Sweet 16!

Wasn't he cute? Then look what happend. He grew up! Hard to believe but it's true, Tucker turned 16 last Tuesday evening. A pretty low key family event. We went out for dinner at Taco del Mar (his choice) then came home for peanut butter pie (again his choice) with Oma & Opa. We got him a couple DVDs and the blue Italia soccer jersey. (Even as a baby he looked good in blue. Still does.) He has a little more hair than back then but still has great eyes. When asked recently by the missionaries what kind of things you get to do when you become a priest, Mr. Smartypants Teenager responded "Date!" Then he answered seriously. But truly, turning 16 is all about dating. Only problem...no money. And mom and dad are not paying for dates. (That's just the mean kind of parents we are!) He is also quite anxious to drive and has visions of getting a car. Again...no money. I'm sure it will all sort itself out over time.

Serenity is fleeting though. The next day, he found out he would not be making the high school soccer team this year :-( Why? Not because of his lack of ability. In fact the coach told him he had what it took to make the JV team. Problem? Poor grades. He had been hoping that he could make the team and then get his grades up but the coach said Tucker obviously did not want to be on the team badly enough to do well in school. Hard lesson to learn but we are thankful to coach reinforced what we had been saying all along at home. On one hand, you hate to see your kids have to go through something so disappointing. But on the other, it is important that they learn that there are always consequeces (good or bad) for choices that you make in life. He just happened to suffer for some poor choices he made all this past fall (not turning in homework, not doing homework, not studying for tests....) Life is like that. Your choices always catch up with you sometime.

Other than his scholarly underacheivement, we can't complain about him too much. He makes good decisions in so many other areas. (Although Dennis really struggles with the flippy hair. Myself I prefer to pick other battles.) We are looking forward to this Sunday when he will be baptising Cooper. I think it will be an amazing experience and something that they will both remember all their lives. Spencer will also be ordained to be a Deacon this Sunday and Tucker will stand in with that as well (I think). A big priesthood weekend coming up for the Chandlers. Mom, Dad, Roberta, Aleta and her three youngest will all be here for it. We are really looking forward to it.

Life and Death

Recently the frailty of life and the shortness of time on earth has been brought home to me in sad ways. My Scrabble buddy, Michelle just lost her 23 year old daughter Sarah to a brain tumor. Sarah's current condition and prognosis had been a topic of discussion at many of our Scrabble get-togethers. It had also been a reason for scheduling a few last minute games (Michelle needing a diversion for just a bit of time). Sarah passed away on the evening of February 7th, surrounded by family and friends. Peg (my other Scrabble buddy) and I arrived at the hospice shortly after Sarah passed to support Michelle in whatever way we could. Michelle is an amazing woman who never judges anyone, has the biggest heart of anyone I have ever known and the fortitude of a rock. This is the third family member she has lost to this particular syndrome with its incidious genetic strand. She lost Sarah's older brother when he was only 5, Sarah had to undergo chemotherapy as a toddler, only to finally succumb to it recently and the children's father died from it two years ago. That is alot to ask one person to bear.
I didn't really know Sarah all that well, but she was quite an amazing young woman. She lived her life to the fullest because she always knew that the sands of her time here were limited. She was truly her mother's daughter. The local Ballard newspaper did a nice obituary (with Michelle's help) and this caught the attention of a sports writer for the big Seattle newspaper the PI and he also did a beautiful write-up about her. Here's the link:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/moore/351431_moore15.html (I hope it works). There was also a write-up in the Tacoma newspaper.
The memorial service was held at Whitman Middle School (where I work) but also where Michelle substitute teaches on a regular basis and Sarah attended school. It was a very special service as person after person approached the mike and paid tribute to a girl who lived life all out. She had a huge impact on many lives.
It all made me think about why we are here on this earth and what we should be getting out of the time we have. I haven't made any drastic life changes as a result, I've just been slowing chewing and processing thoughts about what I need to change and make better in whatever time I have here on earth. I'm grateful for the faith I have in a life after this one, but that doesn't lessen the need to make the most of the one right now! I think there have been several books written with the theme of living your life like you only had one year, or one month or maybe even one week to live. What would you do differently? It's worth thinking about. I don't know that I could live EVERY day like I only had a short time to live, but it would be worth trying to live as many days as I could that way.
I will be playing Scrabble with Michelle again soon and I will be drinking in as much of her generous spirit as I can, and enjoying her warmth and wisdom. I will also be remembering Sarah and the importance of living life to its fullest!

The Fitting Take 2

When I got my new bras I was informed that it might take a little getting used to the additional coverage. After two days of feeling like my chest was in a vice grip and my skin was getting chafed, I had to buckle under and return my glorious purchase. When I came to Nordstroms with their swanky bag in tow, perky retail clerk number two was quick to offer that sometimes could take a few weeks to get used to. I kindly pointed out that difficulty breathing and red, irritated skin just was not worth it. After a small bit of back and forth banter I was persuaded to once again enter the back room to try a few more on. The fact that I had come to the mall sans proper boobage containment may have played into my willingness to venture into the dressing room once more. (I just couldn't bring myself to put on one of my old too small bras to go to the mall--I figured I could properly disguise my bralessness with my fleece coat.) After bringing me three very sad attempts to recoup their loss (I had already gotten my refund), she offered to bring in an expert who had been doing this for 10 or 12 years, "one of their best fitters". Meanwhile I put on one that seemed like it just might serve.
See, the ones I had returned had an underwire that I swear would be capable of holding the San Francisco bridge suspended, all on their own. I think they were the major contributing factor in the feeling not being able to breath that I had been experiencing. The prickly lace was the chafing factor. I was also convinced that 34 was the size I needed if I was suffering from severe blood loss and they needed to apply a tournequet around my rib cage to save my life. I did like the shape of the first set but that was about it and not enough of a plus to compensate for the lack of adequate air.
When the expert returned with perky number 2, she confirmed that yes indeed I was a 34. She adjusted the new bra I had on here and there, and declared it was a great fit. It DID feel better than the vice grip set. The underwire, still firm felt slightly less...restricting lets say. Before she departed though, she did offer again that it took some time to get used to the new fit but in the long run it would be better.
I informed P2 that I would take two. She was even kind enough to let me wear it out of the dressing room since I had come sans. The best news in it all was that the new set was cheaper than the first! What a deal.
I have worn them all week and am willing to give them time to break in. But I DO have to admit that I breathe a big sigh of relief each night as I release my boobs to drift southward again!

The Fitting

I think that I have established through past comments that I am no fan of Oprah's. Too much of what she does is all about her, but that is beside the point. Today however, I have to give her a sheepish thumbs up for her advocacy of getting fitted for a bra. Now I know this is a delicate topic to introduce (no Dennis pun intended), but since I know that about 95% of the people who read my blog are women and most of them related to me, I feel free to expound on the topic. (Men if you're squeamish or embarrassed, stop reading now.) I have been planning for months to make a trip to Nordstroms to have one of these bra fittings she advocates. The only thing I could contemplate with more shopping dread is going in for a new swimming suit. Although this seemed like a treat and I could never invision anything that would make shopping for a swimming suit seem like a treat. This was a different kind of dread.
Mind you, I am not typically a Nordstroms shopper. In fact, I can honestly say that I have only purchased two things from Nordstroms in the past and that was only because I had gift certificates. Actually, truth be known, I am not much of a shopper in general. If you can't find it at Fred Meyer why bother. Oh yes, my wardrobe wreaks of fashion slavery!
In preparation for the journey to this den of polished nails, pointy shoes and snooty sales people I did take a shower, but I did not apply any makeup. This only accentuated the bad hair day I seemed to be having. I just put on a head band to pull it back and sallied forth anyway.
The lingerie department of Nordstroms at Northgate Mall is located on the 3rd floor so naturally I had to parade my naked face through the whole store. The girls at the makeup counter could tell that it was pointless to even approach me.
When I got to the top floor, before me streched a veritable sea of multi-colored brassieres. I knew that white ones were out but was positively floored by just how out they were. I looked around for a few minutes until the one lone salesperson asked if she could help. I blurted out "I am here to get a bra fitting!" like you might exclaim "I just won the lottery!" Glad we got past the impression that I might be cool and sophisticated, but I think she could tell by the casual attire. Her name was Kelly, about 21 or 22 I'd say, cute short hair in the popular red tones.
We proceeded to the dressing rooms where she measured me around the rib cage and had me raise my hands in the air. At which point my badly fitted, self-selected bra proceeded to ride right up over my boobs, causing Kelly to exclaim "See that's what happens when your bra does not fit correctly. We'll take care of that!" She then looked at the tag (36B in case you are wondering) and said she would be right back some fitting bras. She comes back with two and proceded to tell me that I was actually a 34DD. Perhaps I was stuck in a time warp where I could only remember the size of the bra from my first bra fitting. I don't profess to have ever really tried to figure out what size I was since then, I would just grab ones that looked about right and try on a bunch until I found something that felt comfortable and didn't make my breasts look like two torpedos. So imagine how shocked, amazed, even embarrassed I was to find out that I was a double D. It just doesn't sound right! The cups looked gigantic compared to my pitiful bra lying on the chair.
Kelly then proceeded to bring in bra after bra until we got things packaged just right. I won't go into details about what getting packaged right involved. I don't think I could do justice to how funny and yet surreal it all was. I found myself wishing that I lived in 18th century England, where I would have a maid that came in each morning to help me dress. Only then could I imagine getting things packaged right each morning. It was the very last bra she gave me that finally did the trick. It was almost a magical moment when it all fell into place (all puns, innuendos intended). Having all that coverage may take a bit of getting used to, but I could instantly see and feel the difference. Who knew??
There are are couple things I learned from this adventure. 1. It is amazing how sometimes our perception of ourselves is very different from the reality (36B to a 34DD??) and sometimes it takes an outside observer to point out the reality. 2. That despite the advice coming from Oprah, you do have to treat yourself to something special once in awhile.
Now, if only buying a new swimsuit could turn out so pleasant and surprising!! (If you haven't been fitted for a bra girls, go out and do it!)

Winter Musings

Yes, we do get snow in Seattle. We woke up Monday morning to a light covering of snow. (Lurking underneath for awhile was some sneaky, treacherous ice.) It was quite beautiful. Very fluffy. I wanted to capture how it covered the tree out front but I am not quite the photographer that Celiac C and Gorden are. Although I think the close-up I did is rather cool. What is particularly cool is that you can see the buds coming out under the snow. I didn't even realize the branches were budding until I downloaded the picture from my camera to the computer. It also shows how fluffy the snow was.

Luckily we already had a scheduled day off from school so we won't have to make this snow day up in June. The kids went out for a bit to enjoy it while it lasted. January has been cold though. Last week I don't think I ran once in the morning in anything higher than 30 degrees--which I know isn't cold by Idaho standards (or other chilly places) but is very cold for Seattle. Seems like we always get a bit of snow in January. My January 2007 picture folder also has pictures of the kids playing in snow. We just got the snow later this year. We've had so much that I-90 the main east/west freeway into Seattle was closed for the entire day today due to avalanche danger. Snow in Seattle is fleeting--here today and gone tomorrow.

Now this last picture I just think is kind of cool. It was very accidental. Not exactly sure how I got it to focus on the branches in the background rather than the ones close up. (You should be able to enlarge any one of them just by clicking on it).

What's the point of this post? Not really sure other than snow is cool, even when you only get it in small doses. Or maybe I should say especially when you get it in small doses. I'm just glad that every year we seem to get at least one day of snow to enjoy!

Confessions of an All Night Reader

Okay, I admit it, I am a compulsive reader. I have been known to stay up until 1, 2 or even 3 a.m. just to finish a good book. As a teenager, I can remember huddling under a big pile of blankets in my extremely cold basement room trying to finish the Sword of Shanara by Terry Brookes. I enjoy many, many genres from fantasy, sci fi, to detective, murder mysteries to historical romance and plain historical fiction (the non-romantic kind). I love to read. I get restless when I don't have something good to read. I have been known find an author that I enjoy and tear through everything he/she has written only to pine away waiting for something new from them. (George RR Martin you break my heart waiting for the next installment of the Fire and Ice series and your last book was just not a tasty enough morsel!) Why must it take soooo long for a new book to come out! I will admit to staying up until 2 a.m. at Karen's one summer to finish Harry Potter #6 shortly after it was released only to realize that I would now have to wait at least two years for another! (Actually had to wait 6 years for the untasty morsel from George RR Martin--and am still waiting for closure!)

I think the one genre that I enjoy the most is historical fiction, particularly medieval fiction and here are two of my favorites. Now I know that Oprah recently chose Pillars of the Earth as one of "her" books but I am so way ahead of her! (And let's not even go into Oprah and "her" things! I could rant for hours!) I read Pillars of the Earth when it first came out in 1989! I loved it then and have since read it at least two other times that I can think of, maybe even a 3rd. Imagine how pleased I was to hear that after 18 years Ken Follett had written a "sequel" (sort of, you could read them in any order) World Without End. I put it on "hold" at the library so that as soon as a copy came available I could read it, but when you are about 251 of 432 people, you know it is going to take a long time to get the book. Dennis was way ahead of the game in reserving it and actually got a copy just before Christmas. Unfortunately it is a very long book (over 1000 pages so no quick read here--even if you do stay up late) and Dennis couldn't finish before it was due back and no renewal since there were so many people waiting to read it. So, I purchased a copy and gave it to "us" for Christmas. I just finished it last night (only stayed up until 10:30--however I had stayed up until almost midnight one night just to get to a "good stopping point"). It was not as good as Pillars of the Earth but it was enjoyable. Not as much history as in the first one but stuff I was familiar with--the plague, the Battle of Crecy, Edward III and the mystery of his father's death. All things I had previously read about in other books. Pillars of the Earth covers Thomas Beckett, Henry I and Henry II, cathedral building, monastery life. They are a well-written peek into medieval life.

If you are a fan of medieval fiction, Sharon Kay Penman is definitely worth getting into. Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross is also a fascinating read. I actually keep a list of authors in my palm pilot because I can't ever seem to remember who wrote things I have read. Periodically I check the library to see if any of them have any new books out because naturally I have read everything old they have written. Others I recommend are Laura Joh Rowland (great series about a Samarai "detective" in 12th century Japan; Parnell Hall (the puzzle lady series) and Owen Parry (Civil War Welsh detective). There's tons of others but of course I can't remember the authors. Always on the hunt for great books to read (just started plowing through Jodi Picoult upon Karen's recommendation--loved My Sister's Keeper) so if you have some recommendations I would love to hear them--particularly of the historical fiction kind.

Christmas Booty er Bounty

For lack of anything better and feeling that I should update my blog I post these pictures of the kids Christmas morning. We actually did downsize on the gift giving this year but the kids still seemed happy with their gifts. Cooper got a Game Boy (used--but new for him of course). Spencer lots of movies (which were about 90% of his wishlist) and an alarm clock. Tucker got a new soccer shirt and a "camel pouch" for his backpack (see boys below trying out the pouch). We were completly lazy for the whole two weeks of Winter Break. It was a rude awakening to have to wake up early for seminary, school & work today. I also included a picture of Tucker with his cousin James. They are a year apart in age but eerily alike. Same long curly hair, same chin and in the picture the same pose (without even trying). They are very funny together.