Holiday Whirlwind

No, it did not involve any tornadoes, thankfully!

Last Tuesday after group class, we picked up Roy at the airport.  Since then I've given him three violin lessons, and he's watched me teach five other lessons, done beaucoup de housework, practiced a shocking number of hours, and started reading Nurtured by Love.  He's not wasting his time, that's for sure!

Friday I picked up Jared from work and we drove down to Portland to his parents' church where we set to practicing.  Eventually his parents came and brought us some dinner, and then we played in the special Friday night Christmas service.

Saturday morning we attended a lovely Christmas service at the church, which included the following music:

John Rutter's Shepherd's Pipe Carol (with orchestra!)

John Rutter's Candlelight Carol 

John Rutter's orchestration of O Holy Night

And after a big, late lunch, we drove back home and crashed into bed.

Sunday morning I went to my student's church.  She and her mom and and her sister and about 15 other people were playing for the service, and they sounded really, really fantastic - lots of teenagers involved in the music, and they sounded really professional.  So glad I went!

Jared worked Sunday and Monday, and Monday night I picked him up at work and we again drove down to his parents' in Oregon.  And then for lunch we all four went down to the Big Family Christmas in Salem at Jared's grandparents'.  And then we drove back home to Washington and got ourselves ready for bed.

Jared and I have an unofficial no-gifting policy between the two of us.  As in, we don't necessarily give each other gifts for the various gifting holidays.  And last night, I was done brushing my teeth and getting into bed, and Jared said, go in the living room - there's something out there.  I'm thinking, great, the cat has barfed or there's a big, ugly bug he wants me to see.  But no, there's a big long box which says Ballance on it.  And he tells me I'll need some scissors.  So I open the box, and inside there are SNOW SHOES for both of us!!!!!!!  You have no idea how excited this makes me.  I've been dying to get up into the snow, but it's kind of challenging to hike in deep snow with normal shoes...   And I can't afford a lift ticket and shouldn't be downhill skiing right now anyway.    A pretty awesome surprise, and he got them on mega-discount when they were on sale plus his employee discount, etc., etc.

And now I know why he was asking me so many questions about how much babies and toddlers weigh at various ages and how long they can ride in a back pack and when they start walking...  He was wanting to make sure he got the correct size shoe for him to be hauling our kid on his back until said kid is big enough for his/her own snow shoes.  :-)  So he's actually going to exchange the ones he got for himself for the next weight up if they still have any....

December has been punctuated with reading through Isaiah, which is pretty heavy stuff, but there are so many beautiful prophecies about Jesus in there which go along so nicely with music by Handel....

Jared's folks sent us home with some gifts from them and from Jared's brother and his wife last night, and we didn't get a chance to open them, so I think we'll have another little Christmas tonight when Jared is home from work.  (Friday is going to be his last day at REI.)

Also, my family has collaborated during the last year on a story with different people writing different parts, and it is uproariously funny, because it has so many references to our family history and circumstances, and it is way out of control, because some of us are extremely silly in the creative department.  So that was one of our Christmas gifts to ourselves.  The beginning and ending of the story are intact, but there is a lot that can fill in the middle, so we will have to work on that part for next year.

This morning, I went with Jared to work to pick up the car we'd left there.  And then came to my brothers' to feed their cats, and now I'm catching up on a week's worth of internet stuff.  My brother has sent me a new and functioning modem, so when that arrives, we will be fully internet compliant at home!

Christmas Letter 2012

December 2012

Merry Christmas, Friends!!!  Here is a report on the last twelve months in the Ballance family.

When the year opened, we were getting our Chinese exchange student Ran moved into the dorm and still pondering the Unsolved Mystery of the Squirrels in the Attic.  (Eventually, they were all evicted.)  In the spring we ran our first half marathon, stayed shockingly busy with performances and teaching commitments in Birmingham, and a took quick trip to Houston for my brother’s wedding.   In April (on Friday the 13th, no less), we learned that we were not having our contracts renewed in Alabama.  It took us less than an hour after that news was relayed to decide to step up our ten-year plan of moving to the Northwest. So in July, after teaching wildly for the summer, a trip to Austin for the once-in-a-decade Bridge family reunion, and an unsuccessful attempt to sell our condo, Jared’s parents flew down, helped us load a moving van (which thankfully we did not have to drive), and then we all four spent a week driving across the country to Seattle.  Jared’s parents drove the instrument and plant car, and Jared and I drove the cat car.  All three cats survived the cross-country trip in their oversize carrier in the back seat, although I’m not sure any of them particularly enjoyed it.  On the whole it was quite an adventure wherein we saw huge swaths of the US, Jared had the nastiest cold ever with high fevers daily, we stopped and saw a friend in Boise, we found out we were expecting, and morning sickness hit.  All of that in one week.  We arrived in the Seattle area on August 1st, signed the lease on an apartment just a couple of miles from my brother and his wife (who had moved up in May for my brother’s very cool rocket science job), and welcomed our first houseguest all in the same day.  Houseguest and Jared and I spent a week going up to north Seattle to visit the Suzuki Institute, and then before Houseguest left, we did a 17- mile hike at Mt. Rainier (our annual pass has since paid for itself several times over), and Houseguest helped us unload the moving truck when it arrived.  Yes, Houseguest was a real trooper, sleeping with us on sleeping bags as our household goods consisted of a few dishes, plus a borrowed lamp, shower curtain, and singular chair before the truck came.   September onward has presented an interesting set of events including an unfortunate hospitalization for Jared, a small house fire in our budget apartment, getting connected with a new church, refreshing visits with family and friends in AL and NY and TX and OR and WA, fewer violin and cello students than we’d wish (violin - 8, cello - 0), a profitable group-class partnership with another local Suzuki teacher, a part-time nanny job for RM (very educational!), a seasonal REI call center job for Jared (very fun!), finding our way around a new city, networking with area Suzuki and Dalcroze teachers, and preparing to welcome a Costa Rican teenager for three months of intensive violin study.  We are awaiting the arrival of two things in the new year: more musical employment (ASAP, we hope) and our baby (in early April).  In case you’re wondering, we are done with intercity relocation for the time being, even though we’ve done that the last three summers.  Jared’s dad, who is not usually the humorist of the bunch, reported that he already had marked on his calendar to come and help us move again July of 2013.

Blessings on your new year!  ~Ruth Marie and Jared

The Saga of Costa Rica

I went to two musical Christmas events this weekend.  The first was Friday night when Jared and I went to a Lessons and Carols festival at my brother’s church.  Jeffrey and Linda sing in the choir, and it was quite lovely.  The second was Saturday night when two boys from our church who play both piano and harp gave a Christmas concert out in Bonney Lake.  They played for an hour and also spoke and raised money for the Leukemia Society.  Obviously they practice a lot!  

Anyway... that was just a little unrelated lead in to the Saga of Costa Rica.

Part the First: It is summer of 2011, and it is our last week in Huntsville.  I am hired to teach at Tennessee Valley Music Festival.  Every day I teach two violin technique classes, coach two chamber groups, rehearse in the orchestra, and prepare for a chamber concert with my colleagues.  (Except for one morning when I am horribly sick and in pain, and I send Jared to teach in my place.  I feel better enough by the afternoon to show up.  But that is part of the unrelated Saga of Ruth Marie Requires Surgery For a Large But Benign Tumor But The Doc-In-A-Box Tells Her That Her Problem is Not Eating Enough Raisin Bran.  *My foot!*)  A small group of string students from Limon, Costa Rica shows up with their teacher to participate in the festival.  One of them, a teenage boy named Roy, is in one of my technique classes and chamber groups.  He is neither the strongest player nor the weakest.  But he comes early and stays late to ask extra questions.  I learn that he has never had the chance for private lessons.  His only musical opportunity has been to learn in this orchestra program in Limon for the past two years.  He practices very hard and watches YouTube videos to learn how to make his bowing more smooth.  He has taught himself to play the Fiocco Allegro, and although it has some big problems, I am amazed at what he has discovered on his own and his passionate sense of phrasing.  Friday evening after the concert, I learn that this boy also happens to belong to the same denomination we do.  Jared and I invite him to join us for church the next morning, and he is delighted to come.  Also, I agree to teach him a few lessons in the coming fall via Skype, since he has no access to a private teacher, very little in the way of finances, and great hunger for learning.

Part the Second: It is December of the same year.  Jared and I are invited by the conductor at Andrews University (a denominational school) to join the faculty at the International Adventist Youth Music Festival in central Costa Rica.  I email Roy and tell him we’re going to be at this thing.  When Jared and I step out of the van on the campus of the college where we’re staying for the festival, we are greeted by Roy.  He has found his way here on a bus.  I give him a couple of lessons while we are in town.  He and his mom come to hear our concert at the college.  And then we play another concert in San Juan.  He shows up for that one also, and I have the chance to introduce him to some of the violin students from Andrews University.  There is a fantastic violin teacher there, and Roy dreams of being able to go and study with her some day.

Part the Third: It’s January 2012 and our exchange student Ran has moved out of our condo and into the dorm.  So Jared and I, having a large home and lots of resources in Birmingham, invite Roy to come and stay with us for three months, if he can find funding for his plane tickets.  I will provide three violin lessons a week for free.  And I will find other opportunities for Roy around town to improve his musical education.  Roy will practice four hours a day and earn his keep by doing chores.  Only nothing comes of this, because Roy doesn’t have funding.

Part the Fourth: It’s Fall of 2012, and Jared and I are unemployed, unsure of our next steps, living in a little apartment in Washington State, and are expecting a new baby.  After months of silence on the subject, we suddenly hear from Roy that his mayor is giving him a scholarship to come and study with me.  Circumstances have certainly changed for us, but I tell him he can come for three months of his choice, but not during the month of April.  On my mom’s and Leah’s advice, I start looking for a family to host him, as it’s going to be awfully crowded with him holed up in our little apartment for three months with us and three cats and all of us doing musical activities (well, not the cats)... But the whole thing becomes moot when his visa is denied.  And then last week, I learn that his visa is approved.  I start asking him what his plans are.   On Friday I suddenly hear that he is arriving at SeaTac Airport at 8 pm this Tuesday.  At least that’s what I think he said.  Wait, wait, details maybe TBA.  (The email communication is a bit difficult between here and Costa Rica.)  So, the current plan is, I’ll pick him up and he can sleep on a little air mattress, and we’ll get started with violin lessons right away.  

And here’s the prayer list that goes with this in case you feel like sending up some petitions: 1) That we can find a host family for Roy who lives nearby where he can practice in peace and can help out with the chores to earn his keep.  Maybe someone from our church.  And someone who can provide for at least some of his transportation needs.  2) That I can find some other music opportunities for Roy around town - like maybe joining the orchestra at the denominational high school or the youth orchestra my friend’s son plays in.  For free.  Because neither Roy nor we are prepared to pay tuition.  3) That I can find someone to volunteer to help him with his written English.  He is still very interested in Andrews University, and I know he needs a lot of help with his English.  4) That Roy can manage to get funding for a trip out to Andrews to audition for the violin teacher there toward the end of his time with us, when he’s gotten himself whipped into good violin shape.

The Saga of Costa Rica is not over yet.  I guess I needed a little project to keep me out of trouble until our baby arrives, and I did want to be a help to Roy.  ;-)

How People Grow

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been doing a lot of reading since the latest move. I read a whole pile of pregnancy books from the library.  I’ve been digging through the books I got with my birthday card and reviewed two of them on here already.  And I’ve just received some more excellent books on child rearing, which I’ve been starting into on attachment parenting, nursing, developing character, growing emotional skills, and training spiritual growth.  

Yesterday I finished one of my “birthday” books called How People Grow by Henry Cloud and John Townsend.  I wasn’t sure I’d like it when I chose it off the shelf, but I’ve been a big fan of two of their other books, one called Boundaries and the other called Boundaries with Kids.  Those two books are ones which I have read at least five times each, have found immensely practical in my life, and have recommended to a number of people who were looking for the sort of advice they dispense.  Although the authors write from a Christian religious perspective, I feel that their message is one that most Americans could appreciate unless they are militant, die-hard atheists.  

How People Grow is written from a much more theological perspective, and I’m not sure that someone whose religious beliefs weren’t explicitly Christian would appreciate it as well.  The authors write, of course, from a particular theological slant; they certainly take a conservative view of Scripture, although I would choose to say that their view is conservative but not fundamentalist.  They delve into a number of Bible doctrines such as the Persons of the Trinity, the value of the word of God, confession, sin and salvation, the body of Christ, and the themes of Creation, Fall, and Redemption.  I feel that their writing in this particular book could be understood and appreciated by a broad variety of Christians who do not share their particular nuances of theology, so if you are Presbyterian or Catholic or Adventist or Lutheran or Mormon (or fundamentalist for that matter!) or attend church infrequently, don’t be scared off.

The book is divided into four major sections.  The first section is called “Paradise Lost,” and covers some of the major Christian approaches to spiritual growth and why they don’t always work, as well as why some secular approaches do work.  The authors point out that all positive growth is part of God’s plan for our lives, and so we should consider that emotional growth, career growth, relationship growth, skill growth, etc. are all part of spiritual growth.  The big idea is that God is interested in the whole person - not just a person’s religious activities.  The authors also look specifically at the themes of Creation, Fall, and Redemption, and how those relate to our growth as people.  And lastly, they take a broad overview of God’s role in growth and our own role in growth and make some observations about how the process breaks down if we try to do God’s job or if we sit around and expect Him to do ours.

The second section is called “The Master Gardener: The God of Growth,” and it goes more deeply into the Persons and character of God.  The authors spend a chapter talking about grace and truth, and how these seemingly opposite characteristic are both part of who God is.  The byline of the chapter says, “People must discover that God is for them, not against them.”  This is a very heartening chapter which enables the reader to see some of the beauty and love of God and how even in the ugly truths , God the Father is on our side - he’s not looking to zap us for doing or being wrong.  Many of us live that lie in explicit or subtle ways.  The other two chapters in the section look specifically at Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and their roles in helping us to grow into the people we, God, and those who love us unconditionally hope us to become.

The third section is entitled “Finding the Best Climate” and covers human factors in encouraging or hindering growth.  What really stood out to me in this section was the huge, and I think, biblical, emphasis on relationship in the body of Christ - the Church.  As Americans we often think “I can do it myself,” and when that fails, we want God to fix things miraculously.  But the authors look at God’s purposes in the church and relationship, and explain in very practical terms how God almost always chooses to use other people in our lives to help us grow - we really can’t do it ourselves and aren’t meant to.  They also spend a lot of time talking about the definitions, importance, and power of being accepted and forgiven and making sure we’re in spiritual and relational climates where those actions and attitudes are part of the fabric.

 “The Path of Growth,” the fourth section, is the longest, and goes into even more practical detail.  The authors cover so much meaty stuff:  the role of the Bible, the importance of suffering and grieving well, what it really means to become righteous (not self-righteous!), the challenges and value of discipline, the importance of spiritual poverty (i.e. Blessed are the poor in spirit...), that nasty word - obedience, sin and temptation, facing reality and truth (a hard thing!), the importance of being active rather than passive, and how we need to expect the never-ending process of growth to take time.

Things I appreciate about the book: 1) It is not just head stuff but practical stuff.  2) The authors give examples of some of the things they’re talking about from friends, patients, and their own lives. 3) It is both a global synthesis of an entire world view and chock full of details. 4) The authors make a point of writing in such a way that the book can be useful to people who are themselves trying to grow, and people who are helping others try to grow.

I’ve just finished my first read-through, meaning I will be rereading this book, probably several times.  The first read-through was somewhat cursory, just getting the gist of it.  The book is packed so full that I will likely have to read it very slowly next with pen and notebook in hand, and spend a good amount of time digesting one bit before going on to the next. 

This is a really holistic book which any Christian who is experiencing life problems of one sort or another, or who is trying to mature, or who is in a position of authority or nurturance over another/s could learn from.  Highly recommended! 

Another weekend, many happenings

Well, I failed in one of my missions for the week in getting internet for the apartment.  However, I did at least get the phone number to call about it.  Hence the general lack of blogging lately.  

Lots of things crowded into the end of the week...  

Friday I had a midwife appointment wherein it was determined that the baby had a huge growth spurt since the last appointment (explaining why I outgrew almost all of my clothes lately), and I got two immunizations.  Then I met with the clinic social worker wherein it looks like starting in January I will be eligible for free medical care during the rest of the pregnancy and birth due to our anticipated rather limited income in the new year.  Then I had my ultrasound appointment, which Jared was able to make it to before it was over, which I was really happy about.  I really hoped he’d have the chance to see our baby dancing around on the screen.  The ultrasound tech said the baby seemed very vigorous and strong for its age with the size of its kicks, so maybe it is taking after Jared in that regard - Mr. Physical Energy Stamina himself.  Also, it was estimated that the baby’s current weight is about 1.25 pounds, which is around the same size that Feathers and Nutmeg were when we’d had them for two weeks.  So it’s a kitten-sized person in there.  

On the way home, I stopped at our favorite farm market to see the two reindeer who are hanging about during the holiday season.  They were really interesting to watch, and I wished I could bring them home for the cats to see.  After all of that, I went for a walk, and collected what could be termed a ghetto Christmas tree.  I’ve been wanting a tree, but couldn’t justify paying for one, but I found about 20 or 30 pounds of nice, fallen evergreen branches in the park I visit daily and using all the powers of my arms and shoulders, hauled them home and stuck them in a bucket.  Today I think I will twine them together so they look a bit more treelike and a bit less shrublike, and then I will decorate it.  The cats have been most intruigued, and fortunately no one has ingested enough needles so far to have caused barfing. We’ll see how long that lasts.

Saturday we had lots of back and forth conversations on the phone, but in the end, after church, Jared and I went down to Jeffrey’s place, picked him up (Linda was sick in bed - boo), and then we went and met our cousin Angela and her new husband Matthew at the rental car return at the airport.  They were in town from Texas for a couple of days, as he had a business trip to Anacortes, and Angela got to come along.  So we went over to the infamous park on the Sound of last Saturday’s adventure and enjoyed strolling on the beach and chatting, and we left at 4:15, thusly NOT getting locked in.  Then we all went over to my brother’s awesome rocket design/fabrication workplace and got a tour.  It was fun to see Matthew’s eyes light up - I think it was the highlight of his entire NW trip!  Following that we drove Angela and hubby back to their hotel downtown, dropped my brother back at his workplace to retrieve his car from an earlier trip of the day, and headed home to grab some dinner and get Jared in bed before his super early shift of this morning.

Jared and I have been playing Christmas hymns lately, since we did a little Christmas concert last weekend with Jeffrey and Linda at a care facility down the street, and Jared and I are going to be playing in the Christmas program at his parents’ church in Portland in a couple of weeks.  So we ended up with  altered words to two hymns in honor of recent events.  If you don’t want irreverent, I suggest you stop reading immediately.

We Three Kings (in honor of Washington State’s new marijuana law)

We three kings of Washington state

Tried to smoke some marijuana

The joint was loaded, it exploded,

Now we are no more.

Ohhhhh...

Drug of wonder, drug of light!

Drug of royal beauty bright!

May we buy you with no fear

Of state troopers far and near.

What Child is This (in honor of Friday’s ultrasound)

What child is this on grainy screen

With jerky kicks we’re seeing?

It has two legs and has two arms,

One brain and two kidneys.

This, this is symmetrical

But we can’t guarantee the count of toes.

This baby in enough fluid

Appears to have a nose.

It involves public transportation.

I would just like to mention that I am thankful for public transportation.  And I am so glad that the Seattle area has a good system.  

So Saturday afternoon, Jared and I drove to this park we like in Burien which is on the Sound - you can go walking uphill in the woods and you can go walking on the beach and look out at the islands and the water, and if it is really clear you can see the snow-capped peaks of the Olympic Mountains.  Due to the fact that it is winter, the park closes at 4:30.  We unfortunately arrived without either of us having brought a time piece or cell phone.  However, we knew sunset was in the 4:20’s so we figured we could time it well to get out before closing.  Nope.  Not so well.  We returned to the car and tried to leave at what turned out to be 4:36.  The gate was locked.  We were not driving anywhere.  

Options: 

1. Call the towing company whose number was posted and have them unlock the gate and pay them a big fee.  [No.  We didn’t have a phone, and we don’t want to pay a big fee.]
2. Call Jeffrey and Linda and have them come pick us up.  [Well, their numbers are in my cell phone, not in my head, so that’s not going to work, even if we go out and find a pay phone somewhere.]
3. Walk home.  [It was a lovely evening - cool, crisp, and NOT raining.  However, we are at least eight miles from home and the only route I know involves freeway.  No.]
4. Public transportation.  Big yes.  

I remembered that the Burien transportation center is a mile or mile and a half from the park, and I knew how we could get to it on foot.  So we walked there and found out there is a bus every half hour on weekends which leaves for the Kent transportation center.  And we live in Kent, so that would work out quite nicely.  The only thing is that we needed exact change for the bus, and we only had a $20.  But there was a grocery store across the street, and the lady at the service desk was happy to make change.  So we were able to board the bus (#166) and get a transfer ticket to the bus which stops right by our apartment (#168)....  

Did I mention I get motion sick easily?  Well, I ended up not feeling too well by the time we got to Kent, and I was remembering careening around in busses up in the mountains of Costa Rica for hours on end and not feeling too well then either.  So no, I was not going to transfer to the 168.  I needed some fresh air.  So Jared and I walked the last two miles up the hill home.  And it was only a bit after 7:00 by the time all of this was finished, so we made some quick dinner and got Jared into bed before it was too horribly late, considering that he had to get up at 3:00 the next morning for work.

Other news as of late: the maintainance guys came by and gave us a different washer, which a) works, b) has bigger capacity than our old one, c) is more energy efficient, d) plays a tune from the Schubert “Trout” Quintet when the load finishes, and e) has a lid which stays open without you having to hold it.  Score!  And they also fixed our front door, which is mounted crooked and with all the humidity of the season has been sticking something awful, making our entries look like SWAT team raids between all the body slamming and boot kicking.  So now we can open and close the door like civilized people.

And also our free pirated internet is gone for good, so hopefully by the end of the week we’ll have our own paid-for internet at home, and we won’t have to bum internet off Starbucks, work, the library, or my brother anymore.

How to summarize a whole week?

How do I summarize a whole week?  Probably with the rather odd and unbelievable assertion that it was my last trip to Texas without a kid in tow.

It involved a big extended family Thanksgiving gathering, lots and lots of old family china and silver and place mats, beaucoup de food, canoeing with my parents, working on collaborative craft projects which will become Christmas presents, a collaborative mosaic made for sick relatives, looking at old family papers and photos (which included reading letters written back and forth between teenage cousins in the 1880's - there was some intrigue about a girlfriend and wanting to have her love letters forwarded for the reading of other cousins and the girlfriend finding out and no one admitting to having squealed...), a lovely baby shower thrown by my sister in honor of my future offspring, a wonderful trip to Houston to meet my blogging buddy, interesting Sunday school discussions, a few little walks in the neighborhood,  entirely too much chocolate, a walk at Town Lake with my sister and her fiance, lots of good conversation, board games, cat clicker training, and some eating out.

One lovely surprise after my return home to Washington late Wednesday night was that when I got up to get ready for work at 5:30 on Thursday morning, the water in the shower was hot, not lukewarm as it has been since we moved in.  Jared got the maintanance folks out to do something about it while I was away.  Yay!

"You guys have such an eventful life."

Said my friend Kate.  'Tis true!  Recent events and changes of plan:

1) Massive unpacking/dejunking/reorganizing effort has resulted in only four or five unpacked boxes left in the apartment in one corner, the Room of Doom has become actually useful, we have much-needed shelving for the stack of bulk goods in the corner of the kitchen, and the baby got a dresser for its diapers.  While there is quite a lot more that can be done, I feel very good about living like a bit less of a pig.  Became a huge fan of freecycle during the process, and I have a stack of more things which will get advertised thereupon after I return from Texas.

2) Latest  maintainance issue: the spin cycle on the washer broke yesterday.  No surprise.  We already didn't run the thing on the super-duper wash cycle, because the belt would start smelling.  Only four times through the dryer on 70 minute cycles got our supper soggy towels dried!  I hope they fix/replace it soon, although my hopes are not up due to the holiday...

3) Jared witnessed a domestic dispute in the parking lot yesterday afternoon.  While he called police, I saw the tail end of it.  After three cop cars showed up and spent a couple of hours here, I got to speak with two of the cops, one at a time.  The second one took a recorded statement from me.  It appeared that one of the disputants was removed handcuffed in a patrol car.  And the second cop gave me his card and said to call if we had any trouble.  He didn't think we'd have any since neither disputant actually lives in the complex, and they were neither likely aware of who had made the call.

4) We were supposed to be having lunch with Aunt Glenda today - in fact I was supposed to be picking her up at the airport right now, but as it turns out, her flight was much delayed, so we're going to miss her entirely.  I just hope she doesn't miss her connection!  Sad about that.

5) We've been using a free, unlocked wifi for the last several months, and now it has been locked.  There's another one I'm using at the moment, but it's temperamental at best.  Won't do for my Skype lesson this afternoon.  Free lunch comes to an end.  Perhaps it is time to buy our own internet service!

Half marathon

Last summer/early fall, I was increasingly ill and in pain to the point where Jared went out and found a doctor for me and made an appointment, because I hate going to the doctor that much.  After a few weeks of appointments and specialists and tests, the diagnosis indicated surgery.  In the weeks and months prior to the point of surgery there were most days when my energy was LOW and I was not feeling good.  But there would be an occasional day when I had boundless unexplained energy - so much so that I didn't know what to do with it all.  So I would go out and run our circle (not really being much of a runner) or swim laps (not being a swimmer at all) to burn some off.  About two weeks post-surgery, I was comfortable enough and so full of unexplained energy again that I had to go outside and run and run it all off.  Seemed like I had done a good run, so I came back in and calculated my milage, and it turned out to be about three miles, which was a huge surprise to me.

Suddenly I was getting inspired.  I quickly learned that if you can comfortably run three miles, you can train for a half marathon in twelve weeks.  And it just so happened there was a half marathon coming up in Birmingham in February which was more than twelve weeks away.  So I mustered some uncommon discipline and trained for the race, which Jared and I both ran.  When I reached the finish line, I felt like I might burst and die, and I was in awe of the people who were running the same course again to complete a full marathon.  And I decided that I would train to do the full marathon in February 2013.

Ok, so that's off the table.  We moved.  I'm not much into a running mode these days, although I am doing a good lot of serious walking.

But today marks a half marathon of sorts: 20 weeks means, give or take, I've made it half way through this pregnancy.  It's going slowly and quickly at the same time.

And I'll bet I'll try to start running again in May or so.  I wonder when there's a convenient full marathon coming up after that?

Gregory

One year ago today, Gregory departed rather suddenly and tragically at the tender age of 4 1/2, and it is hard to tell you how much I still miss him.  He was the most out-going, smartest cat I've ever met; he seemed much more human than feline to us.  Here are a few of my favorite pictures.  No baby pictures, because those were taken on a film camera.  Sorry - a few of them are sideways.

Hi, I'm Gregory.

And I like to ride on Dad's shoulders.

I like shopping bags.

I stole this tennis ball from Dad, and no matter where you hide it, I'll find it.

I realize Dad is having a tough time finishing this project, but I can help him.

I do like to peer down from above.

And peer out from below.

And be held on my back. 

And hang out the third floor window to smell the breezes and see what's going on on the street below.

Brother and I like to nap and play together.

Don't think you can hide any views from me!

I like to nap in the sun.

Dad was gone for several weeks, and I'm so glad he came home!

Napping here is even better when you people put the screens in the windows.  Of course, you know I can open them myself and walk around on the 3rd floor ledge over a busy street.  I'll come back in when I feel good and ready.

Cabinets are made for climbing.

Squirrel is my favorite daily visitor.

There's a wrist bone I'm going to have to gnaw out of you.  I will also work on your knuckles, too.

This one is way out of order, but anyway, he was checking out a box in our BHM summer rental.

Black Bean, don't be scared of this new washing machine.  See, the people just reach up here and push these buttons and then you can watch things go round and round through this window here.  It's fun!

This was the first time I caught him letting one of the "rats" next to him.

But he and the two babies quickly made friends.

This is the three of them enjoying the summer heat when we were living at the Dunn's for six weeks.

Gregory loved the deep, deep window sills in the BHM rental.

Checking out the new market basket Beth sent.

This is that last picture I took of him about a week before he died.  And the night we went to bed a few hours before his accident, these three were again curled up there in this same pose for the night's slumber.

When inspiration strikes...

As I mentioned in my last post, Jared should send me to see Leah more often, because I am inspired to be more organized and more clean on general principles.  And that I had been to the Container Store to use a gift card for the purposes of such.  And this flurry of inspired activity, it turns out, comes at the right moment.  Because Jared's parents have decided to come visit him for Thanksgiving next week.  I'm glad for their visit on two levels: 1) Jared can't get away because he has to work mornings during the holiday time.  2) I'm leaving for a week to visit family and friends in Texas, and Jared will be lonely with only the cats to keep him company.

My big project is turning our second bedroom/office/Room of Doom/haunt of jackals and wild beasts/fire hazard/mountain-of-garbage-which-must-be-climbed-over into a space in which we can blow up the queen-size air mattress and have walking room on at least two sides of it.  I can't promise that the Room of Doom will become attractive in any way before I fly out, but I can promise that it will become a lot more functional.   And hopefully comfortable enough for several nights of family visitors.

I'm not done with it yet, but I have some good time this weekend to plow through a lot more stuff.  I'm not that good at cleaning out on any regular basis.  And for your amusement, here are some things I actually went through and cleaned out today: an old wallet which contained $30 Canadian, receipts from when I was in college, and a library card I wouldn't have used in about fourteen years; an unopened package of printer photo paper for which we've never, ever had a printer (I don't even know where it came from!); lots of odds and ends in "desk storage boxes" such as a single leather glove welded into an permanently unusable position, a long piece of shoe string, pennies, thumbtacks, spools of thread, paper clips, and contact information from potential students who did not study with me two moves ago.  Yes, that is just my own personal detritus which has been packed and moved too many times.  Jared is also a "save it for later" kind of guy, so we have piles of the same sort of detritus from his life as well.  Now you know why my mom would occasionally send us over to play with the neighbors and attack our rooms with a large garbage bag while we were away.  It's going to take many "play dates" before we have an actually beautiful Room of Doom...  Ah, downsizing!

Next week is going to be busy.  My nanny job starts again Monday morning (which I'll be doing Monday through Wednesday next week), I'm teaching Monday and Tuesday (granted not a huge number of lessons), and Jared's aunt will be here for a short visit on a layover on Tuesday as well.  And Wednesday I'm getting on an airplane to leave town again for seven days.  Gotta figure out what to pack and tie up loose ends for Jared before I go.  And I'll be leaving behind a Room of Non-Picky-Guest-Worthiness, which I suppose doesn't really have the same ring to it.

Clicker training

My mom is going to start clicker training with her cats.  She has a nice list of things she is going to teach them.  Like staying off the table.  And getting into their carriers on command.  And like coming to get their nails trimmed rather than running away.  I first heard of clicker training from a lady whose yard we were helping clean after the tornados in Huntsville.  She had clicker trained a number of animals, and we saw her working with a stray dog she had caught.  I was inspired to click train Gregory to play fetch.  Unfortunately, things didn't work out, and he died before that became a reality.

But last night on the way home from group class, Jared and I had a brilliant idea.  We're going to train our three cats!  Black Bean is going to learn to clean the carpets after he barfs on them.  Nutmeg is going to learn to empty the litter boxes into the toilet and refill them.  And Feathers is going to learn to change diapers.  That should keep her busy!  Wish us luck!  Ha.  Its time for these animals to start earning their keep around here.  No more of this napping all day and watching the wildlife for hours on end.  ;-)  And furthermore, it seems that cats like things which people consider stinky, but they have no interest in things we think smell good.  So let's divvy up the work based on interest, I say.

I'm back!

Monday afternoon through Saturday morning I was away on my trip to New York.  The trip involved all kinds of things, including (in no particular order): playing cards with Leah and Ryan, a walking tour of West Point, attending a ladies' prayer meeting, making a practice violin and bow for Shiloh and starting her on them, holding Hadassah, reading to Shiloh, playing with kids, cooking, washing the dishes, a little drive to Cornwall-on-Hudson to get take-out, changing diapers, seeing a machine gun up close, watching a ceremony for an army dude moving up to a higher rank, driving past the exit in NJ for the hospital where I was born, trying out a baby carrier and stroller, walking the dog, folding laundry, hacking through some violin duets with Leah, playing in the snow, looking through Leah's books, chatting...  It was wonderful.  And Leah sent me back with some maternity clothes, cloth diapers, and a video on calming babies.  Thanks, Leah!!!

And my flight home on Saturday got in an hour early, so we were able to make it to church, which was also excellent.

Sunday's adventure involved Linda and Jeffrey and me meeting with a lady and her husband who own a wedding dress that my sister is thinking of buying for her upcoming wedding.  The dress is beautiful and in good condition.  And then we had a dark moment in which it was determined that since I'm only slightly larger than my sister, it would be beneficial for me to try the dress on and see how close it was to fitting me.  Um... so yeah, I got stuck in the dress in the Sears fitting room, and there I am in my underwear with my pregnant belly poking out showing the scar from last year's surgery, with part of this dress stuck on me, and Linda plus this lady I've never met before (the dress owner) are pulling and pushing, to solve the problem.  It also involved my brother running up to the hardware department to find a measuring tape for some measurements while I'm in this particular state...  So yes, this goes in the Embarrassing Events of Life category, but thanks to all my medical procedures which happened last fall, standing around in one's underwear in front of strangers seems quasi normal.  Ha.  However, I was glad to contribute to Emily's wedding in some small way since I won't get to be there in person.

After that, Jeff, Linda and I walked around the mall and visited a bit (the visiting part was nice!), but can I say that I hate swanky malls which are crowded with people spending, spending, spending?  The worst of American capitalism.  "Let's celebrate the birth of Jesus by buying a lot of expensive things we don't need and reveling in material goods made by people in China earning 50 cents a day for my personal satisfaction."  And then to top it off, I drove to Bellvue to another super swanky mall already in holiday mode, because I had a gift card (thanks to my grandmother!) to the Container Store, and I finally had some ideas of what to use it for.  Let's just say that Jared should send me to see Leah at least once a year, because I come back inspired to be less of a pig in my housekeeping/organization efforts.

You know what?  I came home to vacuumed floors and a big pot of pumpkin butter!  That's Jared for you.  :-)

Milestones

Yesterday evening Jeff and Linda were here for dinner.  And I realized it was November 4th, and thusly exactly two years since Feathers and Nutmeg arrived.  We were living in Huntsville, and it was a Thursday.  I was headed out to Jared's school to teach a violin lesson and attend my child development class, but in the few minutes before I left, I was going to walk the block over to our mailbox and see if we had anything waiting.  And when I opened the door I heard a piteous mewing, and there were two TINY kittens on the sidewalk crying.  I quickly looked around and saw no people or mother cat to whom they belonged, and tried to pick them up.  Little Nutmeg came right away.  So I walked in the house with her, went into our 2nd bedroom, held her with one hand, and unfolded and set up the cat cage with the other.  After putting her inside, I took some canned meat outside, and Feathers was interested enough to sniff it so I could collect her, too.  I gave them a dish of water, a dish of food, and some litter in a tiny box.  They were super little.  Anyway, I was just thinking to keep them safe until I could find out who they belonged to.  Turned out they would belong to me.  And they were about four or five weeks old and had only ever nursed, and I had to bottle feed them for a while (even in the night!) until they learned to eat meat.

Here's a photo I took minutes after they arrived.

Here's a (sideways!) photo of them being bottle fed.  They were so wobbly on their tiny legs!

And this is one of my favorites taken about two months later with Gregory, who became their surrogate mom.  They loved Gregory, and I'm glad they had a year with him before he died!

Justice

First of all, you can listen to two songs we sang at church yesterday.

I Sing the Mighty Power of God

Shine Jesus Shine

And second of all, here are four passages which stood out to me this morning when I was reading in Isaiah.  The first five chapters (that's how much I read) were written to God's people in Judah and Jerusalem who were following him in name and religious practice, but not in deed, and he was angry about it.  Maybe some good lessons for the church today...

1:10-20 "Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom!
Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!
What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
When you come to appear before me, who asked this from your hand?  Trample my courts no more;
bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation - I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.
Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them.
When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes;
cease to do evil, learn to do good;
seek justice, rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan, plead for the widow.

Come now, let us argue it out, says the LORD:
though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow;
though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; 
     for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

God is calling his Chosen People "Soddom and Gomorrah" - not exactly the compliment they were expecting to receive.  They were doing all the religious things he commanded them - celebrating the festivals and sabbaths he ordained, giving the sacrifices he'd told them, following his commands about incense in the temple.  They were praying and bringing him offerings.  But God told them he hated all of their religion, because they were doing evil by perpetrating injustice, oppressing others, not looking out for the orphans and widows.  I believe the church ought to be on the lookout for our own sins in this regard - are we doing "all the right things"? Going to worship and Bible study, giving tithes and offerings, praying? But then neglecting to work on behalf of those among us who are "the least of these"?  Are we looking out for the suffering among us, or are we busy protecting our own interests?

God says here that he is willing to make us clean, but we have a choice to make - be willing and obedient to "the weightier matters of the law" or to refuse and rebel, which will lead to a bitter end for us.  God is not talking to "those people out there," he is talking to the people who profess to follow him.

2:11 "The haughty eyes of  people shall be brought low, and the pride of everyone shall be humbled; and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day."

In the end, we shouldn't be looking for our own glory.  Because God is going to bring us down - all of us.  It's only God's glory that matters.  So we shouldn't be chasing after wealth or status or fun or attention or any of the other things which make us the center of our own little universe.  In the end, only God is going to be exalted, and it will be a lot less painful for us if we give up our own aspirations to take over his throne now.

3:13-15 "The LORD rises to argue his case; he stands to judge the peoples.  
The LORD enters into judgment with the elders and princes of his people: 
It is you who have devoured the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.  
What do you mean by crushing my people, by grinding the face of the poor? 
     says the LORD GOD of hosts."

God is planning especially to hold the "elders and princes" of his people accountable - could that today mean leaders in the church?  and the wealthy business people who profess Christ?  and politicians who call themselves Christians?  If any of these people have harmed the poor, God is noticing it.  Not all that glitters is gold.

5:1-7 "Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.
He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines;
he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it;
he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.

And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard.
What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it?
When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?

And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. 
I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured;
I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briars and thorns;
I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting;
he expected justice, but saw bloodshed;
righteousness, but heard a cry! "

God gave his people absolutely everything they needed to produce righteous fruit - he loved them, he put them in a fertile place, he did all the ground work for them, he planted the best seeds, he kept watch over them, he prepared the wine vat for the fruit he expected.  But even with all this care, his people produced wild, selfish fruit.  He was expecting all of his efforts to produce justice (fair treatment of others - especially those in distress: the poor, foreigners, children without a loving family, old people with no way to support themselves) and righteousness (doing things with honesty and integrity, not cutting corners, being on the level).  God was not pleased.  We had better make sure that we're not unwittingly being unjust or unrighteous.

Lots of tough stuff for me to think about.