Iranian Hostages Relased And My Mom Baked Lemon Meringue

Posted on January 13, 2012 by rijandmeg

From my mother’s journal….for anyone interested. Any of you who are in this remember it?

Jan 2 1981-

Left Blaine- returned to Lillian’s- Gary Linda and girls came back. Everyone went to see floats on Jan 2md except Lillian kept the babies and Daryl and I couldn’t find a parking place so we went on to Huntington library and gradients. We spent a couple of hours looking at the collection of old books and then we walked around the gradients. Daryl took me to The Friend Ship specialty shop for cross stitching- I bought 2 books. Then we went back to Lillians for dinner.

Jan 1- We were at Lillians and she had birthday dinner for Gary- pork chop and spaghetti- everything is always delicious.

Jan 3- We left about 9:30 for Salt Lake- Heather took long naps. Megan slept some but had to be entertained most of the time. I was able to read less than one chapter of The Rainbow to Daryl. We stopped for cheeseburgers in a little town (can’t remember the name) then drove on to Salt Lake- good weather all the way. Arrived in Salt Lake at 10:30 PM. Cheryl was home and very glad to see Megan. Aleida got home about midnight and woke up Megan. Megan didn’t remember Aleida right then and so wouldn’t stop crying so she had to sleep with us.

Jan 4- Went to church- fast Sunday we were late- got there late! I did primary activity on encouraging children to write in their journals.

Jan 5th

Heather is back to normal practice schedule with piano lesson at Paul’s at 5 PM. Megan’s cold worse than last week. I cleaned house. First day of Daryl’s new job at Hercules (orientation) Cheryl’s first day at “U”. She had first night class.

Jan 6th- Megan went to play group at Tyler’s. I cleaned house and had several phone calls. Heather went to ballet.

Wed Jan 7th. Cooked baked snickerdoodles. Primary children came over to work on class presentation. Aleida worked at Naturalizer Shoes.

January 8th Thursday. Typed script for Primary presentation. It took my all morning. Utah and other parts of west had power outage- ours was out for only a short while- enough to cause our house to get really cold. Skyline dismissed school so Aleida was in and out.

January 9th Friday- prepared Chicken Pot Pie for our dinner and for our home teacher’s family. Jan Woodbury came home from hospital with new baby. Daryl went with Heather to primary Daddy Daughter date. Spaghetti dinner with many other good things. THere was Raggedy Anne theme so Heather took all of the Annie’s to the party Heather has to go decorate for the party immediately after school then she had a ballet lesson before party. Daryl went (after party) to Tracy Wigwam and slept out on the snow with boy scouts.

1/10- Saturday- cleaned house- went shopping with Heather. We bought her 2 pairs of China doll shoes then I went down to Spoons and Spice and got expand feed tube for my Cuisinart- clay dish for chicken and clay pan for bread (gifts for my birthday).

1/11- Sun. Megan still has cold- I stayed home from sacrament meeting to tend Megan. Mother called about 12 noon. The Trogdons are finally dividing the property and she and Daddy are not well so Megan and I will leave at 11:15 from S.L. – fly to Denver then to Atlanta then change flight to go to Greensboro. We got to Greensboro at 7:38 AM Monday morning. We had a really good flight! Megan was really good. She was so excited to know she was going on plane. She said “Oh, I’m going in submarine and see starfish and feed the fish” (This was what she did at Disneyland.)

1/12 Cold in N.C. 6 and 20 in various places. IT was good to see everyone. Gary, Julia and Andrea met us at the airport. Mother was glad to see us. Daddy got home at 4 PM- Megan was shy with everyone. Samuel, Sylvia and family came over- Gary and Julia were up here. Everyone had fun visiting. Sonny called.

1/13- My birthday. Mother fixed good breakfast- I went to town w/Julia to get medicine for Megan’s cold. Julia got me a cake and ice cream. Susan called about 6PM and then Don called about 9:20 after we were all in bed.

1/14- Wednesday visited with Mother- Mother made two lemon pies. Megan still has cold. I looked at Mother’s needlework books.

1/15 Thursday- cold weather still but warmer than beginning of week. Megan and I went down to feed deer and to see calf. Megan played on swing set.

1/16 Friday- Megan and I went down to Julia’s and Andrea. Julia was babysitting many children. The children were having a good time. Andrea loaned Megan a doll and baby bottle. She played with it all afternoon and night. She played with Grandaddy He would pretend he was taking her bottle and she would run. Mother and I talked until about 11 PM.

1/17 Saturday- Mother prepared her delicious pancakes for breakfast. Then Ann and Ralph Shaw came down she brought two books to show me 1. History of Randolph 2. McKay Family history. Megan and I had lunch. Gary, Julia, Mom, Dad, two girls and I went to Little Texas fish camp. Daddy got sick on way home and really scared us. He was sick all night long.

1/18- No one got much sleep last night. I called Daryl 12:30 Salt Lake time and he and girls called again about 9AM Salt Lake Time. It was good to talk to the girls. Daddy was sick all day but did go to the farm with Gary in afternoon. Sonny and Beth came down and then Samuel and his family came over. Gary and Julia came up and after everyone else left we had hamburgers and Julia made a banana split pie. Daddy ate some but didn’t feel too well. Megan didn’t take a nap so I’m trying to get her to bed early. Don called and talked to us.

1/19 Monday- up early to take Daddy to the doctor. Daddy had a complete physical and Dr. Kinlaw said he was generally in good health. He had to get his prescriptions and then we came home. He still didn’t feel good. Gary went with to the farm to feed up. Julia washed some clothes for Megan and me. Ralph Shaw and Harvey came over for a visit. Hostage Crisis in Iran seems almost over, hopefully by morning.

1/20- Left for Charlotte about 8:30- We visited with Grandaddy, Grandmother Martin and Mary. Joe came while we were there. Ronald Reagan’s inauguration American’s held hostage by Iran released- left Charlotte about 2:45- Grandaddy Martin not well- Mary took him to Dr. while we were there.

Daddy still doesn’t feel like working- has pain in his up right chest- soreness in lung area. We watched TV Coverage of the hostage release. Daryl called from Nashville. I changed my reservations fm. 31st to Feb 2nd.

1-21 Awoke to news on “Good Morning America” T.V. show about released hostages. Megan seems some better of her cold. She let mother bathe and dress her.. Daddy was home today. Megan played finger puppets with him. She would ask him to hold out his hand and she would put puppets on his fingers and he would move his finger and she would talk for them. Mother fixed a very delicious dinner- veg. rice, liver, biscuits. Daddy went to farm and I worked on cross-stitching- we all watched T.V. for about an hour after dinner.

1-22 Watched T.V. early ab. hostages- worked on cross stitching- Mother washed clothes and worked on doll clothes. Samuel and family came over for a visit. Daddy went to farm. Aleida and Heather called. Aleida was excited about being on Teen board at ZCMI. We all watched T.V. and retired for the night. Daddy went to work and is feeling some better.

1-23 Megan’s cold worse- now she has a cough. Frank & Mary Trogdon came to visit for about an hour. I worked on cross-stitching. Mother worked on “Laura” doll clothes. Andrea and Gary came to visit.

1-24- Helped Mother clean house- worked on alphabet cross stitch name for Robin. Samuel and family brought barbecue for dinner. Tanya stayed to play with Megan. Samuel, Gary, and Daddy went to farm to do up work and to cut wood. I throughout we’d hear from SL but aye tomorrow.

2-26- It will be hard to go back and document all the things that have happened this past month- I just have not felt like recording events even though much has happened.

3-18- Working on quilt (pieced from scraps-velour) 17 strips 73″ long 4″ wide. This is just an experiment to use of scraps. I need to figure out how much batting I need and how much lining. (sketch of quilt with calculations).

I got a letter from Aunt Mary today.

4-6 Renewed effort to start consistent entries in my journal. Yesterday was General Conference and Hartman Rector spoke about keeping our journals.

http://lds.org/ensign/1981/05/turning-the-hearts?lang=eng

Today was a beautiful spring day. At 6, the alarm sounded and soon after I got up- dressed and then called Dee Gonter to give her directions to get to Carolyn Jensens. At 6:30 I went with Jill and Dorthea and we walked our regular route. Then I did a little house work and took bath with Megan- got ready to go to Luncheon at Carolyn Jensens. Marilyn Olsen met me here and then we went to get Julie Anderson. Megan went with me. Norma Sturgeon and her daughter Shannon were already at Carolyn’s. We had a nice visit and planned to meet again on June 6th at Sunnyside Park with families. Megan was very tired after not having a nap yesterday and today. She went to the post office with me and then we went to Skaggs. Karen Spencer came by with recipes form my assignment for Ward Banquet (carrots) Daryl announced that his out of town trip will begin this Thursday rather than Sunday . He will be in In.(??) several days.

Megan was so quiet this morning – I went to check on her, her little head was flat down on the table in the kitchen. She had a tantrum during dinner- she was so tired. We didn’t do very much her work today- But we did Church presidents and inventors once I put her alphabet cards up around her ceiling.

Tomorrow I plan to do more with the “bit” cards:

Church presidents
Inventors
U.S. Presidents
Flags
Leaves
Words (2 sets)
Review shapes, birds,
Also- I have to wash clothes- clean my bathroom and bedroom

Goals for April-

finish Emma
read Deirdre book for book club
organize and make materials for Mother’s group
work with Megan every day
eliminate desserts for the remainder of April
make Heathers jumper
Spring clean 3 rooms

4/7- Up at 6:00 walk with Jill at 6:30- Megan was still tired this morning. She was slow to get ready for playgroup. Jill came by to get Megan to take her to Reisers. I cleaned house the entire time Megan was gone. Jan came by with Scotty and I tended him while she went to dentist. Megan and Scotty shared a lunch. Megan took a long nap and I mended cookbooks and story books, I used mother’s recipe and make 2 lemon meringue pies. They were really good. I washed and folded clothes- Aleida was home because of P/T Conference. Heather had ballet after school. Daryl went by to get dresser from woodhouse- we had lentil soup for dinner- homemade bread and pie.

Daryl went to Order of Arrow meeting.

I only did inventors and Church Pres. w/Megan today. Tomorrow I’ll do more. We did work on letter H today.

Inventors – Letter “A”
Ch. Pres
Salt box
puzzles
scales on piano
Leaves
2 set of words
Flags
States

4/9 I didn’t write last night so I will this morning. Megan didn’t want to do “bit” cards- We did work on lowercase “r” “h” uppercase “I” “H” – She watched Sesame Street- I finished Heather’s dresser that we got from Woodhouse with antique oak. The piano tuner came and tuned our piano to the tune of $375. Wednesday is food exchange day w/ Spencers My turn I fixed chicken in cream sauce and bran muffins- also I sent lemon pie that I made last night. Daryl went to scouts- Then called Diane for her birthday and then called Lillian at Gary’s to thank her for the $.

*******My notes****

From the General Conference talk that my mom referred to above:

I am sure you will never turn your own children’s hearts more to you than you will by keeping a journal and writing your personal history. They will ultimately love to find out about your successes and your failures and your peculiarities. It will tell them a lot about themselves, too. They will get a great desire to raise a family of their own when they see what a great blessing they were to you.Elder Harman Rector, Jr.

I can tell that journal writing was important to my mother even though it wasn’t always easy for her to write. She couldn’t have known how true Elder Rector’s words are for me, though. Today, I happened to come across the transcript above I typed up a couple years ago. It is especially meaningful to me given that she talks about going to North Carolina and all the family she mentions there….reading this about a week after my grandmother’s funeral and after having visited with those same relatives.

I find the juxtaposition of a major historical event such as the Iranian Hostage Crisis and the day to day events my mother’s life somewhat fascinating. Yes I love to read about my mother’s successes: working on her hobbies, exercising, supporting her parents, interaction with her husband & children, friends…her efforts with me. Her failures? I’d guess she didn’t meet all of her goals all the time….but she set them! Her peculiarities? Not eating dessert in April! Well, the remainder of April.

It does tell me a lot about myself. Literally…I had tantrums just like Fiona does. But also reading her journals draws me in and brings me to a lot of self-reflection. I relate to this time period in my mom’s life. There is a lot of mundane activities, folding clothes, making food, naps. Did she ever wonder whether it was even worth writing down? I’m glad she did though. I love the little flash of wit at the end when she writes, ”The piano tuner came and tuned our piano to the tune of $375.”

At the funeral, Steffan and I talked about whether we really know/knew our parents. It was an interesting discussion. I can’t quote him directly, but Steffan made some very introspective comments about his memories of mom and how it influences him. He was only 13 when she passed away. He talked about how his thoughts of mom are emotion based….that her influence is felt in who he is as a person, his motivations and work ethic. He put it much better, but I got a sense that her influence on him is strong and very positive, even though his actual memories may be fleeting.

I’ll continue to try to follow her example of keeping a family history the best I can. I feel that she is gone, but then she isn’t. I happen to read a few pages of her journal and am inspired and encouraged to do more. Maybe I’ll do some flash cards with Fiona tomorrow. I still have those flags. Happy Birthday, mom.

* The photos were the only ones I had on hand. I’ll have to look for more pertinent ones later*

Posted in Family, Journal | Tagged huntington library, Iranian Hostage Crisis, journal, mothers | 4 Comments

Nov. 26, 1921- Jan 1, 2012

Posted on January 2, 2012 by rijandmeg

Paul and Delma Trogdon

My Grandmother Delma Vie Trodgon briefly entered the New Year this morning and left it quietly, leaving behind many loved ones who are grieving this loss.

I can hardly comprehend that she is no longer here, and the few thoughts that are giving me comfort are these:

She had told me so many times how much she is looking forward to being reunited with her husband and my mother. I need to find peace in her faith that she is finally able to have the reunion that she has waited so long for.

Like my grandfather, because of the care and attention given her by her children and grandchildren, she was able to live with a high quality of life in her own home right up until this past week when she had to go to the hospital. She never had to endure a growing season without her garden.

Also like my grandfather, she had complete command of her mental facilities throughout her life, and though many physical activities were restricted, she still was able to do most things independently.

She lived through her 90th birthday, and made it to the new year. My mother was one of 5 children. I am one of 19 grandchildren. My daughter and son are two of 30 great-grandchildren. Little Samuele in Italy is her only great-great-grandchild. I am so thankful that my grandmother got to know my children and the memories I will have of their time with her.

Grandma smiling at Fiona

Grandma and Leif

My grief is selfish- I miss her, I wanted to see her one last time. One more visit. One more time hearing the tea-kettle whistle. One more time eating oatmeal together. One more time talking about what we will have for lunch. One more time watching her defy all logic by opening a can of beans with the tiniest can opener I have ever seen. One more time hearing her tell Gary when he comes in to get a drink out of the fridge. One more time watching her spray Pam on the cookie sheet. One more time trying to find the right kind of jar for the leftovers. One more time walking by her bedroom and glancing in to see her and Marilyn discussing the items that she needs from the store. One more time hearing her say my daughter’s name….which is a hard one. One more time bringing a sewing project and asking her for advice. One more time seeing her smile when Sam teases her. One more time sitting down next to her and listening to her tell stories about my mom and grandpa. One more time saying, “Well, I guess it’s time to go to bed.” One more time hugging her good night and hearing her hearing aid whistle when her head presses against mine.

I feel there is more I could have, should have done with her, and these regrets add to my grief. I know she would not want me or any of us to feel this way, and I just need to be grateful for all the things she has left with me. I have written before about how I’ve tried to cultivate interests that are shared between my mother Carolyn and my grandma such as sewing, cooking and gardening. I’ve not tried to put into words the many things Grandma taught me simply through her strength of character and love.

Grandma held a lot of love for us and she expressed it. Whenever I would call her, she would tell me that she had been thinking about me, and I knew that that was a genuine statement and not just something nice to say. She expressed her love for me and my family specifically and told me that she remembered us in our prayers. She took care to remember Rijen and my dad and told me often how highly she thought of them.

I don’t have all the childhood memories of North Carolina like my other siblings who went there more often and actually lived there at different times in their youth. I do have great memories of the few trips we took when I was younger, however in my mind Grandma was kind of there in the background, since Grandpa’s personality and all the activity with cousins, the animals and the farm was more captivating to me as a young girl.

My relationship with Grandma developed more in the past seven years, after I was married and by virtue of our moving to Virginia, where I could drive down to Asheboro a couple times a year and spend time with her there.

During this time, Grandma was an important link between me and my mother. I felt that although my mom wasn’t around any more for all the important things that an adult daughter needs her mother for, I still had Grandma. I am sure it is quite understandable to be sad about the fact that my mom would never meet my husband or know my children….that aspect of loss will always be present in my life, however that sadness was eased by the comfort that my Grandma got to meet them. When I brought baby Fiona in to see Grandma…that single moment was one of the favorite moments of my life. Then, after moving to Germany and returning, the fact that Grandma was able to see baby Leif on two occasions….now that was a huge blessing that I am very grateful for.

Grandpa and Grandma and me- 1996?

Her marriage and commitment to her husband has been a great example to me…since the time I attended their 50th wedding anniversary when I was younger, to the time when I was able to introduce her to my husband. I am sure there must have been difficult times, and from what I have heard, she made great sacrifices to be a support and partner as a wife, a dutiful daughter-in-law, (how would you react if your father-in-law tried to wear his shoes in bed or started chopping up the front porch for firewood? Hopefully with a lot of patience like Grandma) and a loving mother to her children.

She missed Paul–on countless occasions she would stand in the kitchen and tell me about the day he had to go to the hospital and we would both cry together. We would also sit together and she would tell me how they would lie in bed and, “talk about old times.” Then I would ask her about some of those stories and she would tell me the one about how he fooled her into eating squirrel and then to get him back she played a joke on him when she made him lunch and we would both laugh.
I wanted to end this day looking back at the pictures and videos I took on our last visit with her in October. I hadn’t looked at them since the trip, and this is what motivated me to start writing. I wanted to put down some of the memories which I have been reliving in my head ever since I heard that Grandma was in the hospital….and although I would like to organize them a bit more formally at some point in the future, I feel that writing this now while the memories are fresh can help me to end this day by thinking of her. My grief right now is keen, and in some way, writing these memories, looking at the pictures and hearing her soft North Carolina accent on the video has helped to temper my sadness somewhat.

So I will end this post and this day with a few videos taken during my last visit with my Grandmother Trogdon.

The first is a story that I heard for the first time on this trip. I like to tell Fiona “morality tales,” and Fiona likes to hear stories that are “a little bit scary,” so this story is a perfect combination of both. Grandma had told Fiona this story already a couple times, but then I wanted to video tape it, so it is a re-telling. That is why it begins with Fiona asking about genealogy. (Fiona is a little bit obsessed about who people’s moms and dads are. ) However, it also demonstrates Grandma’s amazing memory for family names.

Some back history to better understand the story: Grandma wasn’t always perfectly obedient as a little girl, and one thing she liked to do was to go and play in the creek (Grandma calls this a branch and a spring in her story) which was near their house. Her mother did not want her playing in the water, since it could be dangerous, so she and her sister Lucy concocted a plan to stop Grandma from playing in the spring. In case Grandma’s voice is not clear in the tape, I transcribed the story here in a Google doc:Grandma and the Witch

Fiona and Grandma share a middle name, (Delma Vie- Fiona Vie). I hope that it will be more than just an unusual middle name for her– that it will represent a heritage and the characteristics that I admire in Grandma that I would also love to see in her. I am so happy that although Fiona will likely not have natural memories of Grandma, she will be able to look back at pictures and videos like this last upcoming one.

On the last visit, I had this ambitious goal to make Raggedy Ann and Andy pairs for all of the new great grandchildren who were recently born. Unfortunately, I finished everything except the hair, as you can see here , so this project is yet to be completed. This is a style of doll that Grandma had sewn often in her life for family and friends. Grandma and Marilyn had given me the pattern and some of the fabric. I tried to do as much as I could before the visit, however I needed to look at the doll that Grandma had made as an example, and I also wanted Grandma to give me some instructions….and I did hope that she could do some physical aspect of the doll construction too. Plus I thought it would be fun to work on it there.

Due to Grandma’s arthritis, she was unable to do any sewing, however she was able to help with stuffing the dolls. The morning we flew out, I had Grandma help Fiona stuff her Raggedy Ann doll. I know it is just a silly rag doll, however this moment epitomizes what is one of the most important aspects to me about family and having children…passing on traditions, knowledge and these type of shared memories.

Writing this tonight…..it was not a carefully crafted tribute to Grandma, or a nicely organized “In Memoriam” about her life. It was more a spontaneous and unexpected kind of thing. I cannot express all the emotions I feel about how much she meant to me and all of us. I hope this can be a record for me to remember how I felt about her, and our relationship on the day that she died.

Good night Grandma. Sweet Dreams. I love you. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.

*This was written last night, Jan 1 2012, but I posted it the next night, since the videos took some time uploading.*

**I will be traveling to Asheboro, NC with Leif to attend the viewing and funeral, on Wednesday and Thursday respectively, along with my siblings. Obituary here. **

Posted in Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Christmas Card 2011: Nailed It!

Posted on December 25, 2011 by rijandmeg

There are many reasons why I didn’t mail out a Christmas Card with a family picture this year. However, I will just list a few of those reasons here.

"Fiona Get Over Here Now."

Fiona We Are All Waiting For You.

And Here It Is: Merry Christmas 2011..from ALL of us.

I guess there is always next year. Until then….

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged christmas card | 2 Comments

Halloween and Pearl Harbor Day

Posted on December 7, 2011 by rijandmeg

MY Birthday present to myself is to finish this post about Halloween which I started…well, around Halloween time. I’ve been at Aleida’s since Thanksgiving en route to Utah for Christmas….thought I would have more time while “on vacation” to work on this blog…but there are so many other more important things that seem to keep coming up.

I know my posts tend to be long, and I know videos tend to be tedious to open and watch sometime, but if you look at one thing on this post, (and are a fan of Fiona or have ever had a sugar high) please just scroll down and watch the video titled “Sugar High.” It is one of my favorite all-time clips of Fiona thus far & I was desperately trying to suppress my laughter while filming it.

So here it is:

HALLOWEEN 2011

Fiona loves Halloween. Rijen and I sometimes remark that Halloween 2010 may be Fiona’s best memory. Recounting what happened while Trick or Treating on that day last year was a bedtime ritual for months. Highlight: Seeing Bert & Ernie. It also may be the first time she was scared, after seeing some guy wearing a scary mask with blood coming out of its eyes and also being a bit frightened by an animated prop of a man on the ground which started crawling after she triggered its motion sensor.

Fiona has also been very fascinated by skulls, as she has seen countless skeletons in the many museums we visited in Europe….it also helped that the exhibits were almost always at her eye level.

Museum in Berlin

I tried not to equate “scary” with skeletons and such, however I think it was inevitable. It didn’t help when this Halloween decoration was put up near our house in Austin.

Scary Mask

This “Scary Mask” so captivated Fiona, it became her catch phrase so to speak when on the phone with Rijen. This is how it goes:

Rijen calls, Fiona wants to speak to him. I hand the phone to Fiona. Instead of saying “Hi dad,” or “How are you,” she says, “Watcha ‘fraid about, Dad?” Then Rijen, who usually plays along says, “I saw a man with a scary mask!” Then Fiona proceeds to console him and tell him that it is just a decoration, or just pretend.

Despite her brave words, Fiona did NOT want to go trick or treating at this door when we came around to it, but I did make sure I took a photo.

Fiona was Raggedy Ann for Halloween. This kind of came about not really by choice, but just because I had been making a whole bunch of Raggedy Ann dolls for cousins in North Carolina and realized that the doll pattern for the largest-size doll was Fiona sized, so I made the clothes for her. About 10 minutes before going out the door, I remembered that she really should have Raggedy Ann hair, so I quickly cobbled together a makeshift wig with yarn and a head-band. She is called “Raggedy” for a reason, right? Then we were about to go out the door, when I realized she needed makeup! I can’t believe I almost forgot this, because it really sells the look, don’t you think?

The Raggedy Anns

When we flew back from North Carolina on Oct 30th, I had her in her costume, but minus the hair and the makeup a lot of people thought she was Dorothy from Wizard of Oz.

What about Leif? Well, I also started to do a Raggedy Andy costume for him, since they are a pair, but it didn’t get done. I finished the shirt and half of a hat, but when it came down to it, he was just going to be in a stroller the whole time anyway, so I just didn’t worry about it. HOWEVER, earlier that day, Fiona insisted that I put one of her tutus on him. I was going to take it right off, but he really enjoyed playing with it, so I left it on for a while. And took a picture of course:

I’m really sorry Leif, if you ever have to report on what you were for your first Halloween, I guess you are going to have to say that you were a lion ballerina. He does have pretty good form though, don’t you think?

On to Trick or Treating! Oh, I did make her trick or treat bag too, which I thought turned out well. I think a good trick or treat bag should be about as tall as the trick or treater, right?

I had been scouting our neighborhood for the best street while on my evening jogs, and I think I picked a good street. My formula for the best street included factors such as the number of giant spiders on doorways, fake ghost families set up in yards and overall scariness but not too gruesome. This was my favorite house:

Fiona did really well trick or treating. I went with her and helped prompt her for a bunch, and then she wanted to be independent. She even made me stand back so she could do it all by herself.

She was very social, especially when there were dogs involved.

So, I must admit that I was a little annoyed that Fiona was Raggedy Ann for Halloween by my own doing, since there are so many other options I would have preferred. However, the majority of people who answered the door were older, and Raggedy Ann was a HUGE hit with the “Grandmas” of the neighborhood. They couldn’t get enough of her. We even got a couple of invites to come back and visit.

Note 0:13 in the video when you hear the lady squeal “Raggedy Ann!” 1:13 Fiona says that she wants to “Be by myself.” Also 1:44- the excitement of the lady at the end when she says in her Texan accent, “Let me get my bowl of Candy!” Wherein Fiona tries to take advantage of it by grabbing fistfuls of candy out of the bowl]:

We let Fiona pick out some candy for the walk home and then a bit more at home when we Skyped with Rijen’s family. Afterwards, Fiona had her first major sugar high, which involved her pretending a chopstick was a microphone, flute, trumpet clarinet, violin and who knows what else….all in about 30 seconds. I have never seen Fiona act out playing instruments in this manner before or since this clip….

She also was excited about seeing her cousin Carson, if you can make out her talking about that in the beginning of the video.(The title says “and Skeleton”, but I split the clip and the skeleton is in a different video)

OK, so that was October 31, 2011. However, the Halloween fun didn’t really end there, because on my evening jog a few days later, I went a bit farther than I had before and was amazed when I turned the corner and saw this amazing house:

I promise, the pictures don’t even do it justice. It was the most decked out house I have ever seen..for any holiday. I usually don’t do things like this, but I ran straight up to the house and knocked on the door.

When a gentleman came to the door, I asked him if they were going to have the Halloween lights up still the next night. He started stammering something about how his wife was going to take them down but she wasn’t feeling that well….so I quickly interrupted him to tell him that I was really impressed by it and just wanted to take my daughter by the house so she could see them. I felt bad, I’m sure he thought at first that I was complaining! But no, I just wanted Fiona to get just one more night of Halloween fun. I think it was a bit overwhelming though for her, because in anticipation of us coming by, they opened up these displays that I hadn’t noticed on my “jog-by,” since they had been covered up previously.

So we got a bit more than I bargained for when we went by to see the “Halloween House” the night after Halloween.These “tents” were constructed in front of the house.

You see that skeleton in the pin stripe suit above right? Well, he talks when light shines on him. For example, when the flash of a camera goes off. Fiona wasn’t the only one who got a bit spooked when this happened.

The little girl in the stroller with hands over her ears? Don’t mistake her for part of the display, that’s just my now-traumatized daughter.

Maybe the fact that the wife came out and gave Fiona a huge bag of extra candy made up for it.

ONE would think that Halloween was then finally over, right? Not quite. This time it was Fiona who had a little surprise for me. Remember Fiona’s fascination with skeletons?

Turns out that it was not just casual interest for Fiona while enjoying a pre-lunch snack. Fiona was actually doing research for her own exhibit…or exhibition art. A few days after Halloween, Rijen was studying upstairs, I was downstairs and Fiona was “playing” in her room. I hear Rijen calling me, and then something that no mother wants to hear, and I quote, “Um Megan, you need to see this…what Fiona has done to herself…Don’t worry, I’ll help clean it all up in a minute..I just want to finish this one thing first.” I turn the corner to look into her room and I see this:

She had climbed up on her step stool (which has been her trusty side-kick these past few months) and found some Desitin from the baby’s changing table top drawer. She informed us that she was a skeleton, and was very proud of herself. I couldn’t help but laugh and take these pictures…and luckily the Desitin wasn’t too hard to clean off because the “skeleton” had touched practically everything in the room.

It is kind of funny actually that I am posting about this today, since Fiona got into Aleida’s bright pink lip stain and did the same thing above to her face and several items in Aleida’s bedroom. When I found her she looked like a pink Oompa Loompa who was really into tagging. Luckily lip stain came off most surfaces with water.

We are currently trying to transition Fiona from Halloween to Christmas. I am not doing the greatest job as a mom in educating Fiona exactly how Santa, Snowmen and of course Baby Jesus play into Christmas. I guess I have a few weeks left to work on all that.

But at least she has Halloween down!

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Happy Halloween and Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Posted on November 1, 2011 by rijandmeg

I think my mom would have appreciated this on several different levels.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

My North Carolina top 10

Posted on October 18, 2011 by rijandmeg

MY sister Aleida recently sent me an article which gave the hint of a suggestion that time travel theoretically could be possible due to recent data showing that subatomic particles were recorded to travel faster than the speed of light. According to science fiction, once the light-speed barrier is broken…game on in regards to time travel! (Of course the article put this much more scientifically.)

Now, the Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland and my grandmother’s house in rural Asheboro North Carolina could not be more different. I do feel, however, that I experience time differently when I visit there…and while time travel may not yet be possible in my lifetime, and as amazing as the prospect may seem, visiting NC is the closest type of time travel I’ll ever be a part of.

My grandmother has lived in this house almost her whole life- having moved there with her husband shortly after they got married. It is pretty rural now, and was even more so back then; she describes standing at the kitchen sink looking out the window at the one winding country road, homesick for the city life and her parents…but then looking out at the lush green trees and landscape of the country gave her comfort in the beauty of the changing seasons.

Don & Steffan with grandparents 1991/2011

I posit that when I return to North Carolina, while not exactly traveling in time, I am wholly affected by time and I experience it more there than in any other place.

I go back in time when I think about how my mother and all her brothers and sisters grew up in that house- slept in the rooms that I slept in, ate at the same table, looked at many of the same pictures in the albums and on the walls.

Fiona playing with a croquet set which belonged to my mom and her sister and brothers.

I find out new pieces of history every visit…that child’s rocking chair sitting dustily in the corner? My grandma told me last visit that it was my moms. It took on a whole new aspect to me. [reminder to insert picture of said chair later!]

I go back in time when little things evoke memories of my childhood. Smells especially…when we visited a barn in the German Black Forest this summer, Rijen thought the smell of cow manure was pretty strong, but I loved it because it reminded me of the farm in NC. Or the opposite, the worst smell I ever smelt was when I witnessed my grandfather having to birth a cow whose fetus died in utero. That may seem pretty awful, but it was life on the farm, and it really impressed me. There was a silent strength in that act- it had to be done, and he did it.

I experience a stasis of time when there are so many things that stay the same. There is a permanence and personality to the house. The orange carpet, the light green and white faded and peeling wallpaper in the bathroom, the Zane Grey hardbacks on the bookshelf. Those of you who have experienced an old house like this may feel this- an organic feeling to it as the house seems to settle into itsself and the surrounding trees.

There are a lot of sensory elements to this aspect of experiencing time standing still. Each time I visit I am at a totally different place in my life- but the same sights, sounds and smells comfort me when I return there. My grandmother making chicken pot pie, the sound of the tea kettle waking me up in the morning because she doesn’t hear that it is going off..the different kind of cookies all packaged in their respective storage containers on the tablecloth laid out on the washer and dryer. There is no internet and very limited cell phone reception there. I get so used to it that when someone turns on the TV and all the cable channels start blaring, it is quite jarring.

Do I go forward in time? I guess I could…if I wanted to. I’m the type that would rather reflect on the past than think about the future. Actually, I feel like the progress of time is actually more evident there because so much about the house is firmly rooted in the past. The many modern improvements that my family has made to make my grandmother’s life easier stand out more, and any new changes that may have happened between my visits are more apparent.

Well, enough in this vein, and on to my NC top ten. I wanted this post to celebrate all of the things that I love about North Carolina- the things that I can rely on- the things I call home. It was hard to narrow this list down to 10, but at least it leaves room for a follow-up post after my upcoming visit this week!

10. Nightgowns

Which one would you wear?

Every time I have visited in my memory, there are always an assortment of nightgowns for me to wear. (I don’t even pack pajamas anymore). It also seems that there seem to be more and more choices every time I visit. Last time, (pictured above) I was able to practically have a different nightgown every night! The yellow one was my favorite.

One night when Rijen was on a visit with me, it got really cold during the night. He told me the next day that he woke up in the middle of the night with a chill and as he turned over, trying to get warm, a moonbeam was shining on this long-sleeved blue and white nightgown (2nd from the left above) hanging off of the bureau right next to the bed……

…I know it would have made for a better story if I could say that I woke up in the morning to find him wearing my grandmother’s nightgown, but he didn’t actually put it on. He confessed that he was very tempted though!

On the 20th of this October, my three sisters and I will all be together at my grandmother’s house. I really really really hope I am not the only one wearing these nightgowns!

9. Grandmother’s Garden

My grandmother is an excellent gardener and is my inspiration for all things green. I love visiting in the summer when I can see how beautiful her garden turns out. She has all sorts of things growing there- beans, peas, lettuce, tomatoes, corn, squash, pumpkins, cucumbers..and I am sure there are more things I am forgetting. It was especially tall this year, I thought!

Fiona in Grandma's garden

Fiona and her long green bean

I love the ability to go outside and pick vegetables, take them inside, wash and prepare them and eat that same day.

8. Animals: Specifically Kitty-cats and Cows

There used to be LOTS of animals at the house when my grandfather was alive. It was like a little girls dream come true- bunnies, little chicks, kittens etc. There were an assortment of hutches and my grandfather would show us how to gather the eggs, although I was always a bit frightened to put my hand close to the hen. While the hutches now stand empty, you can always count on the cows, (and count them, as well-as grandpa would do), and possibly even a kitten.

Kitty-cats-

Prancing. I think the kitten taught her how.

I’m sure Fiona would have rated this #1! It seems like every time I go to NC there happens to be a new batch of kittens around. So I asked my uncle Gary, and sure enough, there was one. He attached himself to Fiona early on (or was it the other way around?) and they became exploring partners.

"What do you see, Kitty Cat?"

Fiona is not very imaginative when it comes to naming things. Her baby doll is called “Baby,” her bunny rabbit is “Bunny,” and even though I suggested lots of fun names for this kitty, she named it “Kitty Cat.”

I wonder if they will remember each other when we visit this trip! If Kitty Cat is even still around!

COWS!

I should be more accurate actually and title this

COWS BETWEEN CARS!

Cow between two cars

You can tell I do not tire of taking pictures like these. (More to come I’m sure).

How does this happen, you ask? Well, put a mechanic and a farmer on the same property (same person-my uncle Gary) and then you get this beautiful pasture for the cows….framed by organic cars.

It’s the kind of thing that I wish you all could see in person, this picture doesn’t quite do it justice, since it is quite an amazing line-up of cars. Perhaps Aleida can take some better pictures this upcoming week.

Okay, now we are getting to one of the most unique things at the NC house:

7. OLD MAGAZINES

Since my grandmother knows that I enjoy sewing and crafting (interests passed on to my by her and my mother), she always sets aside new magazines and digs out old ones that she thinks I might enjoy looking at. While I was in Germany, I guess she had 2 years to find some real gems, because on this last visit in August, she had this amazing magazine from 1978:

Note my grandmother’s writing at the top here:

This magazine is as old as me!

Are you ready to see what is inside? Are you sure?

Can "Turtles-up" be the new catch-phrase of 2012? Please?

I’m not sure if it is the “dots,” but that waiter is excited about something…and speaking of exciting, let us turn to the next page…

I think Tyra Banks (ANTM) would say that the chef stole the spotlight in this photo. Although it is hard to take one’s eyes off the fringe. It is looking FIERCE!

6. The Property

Since I’ve not lived in a house with its own back yard for years and years now, I love walking around in the property back behind my grandparent’s house and my uncle Gary’s. I was especially excited to take Fiona on a cow hunt.

I must be honest, sometimes going so close to the cows makes me a bit nervous. (There is the famous story of my mother being gored by one when she got to close to its calf). So, the next time we went on a cow hunt, I enlisted the help of my intrepid 1st-cousin-once-removed Aaron.

He came fully equipped as our sergeant guide- ready to fend off snakes and cows, negotiate huge anthills, hack aside tall weeds and bend down barbed wire fences. I did NOT know what I was getting into when he led the way. I think I was pretending that I was ten years old once again.

First we encountered some ancient cars returning to their origin.

Next we navigated the jungle.

We finally made it to this open clearing, where this majestic tree stands all alone.

It’s hard to really see the perspective here, but trust me it’s pretty magical.

Our guide scouted some things out for us, and then asked if we wanted to go down to the river. I probably should have said no, but again the 10 year old me said yes. (My 10 year old self didn’t realize that it would have to precariously hold the two year old and the camera while hopping over a barbed wire fence where the ground on the other side of the fence drops off immediately into a little ravine down to the river. Oh, and negotiate spider webs and tree branches at the same time. And then army crawl under another fence and then hop over yet one more).

Amazingly, we made it to the river without any major injuries. And it was worth it because Fiona loved it.

Don’t worry, it’s not that much harder climbing back up!

By the way, all the fence hopping and crawling under gates—we weren’t trespassing, these are just barriers my uncle puts up to keep others out of various areas of the property.

5. OLD PHOTOGRAPHS

I read recently that one way of preserving old photographs instead of scanning them, is to just take a picture of them. Since it would be a bit difficult to scan my grandmother’s old family pictures, I thought I would try it here, and I think the quality looks pretty good. Plus it cuts out a bunch of steps to get a photo to a digital form.

One of my favorite activities to do with my grandmother is to go through all of her photo albums. This never gets tiring–even though I have seen the pictures now many times, it is still a a challenge to try and remember who everyone is. I am amazed that she recalls all the names and often little anecdotes about each person. It is incredible to think about how the people in these pictures are not that far distant from me…yet I can only guess at to what they were like based on the few pictures and stories that get passed down. I like that this picture of my grandmother’s father is quite handsome and serious, and the next one shows a bit more personality.

Coy Martin- my great grandfather

Coy and a friend.

4. Recent(ish) Family photographs

I actually meant to put old photographs at #4 and family at #5 but they both go hand-in-hand. It is pretty funny to look back at all the family photos we’ve sent our grandparents over the years. My grandma likes to take them out and look at them often, and Heather has done a lot with keeping them organized. This photography idea is taken from the website Dear Photograph.

Heather, Grandma & Grandpa Trodgon

Grandpa's garage

3.Food

OF Course Good Ole Southern Cookin’ comes in at #3. I was fortunate to be at my grandma’s right when it is best- when the tomatoes are ready. I could eat a tomato sandwich every day all summer…as long as the tomatoes look like this:

Tomato.

Sandwich.

I also want to point out that everything on the above plate except for the bread and mayonaise was straight from my grandma’s garden.

Corn Dumplings

Chicken Dumplings are my favorite meal here..but it was interesting to try a version of that I’ve never had before-with garden-fresh corn. I’ll have to put the recipe up next time. Again, there was a lot more delicious food, but I didn’t think to take pictures. Next time!

2. Family

Since all of my mom’s immediate family has stayed in North Carolina, it makes it really convenient to see a lot of family members when we visit. They also make an effort to get together and do a “cook-out” or a big dinner when one (or more) of us come to visit. Out of town visitors or not, most Sundays at least one or more of my Grandma’s children are at her house for dinner. It was an especially meaningful reunion after being overseas for 2 years- and to visit with a new baby as well!

Great-Aunt Marilyn with Leif

Fiona and Leif have cousin contemporaries of their own who are now beginning the new Trogdon generation.

Gary with great-nephew and great-niece

So this may look like a stressful moment above…however Gary is well-used to it. His twin sons now have little boys of their own. I am sure holding two fussy babies is a piece of cake for him.

The new generation: Second cousins Aliza, Fiona and Leif.

1. Grandma

Of course the number 1 thing about North Carolina is Grandma herself. We’ve shared so many good moments together. I hope that my children will have memories of meeting her, and even if they don’t I will have lots of stories and pictures to share with them to make sure that they know the good stock they come from.

Great-grandma Trogdon

Delma Vie and Fiona Vie

Of course a visit wouldn’t be complete without visiting Grandpa’s grave. Fiona doesn’t have any comprehension of death or graves yet, but we told her that these flowers were for Grandpa Trogdon so that we could remember him.

I can never seem to quite blog in real time, but this way I am cheating a bit. These pictures were all taken during my visit in August, however this post is scheduled to “post” during the time that I am there. So, in a way it is a little window into the kinds of things we will be doing and seeing while in NC. However it will be a lot different because all of my sisters will be there and there are some fun things we have planned. I am really looking forward to it and I’ll do my best to report back on how it went once I am back to civilization/internet land.

Maybe in the meantime Rijen might do one of his famous guest posts as he tends to do while we are gone!!!!

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Is your dad boring?

Posted on October 17, 2011 by rijandmeg

IF so, I feel bad for you, because mine isn’t. Say what you will about him, (and many have) boring is not an adjective that could ever be used to describe my father.

For this reason, we had a very entertaining two weeks when my dad visited us in September. I may have been at times exasperated, perplexed, and/or irritated, but I was never bored. My dad is the type of person who really knows things–someone who could talk at length with authority on a great many number of subjects–and he has the experience to back it up.

This is only a problem if you don’t feel like listening.

He also can truthfully say that he is a rocket scientist, and has worked for companies with well-known names like “NASA” and also companies with questionable sounding names like “GYRATION.”

Side note: I was a secretary at the latter company one summer, and it does take some skillful elocution to answer the phones and make sure you are pronouncing the name of the company like a noun, not a verb.

I thought I would compose this post in the honor of his visit as a sort of quiz. If you know my dad, then you have an excellent chance of scoring well. Even if you don’t know my dad, but may have a similarly non-boring (some might say eccentric) father, then you have a pretty good chance of not flunking.

Take the poll, just for fun. However, if you are competitive, you may want to jot down your answers to compare with the real answers which will be provided right after the question. (Try not to scroll down until you’ve voted, as the pictures may give it away).

Note on scoring:

2 points per correct answer.

Some incorrect answers may still receive 1 point. I’ve allowed a few write-in answers, which will award you a bonus point. Prizes to the winners, so leave your score in the comments section. Scout’s honor, now- my dad is a former Scoutmaster!

Sharpen your clicking finger and let’s go!

1. A- 2 pts.

If you selected any other answer, give yourself 1 point, because capable of ALL of those projects, we just didn’t have time. Plus I don’t have a backyard for 13 fruit trees…but maybe someday!

The sanding was NOT Fiona's favorite part of the project.

Fiona much preferred painting...

...herself!

Grandpa Daryl really wanted her to be part of the process.

They made a really good team.

Correct answer is C.

When my dad saw that Rijen and I had filled our water glasses up with ice, he complimented us. Not really the first thing I would have thought which would get such approval, but hey, I will take it. Compliments from my father are elusive and sometimes you have to think about them a while to figure out whether it was a compliment or a complaint. This one was clear though.

He kind of also approved of my dishes, but with the caveat that they weren’t corning-ware. That would have brought high marks. I realize that my dad favors function over form, and I strive for a suitable combination of the two, with probably form winning out. I’m sure that irritates engineers.

My dad does NOT approve of my hair color change, btw. Minus ONE point if you chose that.

D. All of the above occured, although “A” was the most noteworthy.

Give yourself 1 point if you chose A or B. Give yourself 2 points if you have ever EATEN pickle relish on Tacos (or vow to do so next time you have a taco- trust me, it’s actually good!) and 2 if you chose D, the correct answer.

Correct answer: B- 2 pts

Of all the museums that we could have gone to in Austin, I was happy that my dad chose to go to the Children’s museum with Fiona. She was a little overwhelmed with all the kids and interactive displays. I felt like she did best when my dad worked with her one-on-one, like this:

It was funny though, when my dad approached the cashier at the gift shop to ask about Gyros. Unfortunately, they did not have any at the moment…to which I was afraid that my dad was going to reach into his pocket and launch into a demonstration of his Gyro mouse which he has been rumored to keep with him at all times.

Answer: C. Enough said.

This is one of the things I love about my dad: He can take a hanger and 2 clementines and come up with something really cool. I would never have thought to do this.

Physics in action!

Correct answer: D- 2pts. 1 point if you chose B or C, and also 2 points if you chose A, since this was his biggest complaint. I just found it a bit ironic that when he would start into his harangue about the dance music being too loud at the dances, his voice would get louder and louder too!

Although “D” is somewhat true, (1pt) the correct answer is “B.”

Again, very impressed that my dad was able to open the VCR, figure out what was wrong and fix it. We wanted to watch old VHS tapes he brought, but the VCR had stopped working. I was going to just buy a cheap one, but it was even cheaper (and greener) that he could fix it. Thanks dad!

Correct answer: B- 2pts.

I will never forget the night when my mom went grocery shopping, leaving Steffan, my dad and I in the car. Somehow, my dad came up with the idea of doing animal sounds in a totally different way. He started wondering, “How would a horse imitate a cow?” And then launched into an incredible, eerily accurate rendition of exactly what that might sound like.

It is hard to describe, but feel free to try and replicate it yourself- it can provide endless entertainment. (Cat imitating dog, chicken imitating a sheep..endless possibilities for channeling animal comedians.) And if you ever have the opportunity to, you must ask my dad to demonstrate in person. Maybe next time I can get it on tape.

Also, 1 point if you KNOW the 2000 lb canary joke. (Canary/parrot, whichever you think is funnier)

For those of you who don’t know it:

Q: What does a 2000 lb canary say?

A: CHIRP (shouted at the top of your lungs).

P.S. This joke is best said while on a ski lift in Utah.

10.

C. Grey’s Anatomy! 2pts!

I was floored that my dad watches this show, but I was really happy to have someone to watch the premiere with me. The Good Wife is his show, and he didn’t really like any of the other TV shows we watched, although he was a very good sport to watch them with us, since he was here when all the premieres aired. I thought he might appreciate Survivor, being a Scout enthusiast, but the reality aspect of the show does not appeal to him at all.

Addendum to original post: When Rijen read this last night, he reminded me that when we questioned my dad as to why he watches Grey’s Anatomy (as I don’t think he really fits the show demographics exactly) he replied that he, “needed to fill his medical show quota after ER ended). Trust my Dad to make TV watching sound scientific. Also, I should note that my dad’s favorite show is Charlie Rose.

11.

B. Waffles with walnuts. 2 pts.

One of the achievements I hope to accomplish in my life is to be “known” for some recipe that people always want me to make. (Maybe my mac & cheese?) My dad is FAMOUS for his waffles made from scratch & he always makes them with or without nuts.

The pictures here are making pancakes though, not waffles. I was too busy eating waffles to take pictures the time he made them. He does make good crepe-like pancakes too!

Fiona is put to work.

"What do I do next?"

All dads make Mickey Mouse Pancakes.

12.

D- 2pts This was a trick question, so give yourself 1 pt. if you chose any of the others. A, B, and C are true, but they are stories I have previously heard. D was a new one.

SO, I was kind of shocked to find out that it was standard course for the boys to swim nude during gym class when my dad attended L.A. High. The way my dad described it, there were two separate pool facilities for the girls and the boys. For whatever reason (can anyone explain this to me?) the guys all swam naked. Have I stated this enough times in this paragraph?!! Everyone was swimming without clothes!! At school!!!

My first question to my dad was, “So did the girls do their swimming lessons in the nude as well?” My dad (to his credit?) did not know the answer to that. I asked him tons of follow up questions and I guess that it wasn’t that big of a deal back then and there was absolutely no way that anyone could get into or see into the pool area when these nude classes were in session. Can you imagine? My dad said that jumping off the diving board wasn’t fun though. For another story about him skinny dipping, you will have to ask him in person….

Ok after typing this, I had to fact check, and the excellent source Wikipedia has this to say on the matter:

Before the YMCA began to admit females in the early 1960s, swimming trunks were not even allowed in the pools,^[5] and high school swimming classes for boys sometimes had similar policies, citing the impracticality of providing and maintaining sanitary swimming gear and clogging swimming pools’ filtration systems with lint fibers from the swimsuits. These practices were common because of the perception that there was nothing wrong or sexual about seeing members of the same gender in the nude, especially in these indoor contexts among equals in ‘birthday suituniform’. In some areas, this extended well into the early 1970s.

13.

Perfect shirt for Dad's "stuff."

A- 2pts, D-1pt. I remember when I was in high school and wanted to shop at Banana Republic, my dad had complaint “D.” So I was relieved that he was willing to go into the store when we went shopping together and actually liked the shirt I picked out for him.

Although he just couldn’t resist airing his grievance about the pockets to the lady who, to her credit, politely checked him out without comment. To his credit, he was self-aware enough to admit to her that he knew that she couldn’t do anything about it.

So, to any BR design execs who are reading this post: MAKE YOUR SHIRT POCKETS BIGGER FOR ALL OF YOUR CUSTOMERS WHO LIKE TO PUT LOTS OF THINGS IN THEM!

Congratulations! You made it to the end of Dad’s quiz. Time to tally up your points. Don’t forget, if you wrote in any answers, you get a bonus point.

25-32 points: Is your name Steffan?

Congratulations! You must know my dad well, or have a dad much like him.

17-24: Very Good!

Are you a well-read single woman between the age of 50-65 who enjoys hiking, photography, needs a brand-new garage door, is a good listener and may be looking for a serious relationship? If so, contact me.

9-16: Average

You need to spend some time pruning fruit trees with my dad. I’ll email you his address.

1-8: Poor Performance

You must have a boring dad. My sympathies are with you.

Leave your score in the comments and I will award you your prizes!

Grand Prize: The current contents of my dad’s suit blazer and pants pockets. There is bound to be a jolly rancher or two, and maybe even a tootsie roll. (wrapper optional).

Runner up: The secret to dad’s never ending orange juice. I did finally figure it out.

All who participate: I will give you my dad’s famous waffle recipe. Just make sure you add walnuts, they really make them delicious.

Thanks for playing!

Posted in Family, Journal, Uncategorized | Tagged dad, father | 10 Comments

By the way….we are in Austin now.

Posted on September 29, 2011 by rijandmeg

This blog should never be any sort of reference for our current location. I have no intention of trying to have this blog reflect current time. Obviously I have never really achieved that here, and since I plan to do a lot LOT of catching up on the past 2 years, I don’t want that to confuse anyone. However, as far as this post is concerned, on the date of publication, we are in our new Austin location, and all the pictures are from the past month.

After our strange transition month in Stuttgart, we spent a few weeks in Utah and another week near D.C.. Fiona, Leif and I also got to stay in North Carolina for a week while Rijen and Layne drove from there to Texas. I hope to write more later about those adventures. Unfortunately, when we all got to Austin, despite Rijen’s careful planning, all of our belongings did not arrive for over a week.

Ramen for lunch. Or dinner. Or breakfast?

We had to make do living out of suitcases like we had been doing…but it was worse because it was in our unfurnished house. We borrowed some air mattresses, bought a few towels and a set of sheets and I created this makeshift table and “chair” for Fiona, for example. It wasn’t that bad, (except for no chairs! sitting against the wall with the baby!) I just hated the fact that I feel like I lost another week in getting back to a normal life.

Leif had one toy, courtesy of Rita!

When our belongings came, Fiona was especially happy to have all her books back. She’s always loved her books:

A "reading station" I set up once for Fiona

The Ultimate Library- in London

In Stuttgart, it was almost like a nightly game of parent Jenga where Rijen or I would have to try and pull books out from underneath her without waking her up.

It was the first time though that she fell asleep with her book on top of her like a blanket.

: *Another book-related incident today: I walked down to the post office/library with Fiona in the stroller & Leif in the front pack. While at the post office, Fiona saw with great indignation that “her books” were in the bag. She doesn’t really understand the concept of the library. So she pulled one out and propped it on top of the stroller bar to read it, which actually worked out pretty well. Until we got to the library and I asked her to return it. Then we had to have some heated negotiations at the library’s front desk. Fiona seemed to think that the “lady” needed to buy the books from us. Fortuitously I also arrived at the library 10 minutes before story time, without knowing such a thing existed! It’s too bad Rijen wasn’t there because the librarian actually sang songs after the stories, while playing an out-of-tune zither. The zither is an instrument Rijen seems to be fascinated by, as he happens to forget what it is every 3 years or so and randomly brings it up and I have to try and explain what it is. *

Back to talking about what happened a couple weeks ago though….Leif was also happy to have some new things— and I was beside myself with joy at the new baby placing opportunities other than the front pack, holding him or lying him on the floor.

Practicing some future soccer moves

He's really working on that eye-foot coordination!

P.S. I hope my (one) German reader appreciates his onesie (Body).

I don’t have that much context for the next few pictures, just that this type of thing happens frequently throughout the day. Along with me saying, “Fiona, not so hard! Fiona, not his face please. DONT pinch him. STOP PINCHING HIM! Fiona, relax your jaw. Fiona be gentle, like Gavin taught you. FIONA that’s enough! OK, get away from him. “BUT I HAVE TO TOUCH HIM!” Yes, a sibling is a wonderful thing.

Is he enjoying this or asking to be rescued?

He does look a little alarmed.

Very alarmed!

So, in my effort to be more social in this ward, I actually attended an evening Relief Society event. I’m really glad I did because through that I was able to get Fiona into a little “Joyschool” group that just happened to be starting the next week. So I know it is not REALLY Fiona’s first day of school, but with all the “Back To School” fever happening around here (we live across the street from a private school and an elementary school and there is also a middle school as big as a high school down the road) I figured I may as well take “First Day of School” Pictures.

First Day of (Joy) School

I like this next picture for two different reasons. The first reason is that it kind of represents her getting older- standing on the threshold..leaving babyhood etc etc. The second reason is much less cerebral. A Garage! That enters into the house! This may seem really normal to any of you who have always had this, but this is the first time that I have ever had a garage that you could drive the car into and then enter the house through it. In my childhood home(s) the garage was not used for car storage normally, and in Germany we did have a garage, but there was no entrance into the complex. We still had to exit and climb 3 flights of stairs. So now, not having to climb stairs with groceries/kids etc. is really nice. Although it does feel kind of strange to hardly ever use the front door…and I kind of miss that.

When my dad was here, he came with us to Joyschool en route to the airport, so I had the camera with me. She really loves school, and one reason why I do “talk it up” to her as being school, (when it really isn’t) is because now that Rijen is in school, I know she likes being able to go to school like he does. Although I doubt his classes ever look anything like this: