Hey KG! This elbow's for you!

Melis' and I stayed up late last night to enjoy one of the most satisfying (and, at times, bizarre) Blazers games in recent memory. The reigning champs were in town, and we hadn't beat them since 2004. On top of that, we were without our star, Brandon Roy. Nevertheless, the Blazers fought hard, at one point putting 6 players on the floor (the refs didn't catch it until after the Blazers had scored, so the points stayed up on the board), and pulled out the win.

Much to Melissa's dismay, I've been teaching Karsten that the Celtics are the "bad guys." It was quite gratifying to finally knock the bad guys in the face (both literally and figuratively).

Happy Anniversary Tony & Bre!

This photo is supposed to symbolize the beginning of the young couple's eternal journey (so please no comments thanking us for portraying Tony's best side).

Our 2008 Family Christmas Letter

Click to enlarge

snow, dead animal and more snow... Happy Holidays!!

On Saturday morning, we found snow on our yard and driveways (like most of the free world, or at least the ones I pay attention to). But it was mostly gone by the end of the day.

On Sunday, we woke up to more snow... whatever, "no time to enjoy the snow, go get your church clothes on" I say to Karsten and Taeg' as I pulled open the blinds downstairs so I could see what I was planning to iron. We discovered this little cute Bambi deer curled in a ball, under our eves trying to stay warm and dry. He hung around our house off and on through out the day. We enjoyed watching him.
Well, Monday morning we woke up to quite a bit more snow and fairly cold temperatures for Eugene. The town (well, everyone but the attorneys) shut down and hung out on the streets to sled.
Karsten and Taeg' convinced me to go out in the snow before 9am to enlarge our previous snowman's head that had dropped off on the ground from the warm weather. We stomp out in the front lawn to get our snowman's head and what do I find? Freak'n Bambi froze to death and chose my yard to do it in. Karsten was convinced he was just sleeping, I was secretly wishing he was right, but I knew that no one or no thing can sleep in such an uncomfortable position. Why does my yard attract dead things?

OK, back to your super fears and intimidating hero names.

__________

Travis adds: When I told a co-worker about Bambi's tragic end in our front yard -- she implored me to give it a proper burial. I started to laugh, until I realized she was being serious. I replied that I didn't think I could dig down far enough into the permafrost to dig a Bambi-sized grave.

I must confess feeling a little sad as I lifted the carcass by the legs last night and unceremoniously placed it in our yard waste bin for the garbage man. That said, there's no way I'm holding a funeral for a wild animal -- no matter how cute.

I am the Batman!

Tony and Bre joined us yesterday evening to watch the latest Batman movie: The Dark Knight. I'd read the reviews saying it was a pretty dark, intense movie -- and I now agree. Superhero movies generally follow the principle established in Star Trek -- Kirk, Spock, and Bones often face terrifying peril, but only the no-name crewmen in red shirts actually get killed. In The Dark Knight, don't expect someone to emerge unscathed simply because they are a main character. By the final hour of the movie, I had no expectations about who was getting out alive -- the peril was capable of touching anyone.

That said, the movie was highly entertaining. I'm not a Heath Ledger fan, but I have to agree that his portrayal of The Joker was outstanding. He was not a cartoonish villain who wanted to rule the world -- instead, he was a scheming psychopath who just wanted to see the world burn.

During the movie, Bre recalled that Batman drew his name from his greatest childhood fear. She suggested that if she did likewise, her superhero name would be "Snake Woman." Melis' said she fears being startled, so her moniker would be "Sneak-Up Woman." My worst nightmares generally involve fleeing something both unseen and terrifying. For some reason, I am only capable of running in slow motion. I guess that makes me "Paranoid Slow Man" -- which probably wouldn't earn me much superhero cred in the Hall of Justice.

Please leave me your superhero name in the comments section.

A Night in Jerusalem (our ward Christmas party)

Tonight we attended our ward Christmas party as a family. The theme was A Night In Jerusalem -- the gym was lit only by "stars" (about a million white Christmas lights strewn across the ceiling) and decorated like a biblical market place. We donated canned foods as we entered and received our coin purse (a cloth bag filled with kidney beans painted silver). We strolled through the market place, purchased some cheese, fruit, bread, and (Travis' favorite) "Bishop's wine." The vendor (a member of the bishopric) told us it was a cabernet sauvignon of an older vintage, but I'm pretty sure it was just Welches. It only cost one silver-painted bean per glass.

We spun dreidels, hammered nails in the carpenter's shop, and enjoyed mingling with the rest of our ward. Israelite attire was mandated for all -- which generally meant bed sheets, bath robes, Birkenstocks, and flip-flops. We also saw what appeared to be a Kuwaiti oil tycoon, and at least one boy dressed in his karate uniform. We obviously weren't particularly interested in historical accuracy. Shepherd boy Karst' continually asserted he was actually a pirate.

Have a Mashugana Christmas!

We concluded with the Nativity story put on by the primary children (Karsten was a very convincing sheep). It was a fun evening.

catch up

6 months ago, or at least it seems...we went to Ohio for Thanksgiving. My sister Kim thinks she needs to live over there for some reason. You can run but you can't hide. We had been planning on it for awhile and are glad we went. There was a lot of lounging and EATING and EATING and EATING and then a little puking at the end, but we are back to eating again.

Taegan spend all day in the bathroom, before we left, getting herself ready.

Sariah picked the best seat in the house for watching movies. Caleb celebrated his 8th birthday before we got there and received the movie KunFu Panda for a gift. The kids watched it so many times, even Kim and Travis can quote some of it. I must have pushed my 'mute the world' button, because I still haven't seen the whole thing.


Caleb chose to be baptized and we were glad we could be there for it. The BEST BAPTISM EVER... the deed was done and I had eaten treats in under 1 hour. It even started a few minutes late. By the time Sariah is eight they will have it down to 30 minutes or less.

So they have this dog named SYDNEY. I am sure she was glad to see us go. Taeg' loved her a little too much, plus the girls slept on the couches so poor Sydney had to sleep in her doggy bed.
Someone got this great idea to play TWISTER, but we couldn't find the spinner thing so we appointed someone (that knew their colors and the appropriate parts of the body) to randomly call out stuff. It eventually turned into WWF wrestling, but I declared myself the winner. Caleb and I will have a rematch eventually.


The food was good. The family was great. The bed was awesome. Until we meet again or until I figure out the facebook thing.

Happy Birthday Mom!

For the first couple decades of my life, my mother led us to believe that she was only 19 years old. I've since learned that she's closer to 29. At any rate, I hope she won't mind me publishing this video that I discovered in Dad's sock drawer -- it was labeled "Wildcats!"

Ty's account of the past week

Tyler renders an account of his family's Thanksgiving week, and even posted some pictures (including Taeg's glamour shot below).


I must disabuse him of the notion that I am "resting" while Gary Edwards labors. I am actually deep in thought -- planning my next move. By the time Gary had loosened the soil, I swung into action like a post-hole digging Kung Fu master. Ska-doosh! I'm done before the photographer could even take the shot. I was already back in silent contemplation mode. Lesser post-hole diggers (I'm not naming names... just Tyler's) worked very hard, but took way more time to do the same work.

Melissa's in charge of reporting on our trip to Ohio to spend Thanksgiving Day with the Nall's.

112th Civil War (updated)

It's pretty simple - a Beaver win means they are Rose Bowl bound. I have heard some Eugenies say they will secretly root for the Beavers -- reasoning that a Rose Bowl victory would reflect positively on our state and just be kinda cool.

Message to all "Duck Fans" so-inclined: Please take a moment to punch yourselves in the face.

I've been secretly rooting for the Beavs all season, that way a Duck win tomorrow in Reeser Stadium would hurt that much more. Disappointment in Corvallis will probably reach Biblical proportions!

Duck fans, do not be tempted by the promise of BCS filthy lucre flowing into our state coffers. Let Oregon State get their own billionaire alumnus to donate money and ridiculously ugly uniforms! We are not the Chamber of Commerce! We don't care what anyone thinks of us. I mean, c'mon...

Thanks Uncle Phil!

The last thing our glorious state needs is a Rose Bowl champion that isn't from Eugene.

Go Ducks!
________

UPDATE: 65-38!

Enjoy the Sun Bowl Beavs!

My Grandpa Ralph

My mother's father passed away this week, he was 103 years old. I'm currently preparing some remarks for his funeral, so I don't have time to write much here. Grandpa's life could fill volumes.


This is one of my favorite photos of Grandpa seated next to his youngest daughter (my mother). He was a farmer by vocation. He worked a lot harder than his overalls. He was adored by all 31 of his grandchildren.
______
Update: Grandpa's funeral was really uplifting -- it was great to see all my relatives. I told a cousin today that the Burt family is a great family to be a member of. A couple people requested a copy of my remarks -- they can be found here (without all the blubbering).

My Grandpa Henry

One of the many benefits of being part of a big Mormon family is you can often rely on somebody else to do your genealogy for you. My cousin David compiled some great stuff written by and about my grandfather, Henry Stoddard. My father's parents passed on over a decade ago. Even in life, their geographical distance and diminished mental faculties deprived my siblings and me of the opportunity to get to know them better.

That's why I'm particularly grateful for stories like my grandfather's first ride on a train as a seven year old:

"My brother and I were sitting out on the observation watching the country. While we were sitting there all of a sudden everything went dark. We did not know what happened so we went back and asked my mother and she said that we had only went in a tunnel."

Apparently before we had fun car games like hold-your-breath-'til-we-get-through, tunnels were quite fearsome for young children.

I also enjoyed the mental image of Grandpa Henry, then a young, starving BYU student visiting the home of his future bride Dezzie (as witnessed by her brother):

"When he left, [Dezzie's] mother would give him milk, eggs, a loaf of fresh home baked bread, and other things that would help sustain him during the week. (Henry indicated to me years later how important that was to him and how he appreciated what he had been given). He said that on one occasion, having his arms so loaded, he dropped the eggs on the lawn near his apartment. He didn’t want to lose them so he went into a nearby grocery store, got a paper bag, and scooped them from the grass -- thankful that it happened close to where he lived."

Is that lawn debris in your omelet? No, that's just "seasoning."

Stories like that make my grandparents seem less sepia-toned, and more like real people. I'm glad they took the time to write down their recollections. I'm also glad I don't have to pick grass out of my eggs.

Squares in Hippieville interviews Karsten (Part II)

VS.

Squares in Hippieville: Last night we ate dinner at Red Robin. You have a troubled history there; are you still afraid of the Red Robin?

Karsten: NO! I'm afraid of that bird!

S.i.H.: We didn't see him last night, but what would you do if you saw him?

Karsten: Uh, probably put him outside.

S.i.H.: How would you do that?

Karsten: I would carry him, and throw him out there.

S.i.H.: He's very tall, are you sure you are strong enough?

Karsten: Yeah.

S.i.H.: Do you like eating at Red Robin, even though there's occasionally a big red bird?

Karsten: Yeah, but I don't like the bird being there. So I throw him outside.

S.i.H.: What is your favorite thing to eat at Red Robin?

Karsten: I like corn dogs! Yeah, I like those! And when we were done, we got a balloon!

[End of interview]

Read Karsten's first interview here.

Ambiance for those who so desire

Melissa and I debated putting music on this site. I've been looking for a way to do it without being intrusive (i.e. music that begins blaring upon your arrival whether you're ready or not) or hogging all your bandwidth (who wants to wait for a 5MB file to download?). I think I've found a minimalist solution.

I've selected some chill tracks from my personal collection -- they are available in the left sidebar underneath our Blog List. If you have no interest, that's cool too. It's totally up to you to push play.

Happy Veteran's Day!

Karst' helped me post the colors this morning.

Last night at family home evening, we discussed how it's important to remember those who protect our freedom. We also made a wicked awesome pumpkin turkey -- we wrote some of the things we're thankful for on his tail feathers. Taeg' said she was thankful for googly eyes. Profound. Maybe she was thinking of this.


I'm enjoying the fact that federal employees get the day off.

Taeg' and D.D.

Taegan and her cousin Lydia (who Tyler and Ashley have affectionately dubbed "D.D." ), enjoyed a crisp Fall evening together at Pioneer Park in Pendleton.

Mom

My Mom passed away last week. It was not a surprise; she had been battling a very aggressive cancer for the last few years. I am glad she is not in pain any longer. I have had many restless nights wondering what it will be like without my Mom. It has been the hardest for me when I think about my kids, they are so young and will probably not remember their Grandma Wood and that thought makes me crazy. I have come up with a few ways that I can be like Ardythe Wood so my kids will know her through me.

Always remember Him. My mom was a devoted Christian. Always serving even if it inconvenienced her.
Read. My mom loved to read, even if it wasn’t a good book. I can remember multiple times when I would hear her tell me what a dumb book it was and then see her pick it up and read it to the end. She could recall things that she read in high school. I am not sure I even read a book in high school. I probably gave it to my mom so she could dumb it down for me and tell me the cliff note version.
Duty. When my mom was called to do something, she did it. She had a wonderful sense of duty to her family, church and community. You don’t show up for the basketball team unless you are going to stick it out all season and you definitely don’t tell the Relief Society president that you will visit teach if you are not willing to do it (even if it means you write a letter from your hospital bed to 3 perfectly healthy sisters you haven’t seen in only 3 weeks).
Yummy. Wow, could my mom cook. And she liked to do it. Don’t be surprise if I show up with a Christmas bread wreath thingy, just smile and tell me that it will be yummy and then toss it in the trash when I leave. I do not have my mother’s talents in the kitchen. That is the most dreaded room in my house when Travis isn’t around to save my bread.
Teach. She loved to teach and was great at it. It didn’t matter what the subject or age was: gospel doctrine, making cookies, or sewing maternity pants that you will wear for year(s) after the pregnancy.
Happy. Mom loved to laugh and wasn’t afraid to be laughed at.
Economical. Mother was always worried about money, even when she didn’t need to be. She would buy the cheaper product even when she knew it wasn’t as good. The woman bought a Toyota Camry as her luxury car, need I say more.


We will be at the funeral this weekend.

Mom you are missed. I hope you have time to visit Paris, Mount Rushmore and hunt down Great-Great Grandpa so Kim and Leslie can finish our genealogy!!

Did my daughter get spoiled, while I wasn't looking?

Taegan is currently sitting in the corner of the room wrapped in a soft blankey, weeping, and wailing.

I asked her to pick up her toys and put them in the toy box. I didn't realize that it was going to be such a sad task.

I thought she was just being a booger and left her alone so she could get it out of her system. I walked by and listened to what she is mumbling...."where my Grandma.....I want go to Grandma Todderds... I need my Grandma...whah.....Grandma...whah....whah"

What can I say... Shirlene, she loves you. Or she just wants you to come pick up her toys. Probably, both.

The young lady at the picnic (Updated)

I recently got my hands on a digitized copy of my grandpa Henry's home movies. There's no audio, but I'm still fascinated by video evidence that my dad, aunts and uncles were all once hyperactive children in short pants. My late grandmother Dezzie is seen wearing a dress and high heels...on a family camping trip. It was the 60's. Apparently REI hadn't been invented yet.

Then there's the ward picnic -- which looks pretty much like every ward picnic I've ever attended (just different hair styles). As grandpa Henry pans across the proceedings -- he paused on a young mother with her two little boys. Grandpa didn't realize it at the time, but he was looking at the future grandmother of his great-grandchildren.

She's in our thoughts and prayers.

__________

Update: William Wordsworth, the English poet, expressed truth when he wrote:

   Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting;

       The soul that rises with us, our life's star

   Hath had elsewhere its setting,

      And cometh from afar;

   Not in entire forgetfulness

   And not in utter nakedness,

       But trailing clouds of glory do we come

       From God who is our home.

Ardythe has returned home.

How would you do the national anthem?

Melis' and I discussed the Backstreet Boys' rendition of the national anthem at Game 1 of the World Series last night in Tampa. I thought it sucked, like everything else performed by the Backstreet Boys.

I told Melis' that if asked, I would perform it straight up. No vocal flourishes or hip-hop doo-wop.

Melis' said if she was asked to perform it, she would politely decline.

Question: How would you perform the national anthem?
______
Update: Patti LaBelle's rendition in Game 4? Ugh. She made the Backstreet Boys look understated in comparison.

Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist

Back at BYU, my roommates and I enjoyed watching Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist on Comedy Central. It's been off the air for a long time now, but I happened to find some clips of it the other day on the internet. It still makes me laugh.


Brian Regan




and the late Mitch Hedberg

Family man minus family equals...

...a lonely slob.

Melissa and the kids are in Pendleton visiting relatives. I'm about to leave my office and plan a sensible dinner...for one. I've got it narrowed down to a bowl of Cheerios or a bagel. I'll probably go with the bagel, since finger food minimizes the pile of dirty dishes I've accumulated in the kitchen sink. In that vein, I'll drink the milk right out of the carton too.

OK, I'm starting to gross myself out.

Melis', don't worry, I'll swiffer up a little before you guys come back home.

Reminder: I really don't know what I'm doing

I inadvertently wrecked the blog this afternoon -- I'm not really sure how. For a few minutes, all I could see were lines of HTML code straight out of the Matrix.

I pressed forward in complete ignorance and was able to recover everything except our old tie dye background. Fortunately, tie dye is never in short supply here in Eugene. As you can (hopefully) see, I was able to find some more.

Please let me know if something appears wonky on your side.

______
Update: The old tie dye is back!

Travis the (very) casual baseball fan

September 17, 2007.

That was the last time I watched a complete major league baseball game. The Phillies beat the Cardinals 13-11. The Cards fell way behind early; they didn't even score a run until the 6th inning. If I had been at home, I would have changed the channel. But I was actually watching the game in Busch Stadium, Section 235, Row 3, Seat 20. The Cards made it exciting in the end, nearly becoming the first team in history to come back from an 11-run deficit.

Discounting my evening in St. Louis, I have had only inadvertent contact with the sport (i.e. I tune to Fox expecting to find the Simpsons, only to find a baseball game?! Doh!). But my apathy has apparently cost me the opportunity to witness a wonderful story.

The Tampa Bay Devil Ra..., er, I mean the RAYS, are one win away from going to the World Series for the first time in franchise history. You may think, "They got rid of the Devil -- of course things are going better for them." But their success is attributable to more than simply cutting ties to Satan. Based on my casual half-listening to sports talk radio, the Rays have been joined by Desperate Housewife Eva Longoria, and she has been hitting homeruns like crazy. Here's the story (Though they obviously messed up the photo -- that's definitely not Eva).

Good for her, I say.

We are not crooks!

Yesterday morning we ventured up to Thistledown Farm just north of Eugene for some family photos by April.




We borrowed a couple of the Farm's pumpkins as props, and then returned them when we were done. As we loaded the kids into the truck and prepared to return home, an employee aporoached and asked us if we had paid for our pumpkins. We told her we didn't have any pumpkins. She was skeptical, "My boss said that she saw you loading some pumpkins into a cart." We assured her that while we had used a couple in some photos taken on the premises, we had returned them when we were done. The employee's lingering suspicion was clearly apparent in her expression. Melis' even offered to let her search our truck. The employee declined, and walked away. I believe she still thought we were pilfering pumpkins.


Melis' and I were really stung that somebody would even suspect us of thieving pumpkins.

(For the record, the four pumpkins on our front porch were all lawfully purchased from Thistledown last week.)


Anyway, I had to just get that off my chest. I feel much better.

Sometimes, even Beaver fans can be funny

A few seasons ago, some cheeky OSU football players thought it would be fun to get drunk and steal sheep (details at the link -- yes, the sheep's sexual orientation was apparently an open question among OSU scientists). Duck fans cracked wise, and even employed some arts and crafts.

Well, the Beavs have since won a couple of Civil War games and are ready to reciprocate




Nicely played Beaver Nation.

The Economy

I'm informed that the economy currently stinks. The markets are falling. Financial Panic. Government bailouts. Bankers lining up on high ledges. Monkeys working in restaurants. These are the bleakest of times.


Or so I'm informed.


Whenever I'm tempted to let the performance of my financial portfolio determine the level of my happiness, I remind myself of Jim and Mae Braddock -- or at least how they were portrayed by Russell Crowe and Renée Zellweger in Cinderella Man. If you've seen it, then you know what I'm talking about when I say we really don't have it so bad. If not, go watch it and get a little perspective on what "hard times" actually means.



Jim Braddock was a boxer by trade, but he was a family man at heart. His willingness to sacrifice for his little family during the Great Depression (the real bleakest of times) is an ennobling story. Upon seeing a guy happily offer part of his only meal, a slice of bologna, to his hungry child after toiling at the docks all day -- I'm not as quick to start freaking out about a bad week in the stock market.


These are the times when we simply chuck our investment quarterly reports in the trash and go admire the autumn leaves with our family. It then becomes easier to appreciate the little wooden sign Melis' placed above our kitchen sink -- "It's a Wonderful Life."

She's TWO!

We went to Grandma & Grandpa's last weekend and decided to celebrate Taeg's B-day while we were at it. There were lots of cousins and food, what else do you need for a good party? Here are some pics.

I decided to try my hand at domestication. Leslie and my Mom made this cake so I could frost it on Saturday morning. I have since learned that I did NOT inherit any crafty genes from my Mom. They must have all gone to Robert because he was really getting into it. This cake would have had a crystal ball, glass slippers, and a diamond necklace, if I had left him in charge. I told him he should start building houses out of cake and forget being a general contractor. CAKES... now that is where the money is!!!

Taegan got more into opening the presents then I thought she would. She loved all the attention.

Some cousins got her a cap gun and you can tell who was 'really' interested in this gift.

Grandma Stoddard made a very cute poncho.

Robert, Heather & Derek got Taeg' this Barbie fishing pole. Taegan and Grandma were testing it out. I think the only bite they got was from Uncle Jeff (they were using a plastic donut as bait).

This is what my nephew looked like when I left on Sunday.

He is turning in his mission papers and got a haircut. He is looking old and responsible now. Don’t comment on the man purse in the first photo, it is a touchy subject for him. I will just hope he gets sent to Italy or some where that thing will fit in!

Ty's new blog

My younger brother Tyler has added a blog to his site -- I've added it to the blog list, or you can just click here.

You'll note that Ty's site is very crisp and cool, that's because he's a "Mac guy." He has some Mac program, probably called iSomething, that makes everything look very nice. I, on the other hand, am a nerdy PC guy who wears glasses. I don't have an inferiority complex (even though Vista is so terrible that I had to "upgrade" to XP), because I can do something Mac guys cannot - right click!

So there.

What would you do for your dog?

I saw this story yesterday out of Florida -- Greg LeNoir saw his rat terrier, Jake, being attacked by a shark and decided to intervene:

''I clenched my fists and dove straight in with all my strength, like a battering ram,'' LeNoir, 53, said Sunday, reliving the frightening ordeal. ``I hit the back of the shark's neck. It was like hitting concrete.'' ....

Lenoir added: 'We have no children. Jake became our child. When I saw the shark engulf him, I thought, `This can't be the end.' ''

Discussing this matter with some friends last night, I conceded that I would have just averted my eyes and let Jake become fish food. You see, one reason I'm a "cat person" is that they generally don't get into situations that require me to beat up a shark.

My friend grew silent and then, while gently stroking her chihuahua, solemnly declared, "Oh, I'd jump in and save my dog."

Question for Mom (or anyone else): would you face down a shark to save Herbie?

Happy Birthday Whitey!

I'm a week late, but I want to wish my Dad a happy birthday. Melissa's late grandmother, Vada Wood, once confided in me that she believed Dad to be a very handsome man -- particularly his silver mane. I recall Mom once got Dad a t-shirt that said "There may be snow on the roof, but there's fire in the furnace." I've since learned that's some sort of sordid euphemism, but I thought it was a pretty cool shirt all the same.

Dad and Me

I don't dread the gray hairs that have started appearing on my own head, since it simply means I'm becoming a little more like the man I've looked up to all my life.

Fall in Skinner Butte Park (Pic Post)

Photography by April (updated link).

NEVER,

never, never, stay in bed after your husband goes to work. Nothing good will happen. EVER.

Today, I was being way lazy and just staying in bed. Travis got up, got ready and left. Karsten was up wandering around the house and brought me a book to read to him. Taegan was still asleep (that is how I was justifying remaining in bed and Shirlene read me an article about women needing more than 7 hours of sleep at night or they will die, so I decided to catch up all at once).

Anyway I eventually got out of bed, when I heard Taeg' say, "morn'n Mom, I gotta go potty". I then helped Taeg' into the bathroom when I remember that Karsten had gone (more on that later), so I sent her into our bathroom.

SIDE NOTE: Remember Karsten just going pee. Since we have lived in this house (almost 2 years) the kid's toilet has been annoying. It either doesn't fill or doesn't flush, but I just put it on the honey do list and forgot about it because I never use it and we are going to remodel 'in the near future'. Since potty training Taegan, it has come to my attention the toilet needed to be fixed now because it was acting as if it was clogged, every time. Travis tweaked with it, I swore at it and then went to the hardware store and bought toilet parts. Last night Travis tweaked some more and we determined that the inlet valve was broken and actually stuck in the closed position. So it could be used once and that was it, until I replace the valve.

Back to this morning, after Taeg' was done, I decided that she needed to soak her toe (she has an ingrown toenail, don't ask). So, I set up her little footbath and set her on the stool in the kids bathroom, I then looked at the toilet and thought I need to pull the old inlet valve off. I could do that now while waiting for Taeg....

So away I went. I removed the inlet from the toilet and bent the hose away from the bowl. This movement must have cleared whatever was clogging the valve because water began SHOOTING from the inlet hose. I tried to plug it with my finger and reattach it to the toilet, no good. I twisted the valve handle, nope. I then headed to the front door as fast as I could go, took a few steps down and then jump that last few stairs (while looking down long enough to see a dead POSSUM on our front stairs, thank you neighbor dog!). I ran to the street and pulled open the valve box. I could not get the thing to budge, WHAT THE… I was starting to think of some good swear words by now. I finally got the water turned off to the house and was running back in through the garage (to avoid the possum) and met Karsten at the door, “Mom there is a lot of water on the bathroom floor and I need your help cleaning it up”. I grabbed every towel on my way to the bathroom, opened the door to find Taeg’ having a ball, sitting on the stool (where I left her), she sees me and says “Mom, water, wow!” I threw all the towels on the floor, the water had to be at least 2 inches deep…“what the crap… what could I have done differently”.

I mopped up the mess, dried my hallway and everything else that was dripping, then I got dressed. Yes that is correct, all this happen when I was in my underwear. YES at the end of the driveway I was repeatedly thinking…”It is OK, all my neighbors are at work, they will not see you in the street in your underwear, they are at work, please make them be a work”.

The toilet is fixed the dead rodent is in the garbage and when a client called and asked how my day was going I just smiled and said, “GREAT”.

By the way, Trav, I just walked downstaris and heard dripping. Yes, the fan in the bath down stairs is leaking water from my morning adventure. We might have to start the bathroom remodel on the other bathrooms before our own. Love ya.

Otter Crest

Every year, for millions of centuries... the Stoddards have somehow managed to secure a company time share in Otter Crest, Oregon. How does Dave make this happen? I chose not to think about who he has to cage fight so we can enjoy this yearly ritual. It is fun and fun is good. While Travis and Dave tried their hardest to ignore the world and watch the Ryder Cup, the rest of us enjoyed the Coastal weather. Some pics from the weekend.

Taeggy has been practicing her finger dexterity. THUMBS UP!

A boy, his boots, his bucket, his binoculars(knockers), and his Grandma. Life is good!


A girl, her boots, her bucket, her shovel, and no one around. Sorry Taeg, but we know you too well to get that close!


Sand Castles??!@#*


Beautiful scenery that we just had to stop and enjoy.



We got Karsten to take a pic for us. Not bad for a 4 year old. Now, I will teach him how to use photoshop so I look 50lbs lighter.


CHEESE!

Karsten, making sure his belly button is still there, after some time in the hot tub.

Taegan had some intellectual pursuits while at the coast, like digging through Grandma's purse.

The whole kit and kaboodle!

Trav's family rocks. We had fun and fun is good.