Christmas Traditions

I like Christmas traditions. One of my favorites started thirteen years ago when I was the calm, well-organized mother of three small children and also had seven or eight day care children in and out of my home on weekdays. Christmas Eve arrived and I was still working like mad to get everything done. I had something special planned for dinner but I just didn't have the time or the energy left to do it. So I picked up the phone, called Izzy's Limousine Pizza and ordered our family's favorite, Izzy's Special with thick crust. I lit all the candles in the house, and when the pizza arrived we turned off the lights (except the Christmas tree lights) and had pizza by candle light. The boys loved it, so we have done it every year since. Sparkling cider was added to the tradition a few years later and is also a must. It also wouldn't be the same without Will grumbling about too many candles and muttering dire predictions about burning the house down. (Well, once many years back some greens around the advent wreath at the kitchen table caught fire as we sat at the dining room. It was a bit exciting for awhile but other than a lot of smoke, no harm was done. And it gives Will some credibility.) I gave him more ammunition this year as I was dishing out pizza from the box and knocked a full glass of cider over, but hey, I didn't catch the box on fire. And Nick didn't get too wet.After dinner, the kids usually open a new game. I changed it this year, because last year's game hasn't been played since last Christmas Eve and we have a ton of games. I pulled questons about Jesus from our Bible Trivia game and we got into two teams and answered those questions. I learned that my kids know both more and less than I thought they did. I like to have Jesus questions at dinner during December but I never got around to getting them out this year. Then they normally open a new movie, but this year I didn't buy one of those either cause there just didn't seem to be any worth buying. I rented a couple and let them choose. We watched Superman Returns. I told them I had just read a review that there was some symbolism about Jesus so we were watching for those. My favorite line in the movie was when Lois Lane tells Superman, "We don't need a savior." He replies, "I can hear everyone, and the whole world is crying out for a savior."

Christmas Eve and morning were a little strange with only two boys to open their gifts, but Craig called from Germany around 9:00 am and we all got to talk to him. I asked him what he'd had for Christmas dinner and he said, turkey, stuffing, the usual. Nothing German? He laughed at me. "Mom, I'm having Christmas with a bunch of Americans." Oh, of course. Nathan's in-laws are there and they are doing a little traveling this week. They went to Munich and Dachau last week.

For the first time in awhile. we had our Troyer get-together on Christmas Day. I started something new last year at Christmas dinner of having place cards for everyone with scripture from Luke 2, Matthew 2 and prophecy from Isaiah 9. I managed to set them out in order and after dinner everyone got to read a few verses as the Christmas story was shared. That is our newest tradition.

After dinner the usual game playing took place. Little Cody is quite the expert at dominoes - he kept us all in line. I let Nick beat me at ping pong. Anisa got a lovely picture of me playing with my tongue out, but it's slightly blurry since I was moving so fast.

Galen once again proved what an outstanding brother he is, bravely being the sole person to try the hot picked brussels sprouts. He said it wasn't too bad. What a guy! I don't believe those little treats will become part of our Christmas tradition.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas too!

Christmas Cookies and Gingerbread House

Today the sugar cookies got cut out, baked, and frosted. There's even a few left over for Christmas! Eric showed some surprising artistic talent this year with some creative frosting techniques.
Another annual tradition is the gingerbread housebuilding and decorating. Eric has lost interest in this, but Nick is pleased to do it all by himself. The last time Eric and Nick shared decorating duties, they had many creative differences which led to some loud discussions. I have a box of little decorating items that have come with past gingerbread kits, and Nick used most of these items today. As you can see, Mickey and Minnie are on the roof. Apparently they have taken over Santa's duties this year. Eric's one contribution was putting baby Jesus on the roof from a little plastic Nativity set from their childhood days. In general, it's a big mess. (As usual.) I was inspecting it after Nick finished and I was appalled to see a reindeer face-planted in a big snowdrift at the front door. Nick said it fell off the roof. Eric told me to chill out, it adds humor. Note to self: next year beg Nick to let me decorate the gingerbread men and the tree. But isn't it festive looking! It was a fun afternoon. My children are growing up way too fast.

Here they are the first time we made a gingerbread house in 1994. I may have helped a bit more with that one!

Unexpected Gifts

As the secretary in a middle school, I find myself the recipient of small gifts from many different people at this time of the year. The staff is especially good at showing their appreciation. I have an ever increasing collection of Christmas mugs and enough Christmas pins to wear a different one every school day in December. This year a few unique gifts have made me chuckle and wonder what in the world are people thinking? One morning on my desk I found a card with a lovely gift box, about 5 inches square and an inch deep, tied with a ribbon. It was very light, and when I opened it I discovered it was empty. I saw my fellow secretary had one exactly like it and I asked if she had opened it yet. She said she had started to open it when the giver was standing there and was told, "Don't open it, silly, the box IS the gift! It's a Christmas decoration!" Okay. It's cute, but it makes me smile when I see it. Would you give an empty box as a gift?

The all time most unique gift came from a teacher who likes to pick up things for us when he visits his relatives in the south. I still have the hush puppy mix he gave me last year in my pantry. Just never get around to making hush puppies for some reason. Last week he left a jar of Old South Pickled Hot Brussels Sprouts on my desk. I don't like hot things, I don't like pickled things, and I don't like brussels sprouts. However, that's definitely something he doesn't have to worry that everyone else got for me. I am grateful to be appreciated. The part I don't get is that he gave the other two secretaries each a jar of peach preserves! I can only speculate that he thinks they need sweetening up. I took the pickled brussels sprouts to our pinochle get together Saturday night, and out of the 16 people there, only one was adventurous enough to try it. He likes hot pickled things and brussels sprouts, but found the brussels sprouts too hard and crunchy. So get ready, family and friends, I will bring it everywhere I go this holiday season! I do love to share!

The best gift was the brand new first CD of my three neices that I received from my sister Hope yesterday. I wish I could write interesting, analytical music reviews like my brother Tom so eloquently pens, but I will just say that I love this CD. Their voices blend as only close family members can, and the sweetness and purity of their a cappella vocals is beautiful and moving. (Thank you, Tom, I had to refer to your blog posting (http://www.icedteaforever.com/2006/09/a-cappella-setting-a-few-things-straight.html) to make sure I spelled a cappella correctly.) One of these days I need to learn to do those links properly.

So, if you're having a hard time figuring out what to buy someone, don't be afraid to get something outrageous, unexpected or just plain weird! Just because it's something they totally might not like doesn't mean they can't find some entertainment value in it!

I Love Power!

Last night was the long anticipated matchup between Nick's basketball team and the team on which my fellow secretary Helen's grandson plays. Nick nearly gave her and our assistant principal a heart attack in our office at the end of the day when he stood in the middle of the office, undid his belt, and removed his jeans. After a few shocked gasps from the onlookers, it was quickly apparent that he was already wearing his basketball shorts under his jeans.

Nick's team was slightly ahead the whole way through the game. Helen's grandson, who is nearly as tall but more heavily muscled than Nick (who calls him a "beast"), politely reached down and gave Nick a hand up when he landed on the floor, but he nearly launched him to the other side of the gym! We were six points ahead with about nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, enjoying the game with our youth pastor, when the lights went out. The auxilary lights remained on, but far too dim to continue playing. They gave it 15 minutes, then said the game would need to be finished at another time since the power was still down. We barely got out the gym doors when the power came back, but it was too late. There's a schedule to stick to.

The wind was gusting and the rain pouring in heavy waves on the way home. We were still around the dinner table when our power went out. I already had candles lined up, and Nick got busy lighting them. He lit over 30 wicks, and still wasn't satisfied! Aren't there more candles we can light?! A little later, I heard Will complaining about all the different scents - vanilla, pumpkin, apple pie, cranberry, honeydew (to name just a few) combined for an interesting sensory experience!

Those three wick candles are definitely worth their weight under those conditions! Will did his Soduku puzzles by the light of one of them. I finished my Christmas cards and gifts for my coworkers at the table by candlelight. Nick went to bed early, hoping for no school the next day! Eric made it safely home, then his cat tried to burn the house down by jumping on the dining room table with many burning candles while our backs were turned. I love cats. Although it was pretty entertaining watching it chase the flashlight beams Eric provided for it's recreation.

We woke to a chilly dark house this morning. I called the YMCA and asked if they had power. Yes, so I packed my bag by candlelight and headed there to shower and get ready for work! Tangent Elementary school was without power all day, and I didn't know if we'd have any when we returned this afternoon. What a joy to drive up to the house and see it brightly lit, including the Christmas tree! Of course, we didn't turn off any lights after the power went off!

Power is good. Heat and light are fabulous. I am very thankful! But one cozy candlelit evening was enjoyable.

A New Nick Name?

We were blessed to have Jody's children Brenden and Jenna in our home this evening. It was entertaining as always. While Brenden was holding onto Nick's head, getting a wild ride on Nick's shoulders, Brenden told him, "You have a furry fart head!" Jody and Kevin are so proud! Ready for a haircut yet, Nick?

Phone Call from Germany

My cell phone rang today at work, and when I saw the caller's number was "unavailable", I abandoned our hectic office to my co-worker and answered it as I hurried to the privacy of the ladies room just down the hall, which is equipped with two comfortable green plastic deck chairs adorned with floral cushions. I sat down and had a nice chat with Craig. Unfortunately, he had just been to a doctor and received antibiotics because he'd had a fever and sore throat for a few days.

It's very beautiful there and he loves seeing the Alps from the castle. He and Nathan have been working on remodeling a room for an accountant there. He has sat in on some lectures in a world religions class, taught by a former Buddhist monk who is now a Christian, and Craig has enjoyed some extensive conversations with this man. Wow, does God know exactly where he needs to be or what? Craig said he has had some hard times but he knows it's where he needs to be and appreciates the opportunities.

God is good.

It's Basketball Season Again!

Nick's team had their first game tonight. He plays on a Boys & Girls Club team, and freshman and sophomores are in this league. They played a good sophomore team tonight. I don't think we'll be playing for first place this year. But the good news is after having only 10 points at half time, we ended with 42, and a less than 30 point difference from the winner! But the important thing is, the kids had fun. It's always fun to sit by Will and hear his remarks. When a kid ran down the court, leaving one shoe behind him, Will says, "You won't see that in the NBA!" We were proud of Nick but we had to chide him gently while we were driving out of the parking lot. Same problem he had at the beginning of the season last year, playing too politely. He only had one foul! Get aggressive, Buddy!

Counterfeit Chaos

We had a bit of excitement in the office a few days ago after school. The principal came in from bus duty with a counterfeit one dollar bill that a student said he found on the ground outside the school. It had been wadded up and smoothed out. The color was pretty good, but the front bottom border was missing. Quite a few staff members tend to come through the office at the end of the day, and everyone wanted to inspect it. Fear seized my heart as I wondered if I had taken any phony bills that day from students paying for lunches. A large percentage of cash that I take in is wadded and crumpled! It would probably be very easy to fool me! I got the day's money out, and much of it was ones. One self-proclaimed expert said that an easy way to tell counterfeit from genuine was that counterfeit would rip easily, but it was difficult to tear genuine. So I started making tiny tears in the bills. Some would not tear at all, but many of the ones and some fives and twenties were very easy to tear. People gathered around my desk, holding bills up to the light and chattering excitedly. "Have you called the police yet?"

Fortunately, I held off on making a call until sanity was restored. It soon became apparent that well-used bills tear easily. Nice new crisp bills do not. The phony bill is still lying on my desk to remind me to be careful. I'll show it to the school resource officer next time he stops by. Thank God I did not allow myself to be pressured into making a phone call to the police telling them I had 75 percent of the day's take in counterfeit money! Will shook his head in amazed disbelief when he heard about it. I think he was very impressed with my belated good judgment!

Auf Weidersein, Craig!

I had a voicemail from my son Craig at 8:05 this morning, letting me know that he had arrived safely in Germany and thanking me for the homemade cookies I had sent for the plane ride.

An exciting story of God’s goodness and grace has unfolded over the past three weeks since I received a lengthy e-mail from Craig’s friend Nathan, who has been in Germany with his wife as YWAM missionaries for the past year and a half. Nathan shared that he has been earnestly praying for Craig, and recently God had put a plan on his heart. He shared this plan and asked for our blessing, as well as help getting a passport for Craig and keeping his plan a secret from Craig until he came in person.

Miraculously, I was able to reach Craig the first time I called him, and arranged to meet him after work that day. I told him I thought it would be good to get him a passport in case he ever had the opportunity to ride up to Canada to visit my brother John when he returned from a visit here. It was a two day process, and after we mailed it off, he thanked me for getting him a passport. He said it was really cool to dream about going somewhere. I asked him where he would go if I gave him a plane ticket and said he could go anywhere in the world with it. He immediately replied that he would go to Germany, he would love to visit Nathan.

Nathan came last week, surprising Craig at 8:00 Friday morning and taking him out to breakfast. He gave Craig an envelope, and when Craig opened it, there was a plane ticket to Frankfurt, Germany. He invited Craig to come live in the YWAM castle where he lives, which is a training school for missionaries. Craig can earn room and board by working 40 hours a week at the castle.

The passport arrived a week later, Friday morning and they went to Portland to spend that night at Nathan’s dad’s. He took them to the airport Saturday morning (yesterday), where their flight left at 8:40 AM. He sent us some pictures from the airport.

We are truly thankful that our son has a friend that loves him so much. We are excited about this opportunity for Craig and look forward to seeing God continue to work. We appreciate your continued prayers for him as he seeks answers for his life.

Here is the link to Nathan's YWAM page, and you can link to the home page from there.
http://www.ywam-hurlach.de/index1.php?holunder=219
God is so good!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Day was just as it should be - a relaxing day with the people we love most, being thankful for the many blessings we enjoy, including lots of wonderful food, (made by me) if I do say so. Actually, it became a relaxing day after we finished moving some furniture around. As always, Will did an excellent job of supervising the boys. It was just us, our boys, and two girlfriends for dinner. It was the first time we have had such a configuration for a meal. Rather noisy but wonderful. Will was heard to complain that when he was asked a question, people did not give him time to answer before conversation quickly moved on. Check out my marvellous men! (Note Eric's goatee color even after bleach AND peroxide treatments! He is not willing to use hair dye to change its' color!)

Later on, Doug, Anisa and family sandwiched a visit to us between their day's social activities. Quite an exciting time, between soduku and crossword puzzles and My Space. Although it seems a little strange for a cousin upstairs and a cousin downstairs to be communicating via My Space at that moment.
Then there was wrestling/rough housing between Nick and Duane, Nick and Doug, Nick and Will, then finally Nick and Craig, pictured below. (Do you detect a theme?) Thank goodness Nick and Eric don't wrestle.
Then we drove out to Galen's and got to see his kids and grandkids. Nick nearly ruined Brendan's day by leaving some uneaten chips on the table when he walked away. When Brendan noticed them, he urgently requested that someone clean them up. Craig hurried to oblige. We drove to Galen's twice, because I left my camera there the first time. It was much quieter during the second visit, fewer people/children. Aren't Lucy and Jenna cute!
Now it's time to get my beauty sleep so I can look good for shopping tomorrow!

Remembering Tyler

One year ago today, I was (strangely enough) shopping with Nick for a jacket/sweatshirt when I got the phone call that changed our world. One year ago today, my 21-year-old nephew Tyler John Troyer lost his life in Iraq. Today the family will gather at our house for a potluck dinner to remember Tyler's life.

Eric produced a video for me in June and we managed to get it a shortened version of it posted. We ran into some technical difficulties and I tried to call my brother Tom for help. The guy who answered the phone sounded exactly like Tom but he didn't have a big sister named LeAnn and insisted his name was Joe. I guess I need Tom's Indiana phone number. You can see a shortened version of the video Eric produced for me online. I'm really dumb about these things, but the first address will put it on full screen when you click the play button. The second address will show it on the screen where you can read and leave comments about it:

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-2233016266182086829&hl=en

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2233016266182086829&q=tyler+troyer&hl=en

Yikes, it looks like I need Tom's phone number. The quality of the video is not very good. I'll see if he can help me improve it!

The Destruction of Sweatshirt #2

Nick has already destroyed the new sweatshirt that replaced the bleach damaged one last month. It wasn't his fault of course. He was helping at an elementary-age event at church tonight. Apparently he was rough housing with another helper supposedly at the end of this event. One side of the zipper is ripped completely off, the pocket is dangling - it has turned into a rag. As you can see, he is appropriately ashamed. I told him I guess we'll have to run into Goodwill and see what kind of cheap sweatshirts they have. I was shocked to hear him grumble that he hates clothes from Goodwill. (He certainly likes computer junk from there.) I never thought I'd hear that a McAnulty kid didn't like anything about Goodwill.

Failure to Bleach

I was hoping to have interesting before and after pictures to post today. Last night Eric wanted to bleach his goatee white, wear it for a day, then shave it off. He figured Clorox would do the trick. I urged him to wait and buy real hair bleach, because Clorox can be a little irritating to the skin. (Besides that, the sight of a bottle of bleach in my boys hands is very stressful to me.) But he wanted to try Clorox. His end result was a slightly more golden colored goatee and a red, irritated chin. The before and after picture look the same. We'll see if he follows through or if it was a passing whim!

It's Contagious!

I visited a doctor the other day because I had symptoms of strep throat. It was late in the day, and the friendly nurse and I were chatting as she opened a package of swabs. She held them in her hand as we talked, then put them back in the package and left, saying the doctor would be in to see me in a few minutes. I haven't had my throat swabbed in many years, but I thought her procedure was a bit odd. She opened the package to take to the doctor so he could do it? I puzzled over it as I sat there waiting. A few minutes later she returned, saying, "I feel really stupid asking this, but did I swab your throat?" She said she was about to run the culture when she realized she didn't remember looking down my throat. She was very apologetic, saying it was the end of a long day. I assured her she couldn't have picked a more understanding person to forget! She then opened a new package and actually used it! Let's hear it for nice forgetful women!

This Rainy Weekend

The Veteran's Day Parade yesterday started out very promising, with the sun peeking through the clouds. However, it soon started sprinkling, and soon the down pour began. Will and I were there together for the first time in our 23 years of marriage. Will, of course, was wearing Proper Rain Gear. I had a warm coat, a blanket, and umbrella. By the time the Search and Rescue group marched in front of us, they were thoroughly soaked. By the time I got done chasing them down the street to get pictures, I was also soaked. Will remained dry and comfortable on his chair in his Proper Rain Gear. The kids chose not to wear their Goretex jackets. I'm so glad I starched and ironed Nick's shirt and pants, it makes such a difference when they're soaked through! Surprisingly, he said it was a lot of fun. That's wouldn't be how I would describe this picture.

Today Will took off to go have some adventure after church. I took Nick, Eric and Nick's friend Jake down the road to A&W for lunch. The line was long. I hate long lines. But I patiently waited. Some friends from church were there in line ahead of us. When I finally got second in line, I noticed a sign that said their debit/credit machine wasn't working. I asked if they take checks. No. I hadn't enough cash to feed this mob. I asked Eric to place to order while I ran over to an ATM on the other side of the store to get cash. I looked for my debit card. Not there. Then I remembered I had put it and my license in a fanny pack with my camera to go to the parade. It was at my house. I ran back over to the line where Eric had started to place our order and apologetically canceled it. I explained my predicament to my children and we got in the car to go home. As I was backing up, my friend came running out of the restaurant, ordering me back in because she had money to lend! (Thank you, Cindy!) I got back at the end of the long line, got her cash, wrote her a check, and patiently waited my turn. So God was watching out for me once again.

And I'm a little jealous of the power of a teenage girl. A cold wind is blowing and the rain is pouring down again this afternoon. Nick would probably balk at going outside to empty the garbage or get the paper for me. But he and his friend are begging to walk a mile to go over to a teenage girl's house. What is the deal with that?

A Day Off

What a luxury, a day off. As usual, things didn't go quite as I planned. I visualized many hours of scrapbooking time. I got none. A few household tasks in the morning, then I had lunch with Craig, Molly and Eric at Izzy's. Craig and I went to the post office, and as I pulled out of the parking lot, I made a right turn. A pedestrian on the sidewalk started waving and shouting at me, and I caught on right away. I was going the wrong way on a one way street. (Well, I usually go to the Tangent Post Office.) It's only one-way for a block so I sped up and turned off quickly. Craig was sputtering a bit and said, "Mom, I don't know how you survive." I said, "It's only because God watches over me."

So I got rid of Craig and went to Fred Meyer. Sadly, I couldn't find my shopping list. I called Nick at home to see if it was on the kitchen counter. No. Fortunately, in my coat pocket I found the list I made earlier this week and couldn't find on that trip, so I still needed many of the things on that list. Things just work out for me that way sometimes. I had a few phone calls while in the store, so I wasn't as focused on shopping as I could have been. This became apparent after I got home and was putting away groceries. I realized I bought things to make two desserts for my guests tomorrow night. A little scary. Now I have to decide which one.

My friend RuthAnn wanted to meet for coffee and the timing was perfect. On the way there, I picked up Nick's Search and Rescue uniform pants at the dry cleaners for the parade tomorrow. They had a big ink spot and lots of ink scribbles on the rear end. It ended up being just one medium size ink spot. Fortunately it will be raining and he will wear a Goretex jacket so no one will see his rear end. Anyway, that made me realize I had forgotten the main thing I went to the store for, spray starch for ironing his uniform. I haven't starched anything in years. They still sell several varieties though. So after coffee, I had to journey to the other side of town again through the pouring rain, driving around the Fred Meyer parking lot several times to try to get a spot within a mile of the door.

By the time I finally got home, it was time to make dinner. The day off was over! Will was looking over Nick's pants, and he said, "What's this bag?" Patiently and kindly, I said, "It's a dry cleaning bag." Offended, he said, "I know what a dry cleaning bag is. What is this bag?" There was a small white paper bag attached. I hadn't noticed it. He opened the bag. Inside was an ink pen from Sportsman's Warehouse that had apparently been in Nick's pants pocket. It was covered in ink and obviously unusable. But how kind of them to return it to us.

Which reminds me, I need to get his uniform shirt starched and ironed, but I won't have to worry about getting it just perfect since it will most likely be pouring rain the whole time. I'll try to get a picture!

Dirt vs. Decor

Yesterday I was preparing to host a "moving out shower" for my neice Brittany. Back in the distant past, this would have involved intense scrubbing and cleaning all day long. But yesterday, I preferred to shop, bake and put together a family recipe book for Brittany. (By the way, family, send me more of your favorite recipes please! I have some great ones so far and I may share them with all of you!) When I was shopping, I noticed many fall decor items on sale. I was first attracted by the "Buy 2, get 1 free" on the big florist mums. Three of those went in my cart. Then it occurred to me that if my house wasn't especially clean, people might be less likely to notice if there were seasonal decorations around. Besides, they could do double duty, both as decorations and gifts! Sadly, I failed to take very many pictures while people were here to show the cheerful effect, but this shows a bit of it. I even dashed out in the rain to gather some colorful leaves for an arrangement. Notice the new tablecloth on the dining table in the background and the blooming yellow mum centerpiece. You can't see the leaf design on the tablecloth, but I assure you, it speaks of autumn. McKenna, Dave, Brittany and roommate Angela. Dave understood my request for recipes to mean that he should prepare and bring the prepared recipe, so we got to enjoy his delicious baked beans as well as my pumpkin pie.

When I downloaded pictures, I realized I forgot to post about Halloween. Nick wanted to go out with a friend and scare small children, but of course Will forbade it, muttering something about "criminal mischief". So the boys went to Plan B and scared children as they came up our driveway. They put on masks and sat in my car, which Nick had carefully backed up. One little girl was so frightened she wouldn't walk back to the sidewalk until her mother came up to the porch to walk her back. Most of the other kids just laughed.
That's my cute little masked Nick!

A Chilly Sunday Afternoon

My delicious Sunday dinner was ready; I prepared to cut the beautiful golden roasted "Israeli Chicken" and was so sad to see pink juices flowing when I moved the chicken leg. So back in the oven it went. So often my best laid plans fail me.

Then again, sometimes things work out for the best. Will's sister just called him from Idaho, so he is free to have a leisurely chat. So the pressure is off to hurry up and get lunch on the table. (Not that a napping man actually pressures anyone.)


Eric discovered yesterday that his coat of many colors is not only beautiful, it's useful. The front pocket is just the right size for his kitten. They were heading out to visit Molly and her kitty, Oden. Eric brought home a three-story kitty palace/scratching post from her place earlier this week. It lasted a couple of days in my living room before I ordered it out. Now it's in his room. Lucky kitty.

Will and Nick went up to the posse camp yesterday and helped work on a roof. Upon their return, Nick was eager to show me the scrape marks on his stomach and legs from a fall on the roof. Fortunately he caught himself as he slid off the edge and didn't suffer a full-fledged fall. I think my sympathy and dinner at Denny's made him feel much better.

Ok, it's time to try for lunch again.

Weekend Walk

Another gorgeous sunny weekend, although a bit cooler now. The sunshine made our two-hour walk around Tangent yesterday morning much more enjoyable. Will and I went around Tangent putting out Linn County Law Enforcement Levy doorhangers. I found it quite interesting to observe the entrances to people's homes. A few have beautiful fall decorations, a few have spooky Halloween decorations, others are full of cobwebs and dirt. I appreciated the ones with "Welcome" signs and decor, especially after noticing a sign that said "Get the freaking out of here" as I was hanging my flyer on the door. Yikes. I turned and ran off that porch as fast as I could! Some screen door handles were difficult to hang our paper on, and one of us found some creative places to put them, such as in jack-o-lanterns and on porch decor. I won't say who did this, but I myself am a very traditional person. We were relieved to complete our rounds without any confrontations with disgruntled citizens.

Now it's time to go take a non-political Sunday walk.

A Confession

A faithful reader called me last night and mentioned he was shocked as he read my previous post where I proudly boasted of successfully navigating my way to my sister Jean's house in the hinterlands of the south county. I apologize to him and can only blame this lapse on my amazing ability to block and temporarily forget things that I prefer not to remember.

The truth is, as I prepared to leave on Thursday night, I realized my mind could not picture where I should go after taking the Harrisburg exit. I have multiple excuses for this. Sometimes we take Hwy 99, other times we go on I-5. The first time we went, even Will missed a turn. Having full confidence in his ability to find any given address, he did not call anyone for directions; instead he gave us a lengthy tour of the back roads.

Lacking any confidence that perhaps once I was in the area I would recognize and remember how to get there, I realized I needed to get help. It's a little embarrassing to admit I can't figure out how to get to my own sister's house, so first I attempted to get help from MapQuest. Since it was already time to go, I couldn't get it to do what I wanted in a timely manner. So I dashed out to my car and called my baby brother Doug while I was enroute. Doug did not ridicule me for needing this advice. He gave me very clear and simple directions. What he doesn't realize is that for me, it is quite a triumph to go directly somewhere even with clear and simple directions.

So I apologize for not giving credit where credit is due. Without Doug's directions, I would have driven aimlessly around in the dark, become completely discombobulated, and missed all the fun, games and food at Jean's party. It was just one of many times he has cheerfully used his skills to rescue me. Several years ago, he made a house call at 10:00 one Saturday night on his way home from a Beaver's game to solve a puzzling mystery of why water was pouring out of our kitchen lights when Nick was taking a bath in the bathtub above. He has always been there for us to demystify and easily correct all the minor but puzzling plumbing issues we've had over the years.

So here's to my helpful, talented, cute and fun to be with brother Doug. Thank you, Doug. (If only I would have also asked you for directions to return home!)

Update at 7:52 p.m.: Speaking of giving credit where credit is due, I realized upon reading the comment below that I also failed to do that for my other baby brother. I so admired Tom's use of the word "discombobulated" on his blog "Iced Tea Forever" last week that I vowed I must use it soon. Thank you, Tom, for the inspiration and entertainment you provide with your creative use of the English language.

And to all my other brothers, Galen, John, Mark and Dave: space does not allow me to adequately thank you for all that I owe you also. Thank you.

A Utopian Week

Can my fellow Utopians believe how gorgeous fall is here? Yesterday was a record breaking 79 degrees! I had to put shorts and a tank top on to go for a walk after work! I also picked another nice bowl of strawberries. We ate outside last night! The flowers are still blooming, the leaves are a gorgeous array of colors, the sky is incredibly blue, the sunsets are awesome. This is a great place to live!

Once again I have endured a week of being single. Will left for Idaho to visit his family last Saturday and will return Sunday. It's been a much busier week for me, parties everywhere. Niece Jody had a Pampered Chef party Tuesday and Will was happy that I spent money there. He wants my old stuff for the trailer. He believes in getting the best equipment and I tend to buy the cheap stuff. But there will be no more wimpy spatulas for me! He can have them in the trailer!

Sister Jean had a Home and Garden party last night. I had better self control there. Or perhaps the temptation was less because of fewer essential items and more lovely items. My decorating genes are dormant right now. As always, it was good to talk to my sister Hope, the only person I know who has as many ditzy moments as I do. She makes me feel pleasingly normal. When we were growing up, I always thought I was the mature responsible one and she was the ditzy one. But over the years, maybe that's leveled out a little!

The half-hour trip down there with the sunset glowing along the horizon above the mountains was enough to make me want to drive on forever. I feel quite proud of myself that I made through the back roads of the unfamiliar south county to her country home with no wrong turns. On the way back in the blackness of the night, I only made one wrong turn. But I realized I was going the wrong way and turned around long before I got to Eugene! However, I did not honk and wave at my sister and nieces as I passed them later on the freeway, because at the time I was foolishly feeling a little embarrassed about my little detour that had put me behind them instead of 10 minutes ahead of them where I should have been, and kind of hoped they wouldn't notice it was me.

Tonight Nick has some friends over for a pizza and movie night. He and his friend were behaving like fairly well-adjusted and normal 14-15 year old boys before the two girls got here. Even though the girls are long-time friends, the boys behavior changed dramatically upon their arrival. Actually, shortly before their arrival they started trying to impress them by making sure they were out on the street doing cool things on their bikes. They became much louder, trying to outdo each other with silly attempts at humor. I guess they're trying to be especially cute and fun to be with. I'm just shaking my head. I think they are much more likable when they just act normal. But they are getting a lot of laughs.

The girls got to see the first screening of the video the boys completed today, a four minute "horror movie" entitled "The Tangent Scooter Handle Massacre" that involves a lot of running and screaming by neighborhood teenagers. They had a dilemma because one of the extras uttered a bad word during the filming, but talented big brother Eric came to the rescue. The screen momentarily goes black as Eric murmurs an expressive "Oh Dear" that is just perfect for the moment and completely eliminates the offending word. The opening and ending credits are impressive. Garrett is listed as "Captain Killer" and Nick is billed as "The Important Guy".

I hope you're not sadly shaking your head and thinking what a bad parent I am.

That was life at our house this week.

A Sunny Saturday

What a gorgeous fall day! I am enjoying the sunshine and flowers while they last. There is much work yet to be done, but too many things are still blooming to cut them down.

I strolled around the yard looking things over today and also lounged in my comfy chair with my feet up, enjoying the view. Ate a few delicious red strawberries and need to take a bowl out tomorrow to pick them again. If anyone wants cosmos next year, come get some flowers for seeds now! They self sow very enthusiastically!

He's Back!

Will arrived home today after spending the past week on his annual fishing pilgrimage on the Rogue River with his friend Dave Dean. It has been an unspeakably dull and dreary week around here without him. Nothing to blog about since Nick's bleach incident. (The black dye did very little for the sweatshirt by the way.) I can't stand for him to go out in public in it, so I bought a new sweatshirt for him. There's a lot of yardwork that he can help with this time of year.

To celebrate Will's homecoming, I prepared a pot roast in the oven with all the accompaniments. Nothing is too good for the returning dominant male of this household. We spent dinner time catching up on all the important events. Here is the condensed version:

Nick: Got a new cell phone due to his dying and me giving him my upgrade, much to my relief because I didn't want to learn to use a new phone. ("Mom, I'm so glad you don't like technology!") Nick also was pleased to announce to his father that he had successfully configured the household laptops to wirelessly print from our printer.

Eric: Got a haircut and sideburn trim to be presentable for his senior portrait sitting which occurred yesterday. He was told that when he smiles his eyes go shut, but when he tried to keep them open while smiling, he was told not to look surprised. (Can you think of any Troyers with that problem?!) Can't wait to see them! We had to raid his father's closet because his clothing options are quite limited. A tie dyed shirt with jeans might be fine for a picture with his guitar, but we needed a little dressier look as well.

Me: I went to my boss's wedding in Salem on Friday night with three of my co-workers. While at a stoplight, one of my companions pointed out the gentleman in the car next to us, who had an index finger up each nostril. After flicking the results of that exploration away, he inserted his pinkie and tried again, completely oblivious to the four women hysterically laughing at him in the vehicle to his left. But the wedding was lovely. How often are you going to get a perfect warm evening for an outdoor wedding on September 29?

Will: Enjoyed a quiet week with his only friend whose hearing is worse than his own. (Oops, not his only friend.) Spotted a bobcat in camp several times, woke up from a nap in the trailer to see a ground squirrel on the countertop helping himself to cookies (lucky the bobcat didn't come in the open door for a snack as well!), and viewed a bear up the river.

The highlight of our dinner, which I was quite excited about, was dessert. I picked the strawberries in my raised bed today, and was quite pleased with the yield. I made them admire the bowl of berries for a bit. I was also quite pleased with the bouquet of hydrangeas and roses which I cut today.
I have never had strawberry shortcake on October 1 from fresh strawberries in my back yard. I have had these everbearing strawberries for three years, and I wish I knew what variety they are so I could recommend them to you. They yield a nice sized bowl of berries about once a week from July through September.

It was delicious and enjoyed by all! No leftovers! Yes, Tom, that is iced tea in the glasses! Molly and I are drinking mint, the rest of the family likes it plain.

The Perfect Child?

I came home today from a wonderful women's retreat weekend at Aldersgate where I enjoyed the beautifully landscaped grounds in the sunshine, the company of caring, funny women of all ages, inspiring testimonies of God's faithfulness, fabulous meals that I didn't have to prepare or clean up, and an outstanding speaker who shared how God has worked through the difficulties in her life to teach her to live according to eternity thinking. So here I am, inspired to look beyond the here and now and live for eternity. Amazing how last week's hike really fit that theme, as I didn't see the beauty til I was able to look past the ugly black burnt trees to see the mountains beyond.

I was the M.C. at this event, and I shared a few of the humorous family stories that sometimes illustrated the points that the speakers made. (As well as some that perhaps didn't.) It's possible that during one of these stories I may have been guilty of referring to Nick as "our perfect child."

But this afternoon after I got home, everything Nick did was extremely irritating to me. Perhaps the sleep deprivation of the weekend contributed to that. I had to make many urgent suggestions regarding his driving on the way to and from church. We bought laundry detergent after church because they ran out and no one was able to replace it in my absence. He started his laundry after we got home, and commented how the new detergent really smelled like bleach. I sprang up from the table and leaped over to the washer. It not only smelled like bleach, it WAS bleach. The new bottle of liquid detergent, white in color just like the bottle of bleach, was still on the kitchen counter. A week's worth of new school clothes, including the new sweatshirt, were in the washer. It is amazing how many of them were splattered with bleach. I think only the three items on the very bottom of the washer were spared. Thankfully, his red Search and Rescue shirt was one ot the items left unmarred. I am appalled. Does anyone know, if you dye clothes with bleach spots, will it take the color evenly? I have never dyed anything. (At least not anything that doesn't grown on my head.) It sounds like a lot of trouble. The sweatshirt is both gray and black. I might try to mark the black with a Sharpie and see if that helps. I might go out and buy Sharpies of every color tomorrow and see if it helps! Nick does not seem too terribly disturbed by it. He even thinks the jeans and some of the shirts look cool. I have informed him I will not be buying him new clothes to replace these. I am even reasonably sure that my voice was not excessively loud or high when I made that declaration.

Our weekend speaker, who deals with some health issues, told us that often when people say, "How are you?" her reply is, "I feel crappy, but I'm still happy." (She first asked permission to use the potty language!) So when I look at Nick as he wears these pathetic looking clothes, I will think, "You look crappy, but I still feel happy!" Because this is not an event that will affect his eternal destiny. This too will pass!


But the sweatshirt may have to go away.

Am too a Wilderness Girl!

At last we had a free Saturday to go hiking. Will wanted to go to the mountains and make a day of it. I almost didn't go because I'd been gone so much last week and had many Saturday chores plus four pies to bake for the big pinochle group barbecue Sunday. But after going to the funeral of a 52-year-old friend on Friday afternoon and hearing her son talk about how special their last family trip to the beach had been a few weeks earlier, I decided I must get my priorities right and go for it on Saturday. In the future, would I be glad that I missed the opportunity to hike in the mountains with my family because I needed to stay home and be a drudge? Besides that, Will got the laundry started and a few chores done Thursday night while I was out having fun! What a guy!

It was a little drizzly as we approached the trailhead. Knowing that I am somewhat a fair weather outdoor girl, Will suggested I might enjoy going to Hoodoo Lodge with my book, and he and Nick would call me when they were nearly back to the parking lot. I detected an unspoken opinion that perhaps I just wasn't up to this particular hike. Suddenly the 44 degree damp weather really didn't seem that bad, and I was determined to participate. My resolve was soon tested as we practically bushwhacked through the beginning of the trail, which went through a forest that had burned a couple years ago. Many snags blocked the trail and needed to be climbed over or detoured around. The trail got a little better as we went on, but the blackened remains of the trees we passed through were not what I had envisioned for a hike to commune with nature in the wilderness.

Isn't it lovely? Desperately not wanting to whine, in the most pleasant voice I could muster, I asked Will if this was all we were going to see, or would we soon pass through this to an unburned forest. He seemed surprised and disappointed that I did not find this a scenic hike. So I tried to keep my mouth shut and persevered on.

He kept asking me if I recognized the area, because we had cross country skiied there with our friends Jan and Steve Buckley once 22 years ago when it was a lovely forest covered in snow, and he always seemed surprised and disappointed when I had to confess I didn't not recognize anything. (I was about to start lying just to make him feel better.) After we stopped for lunch at this lovely spot, I was freezing. As we prepared to continue on into the blackness, I decided I did not want to go any farther. I apologized for being a fair weather hiker, but told Will I would return to the car and wait there for them. He said something about being sorry he had failed to maintain my wilderness quotient and had allowed me to become citified. He indicated he would not enjoy hiking on because he would be too concerned about me becoming lost. I was confident I knew exactly how to get to the car. Nick offered to accompany me if it would make Will feel better. I couldn't let that happen, so I capitulated. But my hands were freezing. Will had some really nice gloves to wear, and he offered me his extras, a pair of big ugly (although new) work gloves. I graciously declined. Nick offered me some wool socks from his pack. I declined again. Will even offered me his nice gloves. I declined again, stating that once we got going my hands would warm up. Sure enough they did.... much, much later.

We reached the beautiful green forest I had been dreaming of not long after that, and even made it to Lower Burley Lake. Nick and Will had birds eating out of their hands. That was all well and good til one of the birds dived at me as I stood there with the camera. I recognized the birds, and well remembered them eating out of Will and Steve's hands 22 years ago.

Nick demonstrated his water filtering system from his Search and Rescue equipment. He perhaps regretted his decision to carry his full pack, the better to be in shape for SAR callouts.

The return trip was much more enjoyable than the walk in. For some reason, I was able to see the beauty in the contrasts between the green ferns and wildflowers and the blackness of the trees. Also, the surrounding mountains were visible because of the openness. For a long stretch, Mount Washington was visible, with the sun actually shining on it.

So, although Will pretends he regrets letting me come along, and though I feared for awhile that hiking trails would need to be added to the list of things he needs my help selecting (camping sites and chair placement are already on this short list), I am very glad I accompanied my guys on this memory making, 8.4 mile trip.

I may have hinted to Will that I believed that probably no one else would choose to hike in that particular area right now, but as always, I am proved wrong. At 9:45 tonight, Nick got a Search and Rescue callout for a couple of lost hikers. Will seems to think they are in the same area where we were on Saturday. So they have gone down to the Sheriff's Office. I wish them much success.

The Healing Field

On Sunday just before lunch, I got a call from a friend who had been in Salem the day before at a 9/11 memorial called the "Healing Field" at Salem Riverfront Park. She told me it had a section of flags for each of the WTC victims and another section of flags for the military personnel who have lost their lives since then, with a plaque for each of the military. She had seen Tyler's plaque and wanted to be sure we knew about it. I called Dave, who was also unaware of it. Carol Eichelberger and I drove to Salem and met Dave there. Wow. It was very sobering to look across the huge expanse with all those flags. The plaque read, "In grateful memory of Lance Corporal Tyler Troyer, United States Marine and Battalion, 2nd Marion G Company". They were selling flags there, and we asked about buying the plaque. They said they give them to the parents. We ordered one for Terri as well, since she and Michael weren't able to come up when they found out at the last minute also.
I also have been meaning to share some pictures of the flag memorial in honor of Tyler at the park behind our house. Sadly for us, the dedication ceremony happened in July while we were on vacation so we missed it. When I was at the park with Brenden last week, it really struck me how strange and sad it was to be playing with one nephew while a memorial to another nephew was visible right next to the playground. All the little kids playing there probably have no idea that Tyler once ran around and played in that very park.
I walked over this evening and took the pictures and it was getting a little dark so you can't see the red, white and blue flowers very well. Here's a close up of the plaque.

A week from today it will be 10 months since we lost Tyler.

Toki

Tuesday after school Eric told me he needed to asked permission for something at dinner. I want to know what he's going to ask. "No, you'll just say no. I can't tell you because I have to make a speech first to both you and dad." So I was quite curious and a bit nervous as well!

Molly also joined us for dinner, which we partook of on our shady deck. Eric started talking about how responsible he is, now that he is 18. He takes care of Molly's dog all the time, cleaning up it's messes, feeding, walking it, etc. He gave us several examples of his exemplary character and maturity at this advanced age of 18. Also, this would improve our relationship with our neighbor across the street, because we would get to know her better, since she is the director of Safe Haven. He and Molly had been to Safe Haven checking out kitties. There was a special deal going on for adopting two kitties. Molly already had permission to get one. He would take full responsibility for it and take it with him when he moves out.

So I find myself sharing my house with a feline again. Eric was the reason we got our first and only other cat back in about 1997. Eric wanted to make a pet out of a half-dead shrew that he found in the back yard. I wouldn't let him. That night when I tucked him in bed, he was in tears. "Mom, do you think I will ever have a pet?" How could I deny such a child? Fortuitously, withing a week or so, my neice Dawn had a cat she needed to give up, so it came to live with us until it met it's untimely end several years ago due to complications of skin cancer. (White cats should not spend much time outside.)

A few months ago, Eric and Molly each got a pet rat. Molly has custody of both of them. I guess Eric's kitty is going to visit her while he's at work tonight, because they took it with them this afternoon. This kitty's name is Toki. (I'm not sure how to spell it.) He says it's Chinese for rabbit. I realized a needed a "family picture" as they were about to leave so I made them wait in the driveway while I grabbed my camera. Here they are - Eric with Toki, Marley the dog, Molly and her kitty (don't know it's name). Don't worry, Eric put Toki in the back seat with Marley before he drove off.

The First Week is Over!

It's good to have the first week of school behind us. Our numbers are at an all time high, 675 compared to our previous all time high of 650 last year. Six years ago when I started, we were about 585. All week long, I have been responding to forgetful children. "I forgot my lunch number." "I locked my locker combo in my locker." "Can you print me a new schedule, I left mine at home in my pocket." Then we have the brilliant parents. One of them, looking at his child's schedule which is numbered 1 through 8 listing the classes, asked how he knows which one to go to first!

Nick and Eric have bonded, riding to school together every day. Eric showed him how to get his schedule changed, dropping Drama for the Computer Apps class he wanted but didn't get. It came through today. Nick is really enjoying his electronics class, wanting to go to Radio Shack today to buy the junk to make a circuit like they did in class.

It's been a very hectic week and I was looking forward to coming home and relaxing tonight, but something better came up. Nick and I were shopping for a few more school clothes. (I brought home a polo shirt for Nick off a clearance rack earlier this week. He laughed. It has a pocket. He would never wear it. Or if he could rip the pocket off he would wear it.) So we were at Mervyn's big sale after school when Jody called, asking if we could keep Brenden for a few hours. (Anisa as always was her first choice but she didn't answer her phone. I'm not bitter, I know it's a geographical issue. I hope.) So Nick and I picked up Brenden and got to hang out with him. We visited Brittany and family on our way to the park. He didn't want to leave there to go to the park, but he loved the park. He was about to go down the slide when a cute little girl noticed there was water at the bottom of it so she wiped it off with her shirt! It's too bad there couldn't have been more people here to witness Brenden saying goodbye to Uncle Will, giving him a hug and a kiss on the lips! It was very cute.

Labor Day Weekend

For the first time ever, we camped on Labor Day weekend. Will and Nick went up earlier than I did, since he had the day off but I couldn't leave the office til we were ready for the first day of school. Since people were coming in to register all day long, I didn't get my work done in a timely manner and was there til after 6. But that's another story. So I didn't get to have any input on our campsite. Poor Will knew that wherever he set up, it would be wrong. He was right.

We camped at the Sheriff's Posse Camp (where the Search and Rescue Academy is held). The annual posse potluck was to be held Sunday, so they started arriving Saturday. We ended up surrounded by four camp trailers, and their horses were in the coral behind us. They are nice people, and the horses are lovely. But in the early morning when they go on a ride and leave just one horse behind, that horse objects. Loudly. Over and over. I don't know if it's a whinny or a neigh, but the repeated shrill shrieking sounds of that lonely horse certainly destroyed my hopes of sleeping in a bit on a lazy camping morning. But of course I didn't complain. I might have mentioned it a few times, but mentioning does not equal complaining. Anywhere Will parks is fine with me....They left yesterday afternoon, so the only thing left to complain about, I mean mention, was the odor wafting in the breeze from the horse area. Luckily I have been conditioned not to complain or whine about the minor inconveniences of life.

At the potluck, I met a woman who used to own and operate Dancin' Bloomers, a nursery in Shedd where I bought many plants the first few years we lived here. We were chatting about it. The two friends from church who were also there asked me about it later. "So what's this Dancin' Bloomers place you used to go to all the time?" Apparently the conversation didn't indicate that it was a nursery, and they were quite puzzled about me being so enthusiastic about a place with a name like that! I was able to quickly cut short their speculation on the possiblity that I had a secret life.

The End of Summer

The teachers came back to school this week. We have 12 new teachers out of a teaching staff of 37. So there is much excitement and a bit of chaos. Tomorrow I will be distributing my literary masterpiece that I improve on each year and share with new teachers, a two page missive entitled, "Attendance for Dummies (an X through Dummies) Teachers". I have already given them my one-page essay called "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Purchasing a School Lunch" (but were afraid to ask). I do my best to train new staff members in the areas where I am highly qualified and extremely knowledgable.

Last weekend was so beautiful. We got to see hot air balloons floating by our house first thing Friday, Saturday and Sunday because of the Art and Air Festival. I took this picture from our deck. Three of them were about to land in a field along the road as I headed to church Sunday morning.

Will decided it would be a good weekend to clean the garage so he could put the Bronco in there, the better to work on it through the coming winter. So I got to help. We didn't have any fights that got loud enough for the neighbors to hear. The loudest shriek was when I opened the garbage lid to toss something in and saw something brown and furry which made an unpleasant noise. Then I realized it was just Mr. Sarcastic Bear. Sometimes Will shows no discretion when it comes to tossing things. I thought it was such a meaningful award, but apparently he doesn't treasure it enough. It's been in the garage since sweet two-year-old Brenden was here and we had to protect his innocent ears. I rescued it and continue to hold it in reserve for just the right re-gifting moment.

Brent

I want to tell you about a very special young man whom I hope you will all keep in your prayers during the coming year. He is in the US Army and was recently deployed to Iraq.

I first met Brent when his parents came over for dinner soon after they started attending our church, probably about 1989. I think he was about two years old. They hadn’t been at our house very long before he threw up on my lovely brown plaid couch. He seemed to feel better, but before long, he threw up again on his mother’s lap. I loaned her my favorite sweatpants (teal colored) since she was/is way skinnier than me and nothing else would fit. We had dinner, but when he threw up a third time, they decided it would be okay to eat and run! (I think we’ve since concluded that it was his dad’s fault for feeding him too many hot dogs for lunch!)

Our families became very good friends over the years in spite of that inauspicious beginning, and Brent grew up to be a wonderful role model to younger kids. We camped with them many times, and Brent always treated our Nick with such kindness and respect, almost as an equal instead of as a little kid five years younger. Brent was always great at entertaining the younger kids without acting like it was an imposition. Nick has always admired and looked up to him so much. It was after going to Brent’s graduation from the Search and Rescue Academy about four years ago that Nick set his heart on doing the same thing as soon as he was old enough, and he met that goal this summer.

I love this picture I took of Brent with his sister and other admirers when our families were camping at the Metolius River with a group of friends last July, just before Brent left for boot camp. He then was sent to German for a year. One day in April I was working as usual in the office at school when a young man walked in who looked strangely familiar. Brent, looking so grown up, was home on a “surprise” visit to his family and wanted to take his sister out to lunch. When he brought her back we chatted for a bit. At the time he was expecting to leave for Iraq soon, and before he left he gave me a hug and told me he would be in church Sunday in uniform. I was glad it was time for me to leave for lunch because I couldn’t keep the tears from coming. The next Sunday was Easter, and our church was holding Easter services at the Linn County Fairgrounds. The last time I was there was for Tyler’s funeral, and I knew if I went there Sunday and saw Brent in uniform, soon to head for Iraq, I would need more Kleenexes than I could carry in my medium size purse. So we went to Jody and Kevin’s church on Easter morning. I wish I would have had the fortitude to go, because I missed hearing Brent’s parents sharing before the congregation about trusting God in uncertain times.

Brent was busy with friends and family while he was home, but Nick hadn’t had a chance to see him, so he took the time to come by the school and take his sister and Nick out to lunch another day. Nick loved it, and I hope Brent knows how much that meant to him.

So now we have the opportunity to trust God in uncertain times. I know that God loves Brent and has great things planned for him, and that through these experiences he can grow to a depth of spiritual maturity that can only come through difficult times. His mother told me she is praying for his health and safety, that he will have wisdom, and that God will use him to impact others around him. He e-mailed his mom that he can feel the prayers of people and feels a sense of peace and calmness. So join your prayers with ours and if you want to write him a note to let him know he’s in your thoughts and prayers, here’s his address. We all love you and are so proud of you, Brent!

PFC Brent Riley
Task Force 1-26 Infantry
APO AE 09390

A Strangely Silent Weekend

After shopping Friday, Nick and I were going to meet Will for dinner at Applebees. We were nearly there when Will called and said there was a change in plans. A man had been hiking and broke his leg on a trail above 8000 feet and there was a Search and Rescue mission to go up and move him to a place where a helicopter could pick him up. We met Will in the parking lot, he took Nick home to get his gear, and I went grocery shopping. Will decided he could perhaps be useful on this operation, (he loves going up to the mountains) so he headed on up to the trailhead as well. Will returned home about 5:30 p.m. the next day. Nick got back about two hours later. He had two nasty blisters on each foot. We got to looking at his boots, which we bought in June, and they are getting a bit small. We had to buy a size bigger when we bought his school shoes the day before. I suppose we are a few short years away from having another Oddball Shoes customer. Hopefully they sell enormous hiking boots.

Nick had previously signed up to help today with the River Wild boat races, a Search and Rescue fundraiser event that has been going on this weekend. I had to have him at the Sheriff's Office at 7:30 this morning. Will left about 6:30 am for Sisters for meetings about forest fires and possible evacuation plans. Eric and I had brunch together at Denny's after church, but other than that I was on my own again until about 4:00.

I remember when being home alone was a rare treat, one that I always knew about well in advance and made many plans to take maximum advantage of. Now it's becoming very common place. I don't have any trouble entertaining myself when I'm home alone - there's always something to clean, weed, or wash, as well as scrapbooking and books to read. I'm trying to get Eric's life scrapbooked by the time he graduates in June. I started three years ago, and I just finished his fourth year of life. I've been sidetracked by three other scrapbooks in the meantime, so now I have to focus on Eric and make a little faster progress. It's hard to scrapbook when the weather is nice though.

I knew Nick would be calling this afternoon when he needed to be picked up, but I forgot to take my cell phone outside when I was on the breezy front porch with the laptop. I heard a neighbor's phone ring and so I came in and got the phone. There were three missed calls from Nick on it. Yikes, I'm afraid we're going to get a bad reputation down there. It's not like were just some anonymous dumb parents who never answer the phone when their kid calls, we are very well-known-to-them dumb parents. Must improve on that.

So Nick came home this afternoon and was of course very hungry. He said he's eaten jail sack lunches for the past two days! I let him heat up my leftovers from Dennys. Oh, the sweet signs that a teenager is back in the house. Dirty socks next to the couch and gravy spilled on the bottom cabinets and the floor. How did he do that? I made him clean it up before he sat down to eat, but I'm am minding those telltale signs of teenage inhabitation less and less as time goes by!

Being home alone with no one making messes or needing meals cooked is enjoyable, but it's more fun having the family around, even if they are a lot of trouble sometimes!

Shopping with Nick

Nick and I did a little shopping Friday afternoon. I wanted to bring one of his many female friends to guide him in a positive direction of clothing choices, but he vetoed the idea. The t-shirts today have absolutely no class. The attitudes expressed and the many references to passing gas leave me shaking my head. Nick immediately fell in love with a shirt that had a picture of Homer Simpson wearing nothing but his tidy whities with his big belly showing and the slogan "Ladies Man". It was my turn to veto, in spite of his pleas to loosen up and quit being so uptight. I thought I would enlist some support for my opinion among his peers, so I called a 14 year old friend who has a good sense of style and asked her opinion of this shirt. Perhaps I guided her response a little. "If you saw a boy wearing this shirt, wouldn't you think he was stupid?" She laughed and said, "Well, kind of, but it's also kind of funny. I'll ask my brother what he thinks." I didn't care what her brother thinks, he of course agreed with Nick! So she bitterly disappointed me. But I still didn't buy the shirt.

Have you ever seen a pretty sheep?

I was out working in my yard earlier enjoying this lovely evening when I heard someone yelling, "Hello, Mrs. M!" I looked up to see one of my former office aides, now in high school, coming down the street, holding a baby bunny and a leading an elegant looking sheep on a leash. I mistakenly referred to it as a goat and she corrected me, but I can't remember what kind of fancy sheep it is. Brittany, Jeremy and some kids visiting them came outside to check it out and so did Nck.

As most of you know, I have a some sort of genetic problem and am more comfortable with pictures of animals than actual contact with animals. But I actually admired and touched this sheep because it had such a beautiful coat of wool, not like an ordinary sheep at all. I told her it was just fine if her sheep eats my grass. But I was soon rudely reminded of one reason I am repelled by animals when the kids started laughing because the sheep was dropping a pile of little "coffee beans" on my grass. Eeuww.

So I was complaining about it to Will when he came home telling him I was going to let it dry and have Nick pick it up tomorrow. He looked at me incredulously. "Are you from around here?" He had two pieces of advice for me. 1. Don't ever tell anyone you saw a pretty sheep. 2. You are not going to make Nick get down on his hands and knees tomorrow to gather up the sheep's "coffee beans". Water it into the grass and it will disintegrate on it's own. Eeuww.

Motherhood and Matrimony

Once again I am enjoying the blessings of motherhood and matrimony. Nick had a great week at camp but was very happy to be home. He came downstairs and told me their toilet was dirty so he cleaned it. Wow. A little later he heard me screaming and came running down the stairs to help me, still buttoning his pants. He was a bit surprised to find all the commotion had been caused by my efforts to kill an enormous spider that didn't want to die. It was just he and I Saturday night, and he suggested we hang out and watch a movie. So we went to the nice new Carmike theater in Corvallis. We shared a container of buttery popcorn, and I helpfully opened up a couple of napkins and put them on his lap so his pants wouldn't get greasy. I told him I was setting the standard for future girlfriends. If he takes a girl to the movies, he'll know she's the one if she makes sure he has napkins protecting his clothes. He said, "No, Mom, if I'm at the movies with napkins spread all over me, I'll know I'm with my mom." He enjoyed the movie more than I did. I don't know why I went to see Pirates of the Caribeean. There are way to many slimy ugly creatures that I can't bear to look at.

Sunday morning I let him drive to church even though we didn't have any extra minutes to spare. He tries to be careful not to speed and tends to slow down occasionally. When I'm running late, I find it a bit frustrating to be going less than the speed limit. By the time we turned onto Geary just before getting to church and were creeping down the road at 22 mph in the 25 mph speed zone, I couldn't control myself any more. I told him just this once I wanted him to go five minutes over the speed limit. He thought that was quite funny. "Are you sure you want me to go five minutes over the speed limit?" Yes just this once. Get me to church! "Five minutes, huh?" Oh you know what I mean! I must learn to curb my impatience.

The Troyer family that was available came over Sunday night for a sub sandwich picnic on our deck with blackberry cobbler for dessert. A lovely evening. Will got home in time to host this event. Good thing because he had to run Nick to town for a Search and Rescue callout about 8:00 pm. Nick got to take a fast hike up Iron Mountain to help bring down an older lady who had fallen and injured her ankle. I woke up at 1:30 am to my cell phone ringing the "restricted call" ring (a very nasty jarring sound). I thought it was Will's phone because I don't usually have my phone in the bedroom. We had quite an argument as I kept telling him to answer his phone and he kept saying his phone wasn't ringing. So by the time we figured it out, I missed the call and thought it was very odd because I assumed Nick would use his cell phone and call Will's cell when he returned. Soon I heard the faint ring of the house phone and leaped up again. Poor Nick said he had been trying to call for a half hour and calls were not going through to either my phone or Will's, and we didn't hear the house phone (the ringer was turned off in our room). Nick was so tired he fell onto the couch and slept there until 2:30 this afternoon. In addition to his busy night, I guess he had a bit of sleep to catch up on from camp.

Overheard, Nick to Will while watching Sci Fi: "Does cauterize mean removing your man parts?"

A Camping Widow

Since Will has been gone camping since Wednesday and it's also church high school camp, I have been living quite the wild single life. Wednesday I stayed out past 11 PM after going out to dinner, a movie, then dessert and coffee with three girlfriends. Thursday night was even more outrageous, as I ventured into the long blackberry bush lined driveway at my cousin Gwen and Dale's place with Doug and Anisa. I was the smart one, wearing long pants while Doug and Anisa were scoffed at by Dale for wearing "high pants". We were treated to homemade ice cream with blackberries after our exertions through the thorny vines (and quite a few laughs during our fight through the jungle) before heading back home with our buckets of blackberries. Tonight I went to Galen's after I got off work to see Dawn and Kevin and their lovely children. They soon headed to the Scandinavian Festival so I went out to dinner with Galen and Carol. I got home while it was still daylight and worked in the yard like an ordinary wife and mother for a bit.

When I pulled into my driveway, Michael (Shorty) from next door came running over and my heart stopped for a moment because I actually felt like I was seeing Tyler and for a second it seemed like maybe it had all been a bad dream. Wow. His family hadn't seen my Tyler scrapbook yet so I sent it home with him. Brittany brought it back around 10:00 and we had a nice gabfest. She just left a few minutes ago. I am so fortunate to live next to my brother's daughter and her family. So it chalks up for another late night for this wild temporarily single woman. Tomorrow night I'll be a mother again so I will have to quit having so much fun and return to my sedate matronly life!

Eric is 18

Happy birthday to Eric, who has the good fortune to have a birthdate of 8-8-88 and is now 18. The day after he was born and the doctor came to check in on this 9 pound, 13 ounce baby with the fat cheeks and upturned nose, the doctor told me that a boy born in the summer should not go to kindergarten when he is five, he won't be ready til he is six. What he didn't mention is that he will turn 18 before his senior year begins and you will be stuck with a year of having a "child" in your home who considers himself an adult. We have tried to prepare for this but no doubt we will all need much prayer as we spend this year preparing for his independence.

Here he is with his fellow Funkle Ted band members and other friends. I only had three candles so he figured each one could represent six years.


Eric is very smart, creative and talented and we expect great things in his future. We encourage him to take to heart the theme verse he learned and repeated many times on Wednesday nights in Caravans: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths." (Prov3:5-6) We love you Eric.

Another Troyer Campout at South Beach

(Or as Will says, a McAnulty campout that the Troyers come to)

(Revised 8/10/06)
Our annual summer weekend at South Beach was so quiet this year. Dawn, we missed you and your family! Especially your family! Your children tend to really liven things up! It was fun having Brenden and Tamarick and Jenna for the day, but they weren't there long enough!

They were there long enough for Nick and Duane to get rich. It was sunny in the morning, but by afternoon the clouds were hiding the sun, the fog had rolled in and a chill wind was blowing. Galen drove the Suburban to the beach with the little boys, the big boys (Nick and Duane), and the adult boys, Kenny, my neice Melissa's husband and Will. It was quite cold on the beach, and Kenny told the boys he would give them $60 if they got completely wet. Of course they ran to the ocean and dived right in! Totally worth freezing!

Here's Nick bringing coffee to his Uncle Doug and his favorite cousin Kenny!

Molly brought her puppy Marley. It's nice my boys finally get to enjoy a dog without me having any of the inconvenience. Eric even got up at 6 a.m. to take him for a needed walk!

Anisa wins the Good Deed Award for the weekend. A little girl walked by crying for her mom so Anisa leaped up, took her hand and helped the sad but talkative little girl named Emma reunite with her family. "I'm only six. I'm the youngest in my family. They're all packed up and they'll probably leave without me. We have to go see some sharks. I don't like sharks. I don't want to see sharks...." Her older brother returned to the restroom where he was supposed to have waited for her and they all lived happily ever after. It reminded us of a church campout at Honeyman when Eric was about 3. He and his friend Heidi got on their trikes and kept going. We didn't notice they were lost until a nice gentleman returned them to us. After that we wrote our campsite number on our children's hands.

A nice policeman prowled by Saturday afternoon and Will asked if he could help him. He was trying to track down the source of an illegal smoke smell and seemed to think it was coming from our camp site. A member of our group had brought wood from some sort of evergreen tree and apparently it emits a smell similar to that certain illegal substance. No charges were filed.

Once again the weekend was over too quickly. Nick had to leave early to go to camp. Will really missed his help with hooking up. When we got there Friday, Will lounged around with a can of soda telling anyone who would listen how much he loves that kid while Nick unhooked and set up the trailer, "It's a good thing you weren't born first or we probably would have had about 14 kids." Now I need to follow through and get people over here for a barbecue before the summer is over so everyone can see the flag memorial here at the Tangent park.

Back to Work

My one month summer break is over. Sadly, I had to go back to work last week on Thursday. Very sadly. My desk was gone because the ancient carpet was expected to be replaced in July. It wasn't replaced until Monday, July 31. So I had to find something else to do.

There were lots of waist high weeds growing among the miniature roses in the front flower bed at school, and lots more weeds in the two courtyards. I mercilessly cut back the spindly rose bushes and filled two of the Albany-Lebanon Sanitation yard debris carts with weeds over the two days. I was exhausted at the end of each day. I even came home and took a nap. Friday I was wiped out even though I took a two-hour plus lunch break to deal with an auto body shop, a car rental shop, an insurance agency, and another car repair shop because the Durango kept dying on the way to get the rental car. Perhaps the stress of dealing with people who are supposed to help you but don't really care about helping you is somewhat exhausting as well. Don't even get me started about insurance companies. Fortunately, the Durango was just a $35 repair and we got it back that day.

I had to rent a pickup because that's all that was available. It was quite handy, because Michael next door shared his leftover bark dust with us but it didn't quite cover our flower bed that borders his yard. Will was just thrilled that he had a pickup to go get a load of bark dust. He also took a trip to Home Depot with it and brought home some wood to fix a certain damaged shed door.

Before I took the pickup back yesterday, I put gas in it, wanting it to be half tank just like when I received it so that Enterprise wouldn't charge me $3.80 a gallon. I thought we hadn't driven it very much and asked for $5.00 worth. I immediately realized that was dumb, that's less than two gallons. So I asked for another $5.00 worth. When I started the vehicle, the gas gauge had barely moved. I felt too stupid to ask for another $5.00, so I went across the street to the Shell station because I saw that Eric's friend Molly was working. I told her what was going on and asked for another $5.00 worth. When I turned the car on, it was still less than half a tank. I couldn't believe it. What kind of terrible mileage does this little pickup get? Okay, another $5.00 for a total of $20. This time, the needle went up to 3/4 of a tank. How irritating.

I got my car back today and enjoyed my drive home very much. I'm very happy that I don't have to pay the $1900 repair bill. It's really wonderful when you close your trunk and it doesn't pop right back up. The secretary at the auto body shop seemed pretty concerned that the insurance company might send the check directly to me and emphasized several times that I need to bring it to them as soon as I get it. Do I look like someone who would take the money and run? If only I would have received it on Friday afternoon after my horrible, no good, very bad day.....

Nick's Birthday Party

Yesterday Nick got to have a gathering of friends to celebrate his birthday, since as usual he was gone on the day. His wonderful aunt volunteered her family's lake as a location. Nick was very excited. The hard part was limiting the numbers to make transportation doable. He only went three over his limit, and a kind parent/friend drove the excess. I told Will he didn't have to stay, but he got cool and comfortable. I don't know how he could possibly prefer this to sitting on our hot couch that feels like an electric blanket wrapped around you.

The 13 teenagers had a great time. The girls were spitting mad when they checked out the mud pit and the boys got them muddy. However, after they jumped in the lake to wash off, they couldn't stay away from the mud pit. They seemed to enjoy it even more than the boys. Of course, Duane says the mud feels like silk. Apparently it's true.

Brenden was being babysat by Venisa. A fastidiously clean child, he clung to me as he watched the mud fights in horrified fascination, but didn't want to get too close. He just wanted to throw rocks in the water and eat watermelon and cake.

You can see the arm print on Nick's chest from an enthusiastic hug he had received just before eating cake. They built a fire and enjoyed it before we returned home at 10 PM. Five boys spent the night here and I actually slept well, not hearing anything. I must be getting old.

Wow it's Hot!

Can you believe how hot it has been? We don't have air conditioning. The head of this household doesn't believe it's appropriate to comjplain about being hot or cold. Did you ever notice how saying you're hot doesn't change anything? So he doesn't understand the point of talking about it. I certainly don't want to be called a weather wimp, so I try not to complain. But wow it is really hot.

Now that I finally have that off my chest. We've had a quiet week at home. Nick has had the most excitement. He and Will shopped for all the items on the Search and Rescue equipment list last weekend. I'm not sure who was more excited. Then there was the fun of packing all that stuff into the overnight backpack and the day pack.

Before he was even finished packing, he got a call to be at the Sheriff's office at 6:00 a.m. the next day to search for a lost camper. Sadly, the lost walked out of the woods while they were on the way up the mountain. So he spent the day up there helping take down their command center, because they'd been up there for three days. A news crew came up and Nick got on the news, standing in the background.

Then on Tuesday, we took a trip to the DMV and Nick walked out of there the proud owner of a permit to drive. With three weeks on the road to study, he got a respectable 93%. Now he's a total pain wanting to go somewhere all the time and wanting to drive even when it's not a good time. When we return home, he always goes to the far end of the loop we live on and drives around the entire thing. Oh well, he's the last one so we must enjoy every moment.

Eric's car broke down and had to be towed. It's fixed now, but he no longer has air conditioning because the price to fix it was a little to close too the car's value. Fortunately, Eric, like his father, seems somewhat oblivious to heat, cold, rain, etc.

Eric had to shave the prized beard. He trimmed it neatly and went to work to see if anyone would notice. They noticed. He has it down to a goatee now, which McDonald's finds acceptable. His blistered thumb is healed now that he once again has access to guitar picks. I also finally found a place that has shoes for freaks. Strangely enough, it's called Oddball Shoes. Somehow it failed to show up on my previous online searches. I ordered and already received a pair of black Vans, size 15. I don't know what I'll do now that I no longer have a constant quest for shoes for freaks. I shall have to find a new purpose in life.

It is really hot.

Day 19 Homeward Bound

Friday, July 14

As we were leaving Big Mountain this morning, it was evident preparations were underway for a weekend festival. They don't have Best Pots there, but we met a truck bringing in some "PeeWees".


We drove a little over 700 miles in our dented car today, and not one kid complained about being in the car so long. I was concerned that the Camry might be too small and cramped for such a long trip, but Will was the only one who felt it. Fortunately, he has no tolerance for wimps, whiners and crybabies, so I didn't know how uncomfortable he has been until today when he said he wouldn't take a long trip again in a car that was too small for him. After all this time, we know that Eric and Will do not fit well on the same seat in a restaurant booth, and they also should not sit directly across from each other due to competition for foot room.

It is wonderful thing to be back in the Pacific Northwest. The flowers here are bigger and more beautiful, and the public toilets are equipped with paper seat protectors. I was shocked as we traveled to find these were non-existent in the other states. The national parks, Washington and Oregon were the only places where these could be found. I am truly blessed to live in such a civilized state.

As we shared our last meal out before arriving home, I asked everyone what their favorite part of the trip was. Eric and Nick really liked Bear Country, and Nick especially enjoyed the zip line and Will's part in the auction at the reunion. Will said he like leaving and coming back. They forgot to ask me my favorite part, but I told them anyway. Staying with my Aunt Jeannine and Uncle Lester and hearing their stories, and being with Aunt Lela and Uncle Gary were highlights for me. And how could I forget Uncle Kenny and his fabulous wood creations and historic photos. Eric and Nick spent the night at my cousin Sharon's when we were at Jeannine's. She also has three boys, with only one left at home. Eric said she and her family were "more hospitable than you can imagine", telling them to help themselves to drinks and make themselves at home, showing them all their video game systems and letting them play as late as they wished.

We pulled in our driveway about 10:15 p.m., having travelled a record breaking 705 miles in one day. Our trip meter read 5,075. Michael and Terri were out in front of their house and they all came out to greet us,so we got to see them and Brittany, Shorty and Jeremy right away. Eric had no time for pleasantries with them, he had to unload and head out to see his friends. Since he has been growing his beard the past three weeks, Molly really needed to see it. She approved.

I discovered Eric had a picture that should have been shared, so I leave you with one of my funniest memories of this trip. But my window is still smudgy!

Our kids probably, actually for sure, saw more mountains than they ever wanted to see, but I hope they remember all the good times we had together. This road trip is over, but we will continue to travel on appreciating the beautiful world God has created, laughing easily at all the funny things that come our way, and not whining about the discomforts we encounter!