fp3m5L8aV2daoJ3KkXOxBaXQECt4aexg3X6GYz4p-mp5u1D7Lu970EL-HJNYIpnkUW_SLPo/s1600/IMG_1118.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYcIurhkZVs-2P5baYaFOZkMSOS9Mnrs3OwiBsd6gsaKjVdZRkPoYvZ3lIF3sW-H91rhCD-OuZ6E62GsLeBwftYPDUzC1M_S8o13ZfPLnby_NkbECPShrAKMm384MwyBTNWKcKYlF_DFJ/s1600/IMG_1120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYcIurhkZVs-2P5baYaFOZkMSOS9Mnrs3OwiBsd6gsaKjVdZRkPoYvZ3lIF3sW-H91rhCD-OuZ6E62GsLeBwftYPDUzC1M_S8o13ZfPLnby_NkbECPShrAKMm384MwyBTNWKcKYlF_DFJ/s1600/IMG_1120.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipcS7LDOMqu9on5XgLfLfJhGssdlCDCDeFG5KV8eOGZ7MVZJIh3QYRLXiejTcbnI0kfeq5Ahf9YAOEXu0fKpKnWv6HFr7oxvQqY_fvWKXg-WdOI3u2P-LuBSdwEnfCfSCKJoLRU53CBSv6/s1600/IMG_1121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipcS7LDOMqu9on5XgLfLfJhGssdlCDCDeFG5KV8eOGZ7MVZJIh3QYRLXiejTcbnI0kfeq5Ahf9YAOEXu0fKpKnWv6HFr7oxvQqY_fvWKXg-WdOI3u2P-LuBSdwEnfCfSCKJoLRU53CBSv6/s1600/IMG_1121.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The kids swam and swam, played in the sand, and then the wedding reception happened. Unfortunately the root beer keg was broken... and a bunch of Mormons couldn't figure out how to fix it. But we stuffed ourselves on brats and vanilla ice cream, and then we made a night of it camping with more old BYU-Berkeley friends, Adriana and Alex and their incredibly adorable baby Oscar. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitU8Mv8ux7oKOgS3wFTC5t23ijbjFkYpWSmo_gImCOueKAZuqVeZ806jdpnK-fj9HRKA3S2hNDW7aeUvvRVSjaRRV1I06WU_QCmzRZZDcCxIV-Mph7ANO3TPyv8WjwSK33cnA5_e6j2HKD/s1600/IMG_1123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitU8Mv8ux7oKOgS3wFTC5t23ijbjFkYpWSmo_gImCOueKAZuqVeZ806jdpnK-fj9HRKA3S2hNDW7aeUvvRVSjaRRV1I06WU_QCmzRZZDcCxIV-Mph7ANO3TPyv8WjwSK33cnA5_e6j2HKD/s1600/IMG_1123.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3hHb2rGl1NlQijPo7nNtwRUMMWymzsDBYDc_fwcF5gMqTAY6vBwtzHf0GsIhiWlNTzp8N4BC9ybuswXd19IdRnzsfLQ0vJdc8QHTP8FgDZjknF27FD2A8P_1SNQOsHFpqas9pOogTy38/s1600/IMG_1124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3hHb2rGl1NlQijPo7nNtwRUMMWymzsDBYDc_fwcF5gMqTAY6vBwtzHf0GsIhiWlNTzp8N4BC9ybuswXd19IdRnzsfLQ0vJdc8QHTP8FgDZjknF27FD2A8P_1SNQOsHFpqas9pOogTy38/s1600/IMG_1124.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqrc2p25JjWbWR0__ANbAP32tVyjt1pCTlkM8ATgD9BOrDfIoWku7PerxEwnYmyxPr2yB-V9fYWhvL9-y1djyDN3CJcAYU-5-ijdv-crSbNnE19pLFOrkjnErCAhkJmh-lTPlBp24ssYN/s1600/IMG_1125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqrc2p25JjWbWR0__ANbAP32tVyjt1pCTlkM8ATgD9BOrDfIoWku7PerxEwnYmyxPr2yB-V9fYWhvL9-y1djyDN3CJcAYU-5-ijdv-crSbNnE19pLFOrkjnErCAhkJmh-lTPlBp24ssYN/s1600/IMG_1125.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyoYeEsS8SDZ3E8ICUOOUO4dL933ASRAnPMIS-C7w8I8I1dV6lrqtEZmvqaoz2g-lRqDATK07aILMggchJxcReILnuC8tcalt1aClvmjuBmhugdByDk4OtKdeV-BwFEXZZzaK7mOB-u3q/s1600/IMG_1127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyoYeEsS8SDZ3E8ICUOOUO4dL933ASRAnPMIS-C7w8I8I1dV6lrqtEZmvqaoz2g-lRqDATK07aILMggchJxcReILnuC8tcalt1aClvmjuBmhugdByDk4OtKdeV-BwFEXZZzaK7mOB-u3q/s1600/IMG_1127.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The selfie of looooooove.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGp2Z-sN7oc5gAHl_V0WdT-XsE_zJjBJA9n06YCLVqG7R-G-VRza52E0ZK2BdFhS3jgFE8GcJxfa-nx7WZDw4Xv71HCvW3wgBmY-S_6LarLRtMLf3zWB0R4ejivp_8CKsQz1px4ijj2rda/s1600/IMG_1129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGp2Z-sN7oc5gAHl_V0WdT-XsE_zJjBJA9n06YCLVqG7R-G-VRza52E0ZK2BdFhS3jgFE8GcJxfa-nx7WZDw4Xv71HCvW3wgBmY-S_6LarLRtMLf3zWB0R4ejivp_8CKsQz1px4ijj2rda/s1600/IMG_1129.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha7bcrrhDI_LpkXZsJ-zqFxCHCgibRWEsbYcmj3kUwOAZo8WxZn2W_QtNDVdZtZjV_s0UEub_HpHy6COylEROfYBnmB58KiqfxlNJKacDatuoleMdKyPXOAruUdRO1Rm1xSI77LjrNltXm/s1600/IMG_1130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha7bcrrhDI_LpkXZsJ-zqFxCHCgibRWEsbYcmj3kUwOAZo8WxZn2W_QtNDVdZtZjV_s0UEub_HpHy6COylEROfYBnmB58KiqfxlNJKacDatuoleMdKyPXOAruUdRO1Rm1xSI77LjrNltXm/s1600/IMG_1130.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atticus with a Lego Star Wars dictionary. He is so obsessed with Soren's, we had to find one at the library that he could take everywhere so he didn't ruin the other one.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvIAOlP3E5Fwr8vYE_MMcVwNeIBzpqeL5aesYSIblTGAymj4ZUXuDEspjZFelb0VeYejA3o8GMbnSOOqvRKhgjqBg_dFosLdNBZJFRabRgMAYWVyLG9M5NagHZx3paMfsNLQIat5XGMBA-/s1600/IMG_1131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvIAOlP3E5Fwr8vYE_MMcVwNeIBzpqeL5aesYSIblTGAymj4ZUXuDEspjZFelb0VeYejA3o8GMbnSOOqvRKhgjqBg_dFosLdNBZJFRabRgMAYWVyLG9M5NagHZx3paMfsNLQIat5XGMBA-/s1600/IMG_1131.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blurry, but all I have of Alex and Oscar, walking around, which they did a lot.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQgcSvSQtHDfubEQTTJ1hq1y8cbMi9TIfMw8SQiz_ySsOvRyt4xmsZ9YIez4fP6ahOsPg43KcwgcxUYDDxy1rmrjPfQ-t6gU1HHh3AzUj4Hbs_oduHEqXMMQskPT5KN3ShWvg8GogM3EQR/s1600/IMG_1132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQgcSvSQtHDfubEQTTJ1hq1y8cbMi9TIfMw8SQiz_ySsOvRyt4xmsZ9YIez4fP6ahOsPg43KcwgcxUYDDxy1rmrjPfQ-t6gU1HHh3AzUj4Hbs_oduHEqXMMQskPT5KN3ShWvg8GogM3EQR/s1600/IMG_1132.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We have a future pyromaniac on our hands. He was SO upset when we put the fire out.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_l8AxzU8HpMQRAjRMiYMmUyAoA2kIqEFqzVJOpk7gDPqsZhGnkucKJjlI900kBlPoCsReagU5_o1qCkSrnfVZh3CqUZKPrj5YkQIBpOFnaOszt7fQw2h-sDvaHWpwrRo81yZFTRJsN8Sf/s1600/IMG_1134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_l8AxzU8HpMQRAjRMiYMmUyAoA2kIqEFqzVJOpk7gDPqsZhGnkucKJjlI900kBlPoCsReagU5_o1qCkSrnfVZh3CqUZKPrj5YkQIBpOFnaOszt7fQw2h-sDvaHWpwrRo81yZFTRJsN8Sf/s1600/IMG_1134.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCU4t7KO5vnqGn7peqQGoj7KCCjdTBEaT4h-fuR5VvPn4ZyODhV5oF25N65gPsbsC88F7NDo1dt7j5y98eSPTrdsu7XPLLf9chxeceRN6MUddb4HZXmGUlNwDCvEdO12SVkzdyz7AeGuX/s1600/IMG_1136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCU4t7KO5vnqGn7peqQGoj7KCCjdTBEaT4h-fuR5VvPn4ZyODhV5oF25N65gPsbsC88F7NDo1dt7j5y98eSPTrdsu7XPLLf9chxeceRN6MUddb4HZXmGUlNwDCvEdO12SVkzdyz7AeGuX/s1600/IMG_1136.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This tree cracked and fell RIGHT next to where our tent was when we were packing up and leaving. Scary.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjfcB1dhESGQDYHnb7BZsin8N0v_t9MuY-lUVJ9RTnzunZBgsUoXIf-HWB7gLlJBw3BZV1K69-7wrIjjs25Wbsu_dPeRMv054LG_HMWT0ZDNds7HwsKYwcxipOxvtGh1PlOYEzhAFS7-n/s1600/IMG_1138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjfcB1dhESGQDYHnb7BZsin8N0v_t9MuY-lUVJ9RTnzunZBgsUoXIf-HWB7gLlJBw3BZV1K69-7wrIjjs25Wbsu_dPeRMv054LG_HMWT0ZDNds7HwsKYwcxipOxvtGh1PlOYEzhAFS7-n/s1600/IMG_1138.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The next day we made breakfast, and we even went on a few hikes. Atticus was SO upset to be "hiking" when in reality it was climbing on rocks and he loves that more than anything. He was wearing his Salt Water sandals, which, for future reference, are not appropriate to climbing over slippery rocks. He barefooted it the rest of the way and had a grand time going up. The going down part... well, let's try to forget about that. We made it, no major injuries, and then spent the rest of the time at the lake and in Parfrey's Glen. We ended our trip at Hubbard's after a frantic search for food in backwoods Wisconsin (must feed kids before they fall asleep at 6 pm!) and a brief stop at a bar promising hot pizza and sandwiches and where our kids couldn't go in (not 21...). But that meatloaf after a day of hiking... wow. Just wow.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRHSKFVMm1-Jm5W_NdN051_tkKNBSkq_0i7jBjFTlEmceYZrnTHwG6ZZaktgkO4hx2zowjzrcEMk0h3wEhB7vHkT__bxVXTQXqWAihUDGQh1wKGVhVVvcEpHfHxg7fVsydg8D7PZx8CUH2/s1600/IMG_1140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRHSKFVMm1-Jm5W_NdN051_tkKNBSkq_0i7jBjFTlEmceYZrnTHwG6ZZaktgkO4hx2zowjzrcEMk0h3wEhB7vHkT__bxVXTQXqWAihUDGQh1wKGVhVVvcEpHfHxg7fVsydg8D7PZx8CUH2/s1600/IMG_1140.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8FYXXUOyNa-I2aGhcVKfpiH6gxFSnW4yqOQYTkQpJAGEChcQGQiT2qNWqYkgn1fUntI_kj4R4k1lSy9iTrKMyK3IK141bjfxsXMfLEaNeArGHFG4y1Edffw06Bm4yno3zpB2lKdY5dkb/s1600/IMG_1141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8FYXXUOyNa-I2aGhcVKfpiH6gxFSnW4yqOQYTkQpJAGEChcQGQiT2qNWqYkgn1fUntI_kj4R4k1lSy9iTrKMyK3IK141bjfxsXMfLEaNeArGHFG4y1Edffw06Bm4yno3zpB2lKdY5dkb/s1600/IMG_1141.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcIvEzOCgj4OAPNK6rOpqjZPso0wMRamgaRdfNn-rZqsOz-oUub5e8u8htTW3PH1k1cWmE4Yn3SOfsz1YqsWOv5SJEPos9FolhxN5AZUWKj4fw1KVyVkqEuBhVV9VmuyhpXzuAw_NHGOtG/s1600/IMG_1142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcIvEzOCgj4OAPNK6rOpqjZPso0wMRamgaRdfNn-rZqsOz-oUub5e8u8htTW3PH1k1cWmE4Yn3SOfsz1YqsWOv5SJEPos9FolhxN5AZUWKj4fw1KVyVkqEuBhVV9VmuyhpXzuAw_NHGOtG/s1600/IMG_1142.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDX8qJ20nLrkADI26dBU0tNo2YKeoYHgGBxJmdYXp649wZBmZoG3vijpdXZyk0AQnKW5zuFFl467urAKes1LVMpEmVp1xDl9XCYlP3I9fOYiIa6DmXipT_RR2JXe3Dl6XoD5VmamkgBY05/s1600/IMG_1144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDX8qJ20nLrkADI26dBU0tNo2YKeoYHgGBxJmdYXp649wZBmZoG3vijpdXZyk0AQnKW5zuFFl467urAKes1LVMpEmVp1xDl9XCYlP3I9fOYiIa6DmXipT_RR2JXe3Dl6XoD5VmamkgBY05/s1600/IMG_1144.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgagvwvGKZKIx-7xWzvll-m9Fr9sJeNwnXjJaiWMYR6o4uhWmUISavKLQ9O5vKmZzkYqyPfF9PxKeJDaO0DzOciomRixURhVoNQxSowXhb3XRSa5YPGQNT4N7XPprMQimmdNupih7UNcKM5/s1600/IMG_1146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgagvwvGKZKIx-7xWzvll-m9Fr9sJeNwnXjJaiWMYR6o4uhWmUISavKLQ9O5vKmZzkYqyPfF9PxKeJDaO0DzOciomRixURhVoNQxSowXhb3XRSa5YPGQNT4N7XPprMQimmdNupih7UNcKM5/s1600/IMG_1146.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgizI71yTKP2XQR9mz-rQO10pEl8CzM7uduend_xK-NHdoRgkgm-K3trLfAlLb_0AWeymomqviUN2KltchUcUtlpGuofJ7-4YIyYxhGxwIZsh2MJJxkN0ZwcHokdc79qYX3s0CrTgoQY_ic/s1600/IMG_1149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgizI71yTKP2XQR9mz-rQO10pEl8CzM7uduend_xK-NHdoRgkgm-K3trLfAlLb_0AWeymomqviUN2KltchUcUtlpGuofJ7-4YIyYxhGxwIZsh2MJJxkN0ZwcHokdc79qYX3s0CrTgoQY_ic/s1600/IMG_1149.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHTrk0Y5U4wEgtsmiBng2TXP1gNHqipCYDanhZ5lOg7D7jLcKkHDnVgfzmIJO-zo5o4gDRE_lJV89UaZyAUIkwVpHq6IJ-eKzwwZnd97elbYQQp7Xhm3Mgsffp4LMhPtFSIo_UYZ3gAhOx/s1600/IMG_1153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHTrk0Y5U4wEgtsmiBng2TXP1gNHqipCYDanhZ5lOg7D7jLcKkHDnVgfzmIJO-zo5o4gDRE_lJV89UaZyAUIkwVpHq6IJ-eKzwwZnd97elbYQQp7Xhm3Mgsffp4LMhPtFSIo_UYZ3gAhOx/s1600/IMG_1153.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuKjqwI0qzNDvZMceXHi6WOK1vVUxtnqb5HQT4BCM0U52o9y4a05K6c2IqymuoZUVKsxJ-4hqJ8D_mTbKffBiFj9jAVnDWRUxuCS2YJo73HYjhBOObDZUy-48GMuLd2p5B-n2ngBK0UBqw/s1600/IMG_1154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuKjqwI0qzNDvZMceXHi6WOK1vVUxtnqb5HQT4BCM0U52o9y4a05K6c2IqymuoZUVKsxJ-4hqJ8D_mTbKffBiFj9jAVnDWRUxuCS2YJo73HYjhBOObDZUy-48GMuLd2p5B-n2ngBK0UBqw/s1600/IMG_1154.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He is constantly running around shooting things with his blaster, playing Star Wars.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4UUVUnnRsvx1ojguiLVl02Rv2ddOje820gQUOvz-e5Cgchl7QDkM_-zEVi11ghcXGkrrJhLorCTWjuYZcV0-WnirQVZJj-f7CuEz8Fpw6t-gqAAoJ94xRYROsgAd4WP64PONjmV5EeYWP/s1600/IMG_1156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4UUVUnnRsvx1ojguiLVl02Rv2ddOje820gQUOvz-e5Cgchl7QDkM_-zEVi11ghcXGkrrJhLorCTWjuYZcV0-WnirQVZJj-f7CuEz8Fpw6t-gqAAoJ94xRYROsgAd4WP64PONjmV5EeYWP/s1600/IMG_1156.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHUUQHRHM1n7tPOgu4o9LhvODMJcQMYHKdWsHDBAcLjf_CWtT3RCAYXWChhvKV4o_c_rxX84djiQu2P0RxqNUA6M_MYeg1LaaawpyZ2eS8ZPsQC2nPuZWFQD0311NEYOUgmCedPOI7yO_6/s1600/IMG_1161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHUUQHRHM1n7tPOgu4o9LhvODMJcQMYHKdWsHDBAcLjf_CWtT3RCAYXWChhvKV4o_c_rxX84djiQu2P0RxqNUA6M_MYeg1LaaawpyZ2eS8ZPsQC2nPuZWFQD0311NEYOUgmCedPOI7yO_6/s1600/IMG_1161.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting in line at the Merrimac Ferry!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Caitlin Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417848115673458546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6386936670414405452.post-19971946736850356142014-08-18T06:43:00.000-06:002014-08-18T06:43:04.787-06:00My deepest fears expressed through a Danish TV drama<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
PEOPLE. If you haven't watched Borgen, and you think you want to, don't read this post because it contains SPOILERS. If you have watched it, or don't think you yourself will become obsessed with a Danish television drama, please, read ahead:<br />
<br />
Over the past few weeks, we have finished the first season of the Danish TV drama Borgen -- which translates something like government or castle, depending on whether you are asking the subtitles of the show or Google translate. The government is housed in a castle, so maybe that is the confusion. It follows the story of a woman (wife, mother, moderate politician) who becomes prime minister, a post she herself never actually wanted but somehow fell into her lap. I was hooked from the start -- I loved her politics, and her personality, and most of all her relationship with her husband. It was like me and Tim ten years from now. They talked, they had great sex, and he supported her 100%. At first. But then, even though he encouraged her to take the job and told her her would pick up the slack at home, he gets lonely. She is busy, for obvious reasons (as she finally reminds him later: "I just made statsminister!"), and she becomes distant and distracted (because, you know, she's running a COUNTRY). He wants to be a CEO, and instead he's stuck teaching 22-yr-olds at a community college about international finance. He becomes bitter. He has an affair. And ultimately their marriage falls apart.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_71fFu8O8sKD2AYp8Pgrzdvn9MU4d8BY2pAOSn56sFg5caWAcIaPketuF677XnGoL_6SqvL61XNKw53Hz0bweh0nkAMtwmWEcpG8dFY4o_OyTGnV74lV45-jC8Tf-IjtLGWm9CGqRu5j/s1600/Borgen-episode-8-007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_71fFu8O8sKD2AYp8Pgrzdvn9MU4d8BY2pAOSn56sFg5caWAcIaPketuF677XnGoL_6SqvL61XNKw53Hz0bweh0nkAMtwmWEcpG8dFY4o_OyTGnV74lV45-jC8Tf-IjtLGWm9CGqRu5j/s1600/Borgen-episode-8-007.jpg" height="384" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I KNOW, I KNOW, this is a TV show, right? I have been strangely devastated by this turn of events. I think because from the beginning, Philip reminded me so much of Tim, and I like to think I have a little Birgitte in me too. And sometimes I can see Tim getting bored and restless spending so much time with the kids while I am being wildly successful in grad school (well, while I was). And not like I'm saying Tim is the cheating kind (in fact, I have never once actively worried about this even though my husband has long Facebook conversations with a lot of women), but I think I must have some subconscious fear of infidelity that is surfacing now watching this show. Or at least fear that my ambition will lead to the dissolution of my marriage. And it's not like it's the first show I've watched where a husband cheats on his wife, but I could relate to them and their marriage so much. They were doing the "five-year plan" like how we've talked about -- trading off careers/childcare... you on for five years, me on for five years. He is kind of broody and quiet and good-natured... like Tim. She is smart and talkative and a perfectionist and a <i>tad</i> controlling. I was rooting for this show to be the example of the feminist family! Now, instead I'm disappointed and wondering whether this can even be a reality. Not like I will ever be a Scandinavian statsminister, but I think one day I may go into politics, and even if I go into academia, I will be busy and distracted many days and won't be able to focus my attention on my kids and husband. And maybe he or they will resent that... and I will be too busy and distracted to take the time to figure out what is wrong or how to fix it. Or maybe we will make our own Danish television drama one day, and the couple will stay together and it will garner fantastic ratings.</div>
Caitlin Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417848115673458546noreply@blogger.com2