Oh, lordy, we're goin' sporty

 

Picture this truck, except not so shiny and with primer at the tailgate. It's a 1993 Nissan King Cab 4x4 SE. That's what we bought last night.

Now, picture Mick loading it up with this little baby so he doesn't have to ride around in peoples' yards anymore.*

 

Yes, congratulations, Mick. Now you have everything you've ever dreamed of and you'll never want anything again. Right? Right?

Your ever-lovin' love,
Anj

*He doesn't really ride around in peoples' yards, but he did once, above, at his friend Dave's -- in Dave's nice little neighborhood in Sammamish. 

Of Motor Bikes and Van Rides

A couple weekends ago, Mick needed to drive to Washington to pick up the motorcycle of his dreams. It was Dane's dream to drive up with him. When I figured out it would work to send Dane along, I called Dane's school and sent a message to him in class that we'd pick him up early.

When I picked him up, I asked him how he felt when he got the message in class. He pumped his arms and yelled, "Awesome!" When I asked him why it felt so great, he answered as if it should be obvious: "Because I get to go on a trip with Dad!"

As I drove him to meet Mick at the dental office, I told Dane I'd packed him some books and some books on CD in case he needed some entertainment. It was my turn to think "Awesome!" though, when he turned to me and said, "We might not need those. Me and Dad might just chat the whole time."

Yes, he said chat.

And they did. He didn't crack a book or pop in a cd the whole drive.

The Random Update Post

The kids started school! And they love their teachers! And they love their classes!

Mick's going to buy an off-road motorcycle! (Gratuitous exclamation mark there.)

Dane's playing fall soccer at the Y. ("You know what I like about the Y, Mom? They don't keep score...")

Aubrey's taking Gymnastics at the Y and moved up from Hot Shots to Level 2. ("Mom, when do you think I can move up to Level 3?")

Dane's reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret for his first book report. In addition to his written report, he has to think of his book as a movie and imagine how he'd direct it. Then he gets to make a "movie poster" to accompany it. What a cool assignment. There's not as much text in Hugo Cabret as I'd like to see, but (1) it's his first report of the year, (2) the text that's there is thought-provoking, (3) I'll be pushing him to elaborate on his ideas and connections in his book report (that's our agreement), and (4) he has to read another book he started, Heat, as well. That might sound rough, but Dane's still excited.

Aubrey's reading Tom's Midnight Garden for her first book report of the year. She's a quarter of the way into it and enjoying it. I think it holds a special place in her heart because I read it as a kid. (It's my copy.) I'm not sure what her report assignment will be, but today she took a little 3x5 card to school with a synopsis (half copied from the jacket, the rest in her own words -- oh well!) and a picture she drew of Tom.

Mick's reading Consider the Lobster by his current favorite author, David Foster Wallace (RIP). Foster Wallace is masterful in his sentence structure and style, his ideas and connections, and his depth and humor. For all those reasons, Mick smiles a lot when he reads this author.

I'm about to read Auntie Mame for book club, but I'm dying to read Beatrice and Virgil, by Yann Martel, author of the incredible Life of Pi, instead.

I scored 20 points (3rd place - here's how they scored) in Session 1 of my NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Contest. This is a great score and puts me in good standing to advance to the next round - if I score high again on Session 2. Here are the prompts I was given:

• Session 1 - Genre: Comedy. Location: A Dance Club. Object: A Motorcycle.
• Session 2 - Genre: Romantic Comedy. Location: A B&B. Object: A Snow Shovel.

I'll let you wonder what I wrote while I decide whether I'll post my stories.

I took a job teaching 9 credits (3 classes) of Writing at Rogue Community College, Mondays and Wednesdays, 9:30 - 2:30. I start September 27th.

Our Siskiyou Challenge team fell apart when two athletes succumbed to back injury. They're fine now, but our pushing-40 bodies reminded us not to push our luck this time around. Sorry, now you can't ROOT FOR US!

Our back yard is kind of done - at least for this phase. The new fence is up, the ground is mulched, the sprinkler system is up and running, and the lawn's grown in. We now have a drawing/plan of how we'll fill it in over the next couple of years - and my mom is coming down this fall to help me put in a perennial garden and plant some trees. (Right, Mom???)

Mick's amazing grandmother (Mimi) is taking her entire family (23 of us?) on a cruise this Christmas for her 95th birthday - and we're headed to the Bahamas! And... before we board the ship in Baltimore, our little family of 4 is going to hit Washington D.C. for some history tours. (This fall we'll be doing some U.S. History prep!) Added bonus? We'll stay in Mimi's home a few of those days - and Mick's excited to show the kids where he's visited her since he was four. Right now we're in the throes of purchasing plane tickets, acquiring passports, renting cars, reserving tour spots, and arranging to kennel a dog.

The dog! Sharkles is still our fuzziest, lovin'est, happiest little pal in the house.

Today might be Dane's birthday and all (see post below),

but let's not forget how awesome Dave Lane is, folks.

This is the sort of picture Mick and Dave
email back and forth all day.