Edward White 1924-2008

Alan's dad passed away two nights ago. We are heading out Sunday for Boston. He'll have a service on Monday and then the family will gather for the Jewish tradition of shiva. I've never been to a shiva but I can imagine what one for Ed White will be.

He was a character always with a good story and a kind word. Quick to help out if someone needed him (or even if they didn't) and the kind of eyes that always seemed to be smiling at you. Bright blue - he passed these on to Evan.

He always made me feel welcome in the family. In fact, he didn't even see it as welcoming me. He made me a PART of the family. I was very lucky to have such a wonderful father in law and he will be greatly missed.

If we could choose to infuse any humor in this (which Ed would have liked) - following Kiira's theory of "where is heaven", if heaven is somewhere near Berkeley, we can be thankful that as least he is closer to where we live now! :-)

Girlfriends

What would we do without our girlfriends I ask....
I found out today that one of my girlfriends had pulled a muscle in her jaw. Now this easily could have been done at any one of our gab sessions (it was not however!). We have a standing get together once a week and I consistently look forward to being able to dump my woes on another tired mother/wife. We compare stories about our kids, offer anecdotes, swap silly husband stories and generally lend a shoulder to either laugh or cry on.

My above pictured friend, Mona Helen, always has a good story (she is a master story teller and beautiful writer - check out her blog if you haven't, it's under my favorites column). She is this extraordinary person who seems to have done it all and how she keeps it together with four kids, I have no idea.

One of the things we love to chat about is our latest creative tickle. We are always making something that the other has a good idea about - birthday themes and the supporting cakes/invitations/goody bags to go with it are always a popular topic. However, Mona Helen also has this unknown skill of making incredible beautiful jewelry. And, have I mentioned that she is my neighbor? And her last two kids and my two kids are about the same age?

It is wonderful to walk over on a sticky hot day (such as today) and plop the kids down, not care about what they are up to, enjoy a cold glass of iced tea, and have a moment of sanity where we have adult conversation no matter what the noise level around us is.

Thank goodness for girlfriends!

The end of the road....

While I wouldn't say we are highly accomplished on either tricycle or bicycle (respectively for ages) we do have fun tooling around the cul de sac.
Safety first....safety first.....

HOT HOT HOT

It has been hotter than a ..... than a.... well I can't think of anything witty so suffice to say it's been REALLY HOT lately. We took advantage of the hot day to use our underutilized pool.



Kiira is mastering the doggy paddle and Evan is mastering hanging in mommy's arms. He's not real interested in the water but then again....Kiira wasn't at his age either. I like taking the photos so here are a few apres swim.

Where is heaven?

There are a few sayings and stories of Kiira's and Evan's that I want to make sure not to forget. Like....

"lasterday" - def. yesterday or any day before that (kiira circa 2006)
"bemember" - def. remember (kiira circa 2006)
"belaxing" - def. relaxing (kiira circa 2006)
"mony" - def. mommy (Evan circa 2007) This one is especially dear to our hearts since our good friend in England was actually named Mony

"Where is heaven?", we were asked several times in the last two years. Our two kitties, Bullseye and Calvin, have gone to heaven in this time. What do you tell a 4 year old? They don't REALLY understand it so I tend to put it in rosy terms as far as "heaven is where the kitties get to play all day, or where they can have as many treats as they want." After Calvin died, we had a friend of Kiira's over for a playdate. She asked where Calvin was and Kiira said in heaven. Her friend, who is a year younger, asked, "Where is heaven?" Kiira's response was priceless. It truly shows they don't really understand the concept as hard as they try.
Her response to "where is heaven?" She paused for a moment and then apropos of nothing simply said, "I don't know...somewhere next to Berkeley I think."

Fly little bird fly

Well, we've done our job. Kiira has started kindergarten and as of today, her first day, seems to be adjusting like an old pro. A recap if you will.....Kiira clinging to my leg and screaming "Back home", "Back home" her first day of preschool (and the subsequent two months) before we pulled her out of that preschool for good. Kiira not wanting me to leave the room where she took ballet for the first month. Kiira not wanting to perform any of the ballet performances.

Now...flashforward....Kiira performing for ANYONE that will watch. Kiira giving me a peck on the lips and saying goodbye before heading off to kindergarten. Fly baby fly....your wings will bring you infinite possibilities.

The greatest show on earth

The greatest show on earth - this is what Ringling Barnum and Bailey is now calling the circus. I have not been to the circus in years and years and let me tell you - the circus has come a long way. They are trying to keep up with the times and now have incorporated contemporary music, lots of (to my surprise) scantily clad women dancing to the beat in the group numbers and some motorcycle tricks that would make even the more daring person squirm in their seat (imagine 7 motorcycles going round and round in a big "globe" cage - FAST!).

My kids were mesmerized! I wasn't sure how Evan would react to having to sit (2 1/2 hrs as it turns out!) for it all but I don't think they even blinked. Suffice to say - a hit! Favorites were definitely the elephants. Every time an act came and went Evan would start doing his sign for "more" and saying emphatically "Mo!, Mo!, Mo!".

A board member

This year Alan has been asked to be a member of the board at our temple, Rodef Sholom. Alan is a very humble soul though and while it is an honor to be asked, he has approached it with a funny grin on his face that says "Why pick me?". Although hesitant, Alan agreed and is slowly working into a rhythm as to who does what, the process, and generally an end goal. Deep down I think it pleases him to be able to give this way.

We went to a "social" for the board the other night and although a good deal of the folks are much older than we are, they are one of the most gleefull bunch of people I have yet to meet. Granted there was wine at the event and we got there on the late side but I'm inclined to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and say they are just naturally full of glee!

Although we have a nice circle of friends it is lovely to expand the circle with yet another form of community. Our friend Nancy is inspiration to us as she delivers challah to people on Friday mornings. I happened to take one from her last week and Kiira and I delivered it to someone in our neighborhood who was not feeling well. Nancy takes her daughter June on these deliveries and as Kiira accompanied me I couldn't help but think that Nancy was onto something here. For lack of better terms - I had a warm fuzzy. Starting to teach the kids about giving at a young age. Now that's a lesson that you are never too young or old to learn.

Chillin' family style and adult style

While we were in Aspen, the Olympics started. It has been really exciting actually. While watching some of the different sports (in the little down time we have) it's an opportunity for young and old to learn more about geography, sport rules, and even some sports that we've never seen.

The Olympic highlight thus far for us was on the plane ride home (which was delayed by about 2 hours). We saw the US men's swimming team win the 4x100 relay by just a breath (beating out the French).

Michael Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones and Jason Lezak (our rabbi's cousin BTW-how cool is that?), The plane (Frontier) has TV's on the back of each seat and everyone was cheering. It was incredible. Michael Phelps is striving for 8 gold medals in one Olympics. AND, I believe he is in the running for the most Olympic gold medals ever. WOW is all I can say. And dedication. I am just in awe of these athletes.



To backtrack - before we left Aspen, we got in an evening of just adult talk with Ron and Nancy which was soooooooo relaxing. Ahhhh...an uninterrupted sentence.

And if you'd like to see the entire collection of family holiday photos - click here.

Ducky Derby

A long tried and true tradition in Aspen is the Ducky Derby. It starts out as a celebration on a big field with games, jumpy castles, face painting and snacks.



It then works into the heart of the event. The big race down the Rio Grande river in Aspen. This year was the 17th annual race.




It is a great idea actually. Each yellow rubber ducky is purchased and it raises money for the Rotary Club. I have never seen so many rubber duckies in my life. I guess our 5 ducks didn't place because to date I have not received a call telling me I am now a millionaire!

Ajax

In keeping with our "take advantage of the area" philosophy, we decided to take the gondola up to the top of Ajax - rain or shine. There have been constant dark clouds and threats of showers but in a shake your fist at the sky attitude we all loaded up (Ron/Nancy et al too) and ascended to the sky (it felt). My point of reference for any altitude is Tahoe. Tahoe's base elevation is 6200 feet. At the summit it reaches 9050 feet. Now Aspen compared to Tahoe is a bit taller. Aspen's base elevation is 7945 and at the summit it is 11,212 feet. I was a little worried that Evan's altitude sickness would crop up but he did great.



Once you are at the top, there is a bevy of choices. You can hike, play on a small playground, rock climb and bungie jump. This bungie jumping is not jumping off of something but rather attaching a harness around your waist and bouncing up and down on a trampoline - where many work on perfecting their flips.






Kiira, being newly adventurous, did it all. A hike, the rock climbing wall AND the bungie jumping (although no flips yet). I am so proud of her for getting right out there and doing it all! Evan of course wanted to do it all too (especially the bungie jumping) but is a wee bit small yet. Sorry Ev, next time....

Nothin' says vacation like a little altitude sickness

Family vacation time. Aspen, CO to be exact. Here we are en route. The kids have traveled extremely well. Even Evan (thank goodness for ipod video).



It's been a rough start. We left on Tuesday and all was going well until our decent into Denver. Poor little Evan's face went white as a sheet and before you knew it, mommy was being thrown up on. But let's face it, as a mom, it comes with the territory. I mean, at this point, who HASN'T been thrown up on during an airplane ride? Luckily the short plane ride to Aspen was uneventful. And luckily Kiira's very high gag instinct was held in check. However, once we actually arrived at where we were staying, the floodgates opened once again. And, just our luck the washer/dryer was not working in the unit we were staying. Which, may I mention, is one reason we PAY for a &*%^ing condo. Numerous trips down to the pay laundry later, things are squeaky clean again and we began a bedtime process which I had hoped would last through the night. Not so unfortunately.

Who knew Evan would be my delicate little flower? I had never seen the effects of altitude sickness but the poor little guy had it. Which makes sense now in hindsight as he had the same thing when we drove to Tahoe. Boy oh boy I hope he grows out of it...at least I'll be prepared next time though.

A few days later now we are recovered and having a grand time. Our friends Ron, Nancy and their two kids Reiland and Ainsley come here for the summer so we are blessed with having built in tour guides and trip planners. Thank goodness because we have done and are going to do many fun activities that we never would have known about otherwise!




The rodeo is one of those examples. Despite some constant drizzle or all out downpour we have been spending as much time outside as possible. Wednesday night we went to a rodeo over at Snowmass where the kids got cowboy hats to ward off the rain.




We watched calf roping, bucking broncos and crazy bulls. Now while I don't necessarily agree with all rodeo aspects, our kids certainly did enjoy it at face value. Well worth it.






The days following have been spent hanging with Ron/Nancy and crew and taking advantage of the beauty Aspen has to offer. A few of the crowd did the Ajax trail hike and Kiira and Ainsley did a rock climbing wall. In between we've been playing ball/frisbee at Wagner park (which has a fabulous "rock" to climb for the kids as well) and breathing in the thin air and fresh pine smells. Stay tuned for more adventures to come. Gondola, concerts, ducky derby to name a few upcoming activities to come!

Dancin' shoes

Well, as you all know Jenny and I were in NYC for a wedding. It was incredible to dress up and have a few nights out with just my girlfriend. The wedding was beautiful - bride/groom, setting...you name it. They had the wedding and reception at Pochron Studios in the DUMBO area of Brooklyn.

The wedding itself gave us an opportunity to reconnect with old friends and make some anew. There was a strong contingency of Cornell people and it was nice to reminisce. The way things were....the way things were now...and how things might be for the future.

Pochron Studios was on the top floor of a building that had an outdoor space where we could mingle and cool off. It overlooked Manhatten and as the sun went down and the lights twinkled on, it seemed to give everyone an extra burst of energy. Maybe we too caught the "New York never sleeps" fever in the beauty of it all. Soon into the night, the shoes came off and we boogied like we were 18 yrs old again. I love my life now but sometimes, just sometimes, it's nice to go back in time and relive your youth. And by the looks of the dancefloor that night, I wasn't the only one who was thinking this.

What's up with the cabs? It's karma.

Ok - well, there we were in the land of taxi cabs and I have to say that we had the worst luck ever! No matter where we seemed to want to go, the cabbies would say, "Do you know where that is?" or "do you have a map?". You know, in all probability I DON'T know where that is, THAT is why i got into the damn cab in the first place. Now, maybe it was just Jenny and me because, the last time this happened, the cabbie gave us the usual line per above. We were pretty pissed b/c we had on high heels and did NOT want to walk in those puppies. He literally goes about one more block and his cab breaks down. I'm sorry but I can't help but think that this was karma. These people KNEW where the locations were. They just didn't seem to want to take us. And I know this because after the cab broke down, Jenny and I walked straight down the street we were on and it turned INTO the street we were going to. Yup, that's karma for ya.

How much is your hair worth?

Ok, Jenny and I are in Brooklyn, NY right now for our college friend Deb Snoonian's wedding. Although we weren't on the same red eye flight out last night, we have already found ample time to yack it up. After a nap this morn, we went out for the 2 pm breakfast in NY. Over breakfast, pancakes of course, we talked about everything under the sun. Turns out Hilary Clinton and a team of 8 secret service men were on Jenny's flight (darn it - I NEVER see anyone famous! Geez.....Uma Thurman anyone?). This of course got a "only dogs can hear that noise" squeal from me. Just once, just once, I wanna see someone famous (okay, twice, b/c I do owe credit to my good friend Kim who, on her coat tails got me into see Benjamin Bratt - oh la la!!).

One of our topics thus far has been, how much is your hair worth to you? To give due credit, it was actually a guy at Jenny's work that first posed this question. Specifically, he asked if Jenny would "shave her head for $5,000". Her answer - HELL NO! So we got talking, how much would it take? $20,000 we asked each other. The answer again - NO. As sad as it sounds, $5,000 or even $20,000 just doesn't go as far as it used to anymore. Don't get me wrong - it's still a good amount of money and I'd take it willingly if anyone offered me. Jenny, however brought up a good distinction. The amount of money has to be life altering. So what is that to you? This is another interactive one - feel free to post your thoughts in "comments".

My answer after a bit of internal debate was a year's worth of college. By the time my kids go to college, a year will cost us about $100,000 - if they choose the private route. It will possibly be lower if they choose a state school. And geez, by having the 529 savings plan for college - we can almost pay for a year of college off of the interest it potentially could make. That's a good deal. But I stray....

My answer, a solid $100,000. Yes, that is life altering to me. And you? What is life altering to you? FYI - Jenny answer: a solid three years of salary as that is how long her hair would take to grow back to the existing length she guessed. Which may be about how long it would take before she wanted to go out in public again.

Gotta love those girlfriend chats. Stay tuned for more antics. Pictures will have to be posted when I get back though!

Another one gone (but found)

Well, as luck would have it - or not - Kiira has lost another blankie. She seems to have adopted a new pink one with a teddy head on it as her new one. It seems it is always the last stop on our days adventures that brings calamity with that little rascal blankie. This time it was a shop in Mill Valley.

Luckily - all was not lost though (literally). I called the shop and they still had it. While I am in Brooklyn, NY writing this, our next in command Sarah has taken the task of retrieving that lovey. Poor Sarah - I forgot to tell her that she is not picking up "bumpy" but rather blankie #2 which is pink vs. purple. She went all the way over and came back thinking it was the wrong blankie. Trip #2 this afternoon to retrieve blankie #3.