ELDER UTHAICHAI

Sam is in the mission field in Indiana!  His first area is a town called Kokomo.  Sounds like a Beach Boys song!.  I don't think it is tropical, however.  Apparently it is named after an Indian. He has only been there 5 days, but has been told that the ward is very supportive and feeds them and DOES THEIR LAUNDRY (really?????). Hope that's true, cause Sam can wash clothes really well, but ironing is not really in his repertoire.

 The above picture is Sam with his companion in the MTC. He loved the MTC.  He loved everything about it.  He loved his district, his companion with whom he got to practice his Spanish, he loved his teachers, his mission president, and most especially the food.  Doesn't he look a little chubby?  We will see if he continues to put on weight in the mission field, when he has to cook for himself. 

Rachel has set up a blog to post all the emails and pictures he sends; so check it out at
"elderuthaichai.blogspot.com".

BEST BUDS

Yesterday Chuck and I celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary.  On one hand it seems like it has gone by very fast, but on the other hand, it seems as if I have known Chuck my whole life.  It is hard to remember what life was like before I met him. He has been such an important part of my life. It is his strength that I build my world around.

  We have been together through the death of 3 of our 4 parents (my Dad died before Chuck and I met), the death of a sibling (my brother Mike), the birth and raising of our three children, as well as having (at last count) 30 foster children in our home for various lengths of time over the years.

We have survived the turbulence that Chuck's employment has brought our way. Although he has worked for the same company for the past 30+ years, we have been moved, merged, bought out multiple times, downsized repeatedly, faced layoffs every 3 or 4 years, launched new drugs, seen drugs taken from the market, won sales contests and been sent on all-expense European trips, been promoted, then demoted as downsizings rolled through, moved  around to different job positions, different job descriptions, and had his territory or district reconfigured repeatedly. Chuck has always had to travel a great deal as part of his assignments.  His job is in a constant state of flux.

Through this wild ride, Chuck is still the person I want to see first thing every morning, and the last person I want to talk to at night. Because he is on the road so much, a night time telephone call just before we go to bed is part of our routine, to catch up on the days activities and to say goodnight.

My daughter Rachel says we are total opposites, and in some ways that is true. Chuck is very athletic, and needs to be busy all the time.  I love to sit by the fire with a good book. Any activity we do, Chuck is bored if it isn't action packed, physically- no sightseeing for him!!  He wants to be riding a bike, or riding ATV's, skiing or working out in a gym. On the other hand, my motto is "I'd rather bleed than sweat". Chuck hates animals, which I love. He is very computer savvy, whereas, I can barely send an email. I love old things, antiques, buildings, places with a heritage.  Chuck likes all things new, houses, or communities. I love to shop at thrift and consignment stores, Chuck loves the mall. I am very trusting and he is very cynical. I am accepting of the way things are, Chuck rails at the injustices in the world. Chuck bristles at authority figures, where I respond meekly. He is very determined and tenacious, where I give up easily and decide it just wasn't meant to be.

With all of our differences, we are absolutely in tune in all of our core beliefs: the gospel of Jesus Christ, putting a top priority on home and family, that a Mom's place is in the home, on a wholesome environment for ourselves and our children, that lives should be lived with honesty and integrity, and we find true joy in serving others.

 So while our personalities and preferred pastimes may be at odds at times, our core character and values never are. That, it seems has been a successful basis for a marriage.  The rest has just been evidence that "opposites attract" and has made life very interesting.  Because we are so different we have had the opportunity to expose and be exposed to things we would have never seen or done otherwise.  It has been an adventure!  Which is the best possible definition for marriage. 

FOCUS

The great thing about walking dogs is that you can get their attention. 

 It is SO different from raising kids. When raising kids, you expend so much energy just trying to get them to listen to you, then do what you say.  You invest a lot of mental effort into devising schemes to accomplish this. Charts, stickers, bribes, rewards, positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, time outs, and as a last resort yelling and screaming.

Dogs are easy.  If you are moving, they want to move with you. If you want them to lead, walk slowly.  If you want them to go where you want them to go, move quickly and they will follow.  If you are standing still and you know what motivates them, usually a ball or a treat, they will fixate on you to see what you are going to do with whatever one is in your hand. If you want them to obey, you find their motivation button and push it. 

 They learn they are rewarded for requested behaviors and they will continue to repeat those requested behaviors as long as their motivators are present. At least in the beginning when they are learning the behavior.  After they have learned the command and behavior reliably, you start to only reward them for every other time they perform, then every third time, etc.  It becomes the difference between putting a dollar in a vending machine, and putting a dollar in a slot machine.   If they continue to be rewarded long term for every performance, its like the vending machine: they decide they don't have to work if the reward is not there consistently.  Just like you won't continue to put money in a vending machine that doesn't give you candy.  But if they have learned to continue the behavior to get an occasional reward, they are willing to be patient and hope each performance will trigger the payoff, much like a slot machine.

Children are so much more complicated.  First of all, their motivators are so much more varied, and constantly changing.  Second of all, kids know how the system works and are constantly negotiating for a better payoff. Everything is in a constant state of flux.  What worked yesterday with one kid, won't work today with another. It is like reinventing the wheel every. single. day. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BECCA !

Saturday was Becca's 24th birthday. She asked for the day off work, and we spent the day together doing all of her favorite things-  which means going to Pike's Place Market in Seattle. Pike's Place is an iconic Seattle attraction: it is a combination farmer's market/flea market with great flowers, food and funky artsy craftsy stores.  It sits on the side of a steep hill overlooking the waterfront.  It has lots of restaurants, one of which was featured in the movie "Sleepless in Seattle".  The scene where Rob Reiner and Tom Hanks are sitting at the lunch counter discussing Tiramisu.  The market is also featured in the scene when the two are walking down hill discussing whether or not Tom Hanks has a "cute butt". They are walking toward the market and it can be clearly seen in the background.

The market is such a favorite of Becca's that when ever a special outing is called for, that is her preferred destination.  We have favorite places that we always go to in the market, and then each visit we seem to discover one or two new places that we've never been before that are worth a return visit. 

 There is a wonderful French Crepe restaurant that is usually our breakfast destination, but on this day as we were walking towards the market we came across another French restaurant "La Champagne" that was open for breakfast and we thought we would give it a try. We loved it!.  It started out with the best cup of hot chocolate ever!! Served with homemade crème fraiche instead of whipping cream.  As the crème fraiche melted in the hot chocolate, it foamed.  It was delightful. We both had the brioche French toast.

Our next stop was to return to a favorite store "Sur La Table".  We love to cruise through on our way downhill to the market to see the latest kitchen gadgets, linens and baking supplies.

As we made our way into the market itself, we were enveloped by stall after stall of tulips- my favorite flower. The varieties and colors are astounding. It lifts your mood just to be in their midst.

Right next to the flower stalls are the fruit and vegetable stands, with the best produce in the city. You are guaranteed to see one or two things you have never seen before.  Below are pictures of mini purple artichokes and fiddle leaf fern heads. We asked how you prepare the fern heads and were told to slightly blanch them to reduce their bitterness then stir fry.  Right next to them, just out of the picture were greens called "ramps".  I didn't know what those were either.  They are wild onions that grow in the woods.  There are lots of wild foraged foods available at the market- what a resource!

Another store that was a new find this trip was the "Market Spice" store, which had an amazing selection of herbal teas. The back wall of the store was lined with gallon sized glass jars with screw on lids. Becca and I spent an inordinate amount of time smelling teas, and ending up bringing home three different kinds of loose leaf herbals.

Becca  requested dinner at Jhan Jays in Wallingford (Seattle) a vegetarian Thai food restaurant with the whole family. Then dessert at Molly Moons Ice cream shop right down the street.  We completed her birthday adventure by seeing Jurassic Park in 3D.

It was a wonderful day to celebrate a wonderful young woman!

DO WHAT YOU LOVE, LOVE WHAT YOU DO Part 2

Friday was a rainy miserable day, and I wasn't looking forward to going out in the cold to walk dogs.  I kept waiting, hoping the weather would clear up, or at least quit raining so hard.  I ended up waiting so late that Becca came home from a full day at work (she starts at 4am- gets off at noon) and I talked her into going out with me.  We hiked up to Coal Creek Falls on Cougar Mountain with my crew for the day Dexter and Dunn, two Golden Retrievers that are housemates, and great hiking buddies.  The waterfall was really gushing due to a solid week of rain and was really beautiful. It was about a 2 mile hike to the falls through constant drizzle, puddles and deep mud, but gorgeous scenery.  I did have to hose the dogs down after I got them back home, however, they were so covered in mud. 

 
These dogs just love water, no matter how cold, and love to wade and swim whenever possible.  As we are hiking to the falls, when they start to hear the rushing water and know they are close to getting wet, they get excited and pick up the pace.

The nice thing about hiking in rainy weather is that we often have the trail to ourselves.  We did not meet another soul out there that day, and it seemed like we were in a remote wilderness rather than 15 minutes from home (at least the trailhead is that close). There are 37 miles of trails on Cougar Mountain, but they are well used, so it is a treat to have the place to oneself.

 

Dexter decided that he wanted to remove all the limbs and debris from the waterfall, and started taking them out one by one. If they were too big to move he just started chewing on them until they broke into smaller pieces that were easier to remove.

 

 

 

Dexter hard at work

It is hard to get myself out the door when the weather is crummy. But once I get out there, I really enjoy myself and my hiking companions even in a downpour.  In fact I have so much fun, sometimes its hard to turn around and make my way home.

CUPCAKE CENTRAL

Last night Becca and I hosted a baby shower for Sojin (Jinny) Lee Mortimer here at our home. Jinny  was the grade in between Rachel and Becca in school and was good friends with both, and practically grew up in our home. I think she was included in most vacations our family took over the years.

Jinny and her husband Bryan are two of my favorite people in the whole world and I would do anything for them.  They are expecting a baby girl on June 6.  Jinny mentioned to me that she has been craving sweets through out her pregnancy, so Becca and I decided on a cupcake theme for her shower.

Becca baked all the cupcakes, both little mini ones and regular size.  She made lemon, raspberry and almond flavors. We used cupcakes not only as the refreshments, but also the decorations. We also incorporated cupcake cookbooks into the decor. 

 Becca picked the colors of pastel green, blue and lavender. We used lavender tulips in decorating both inside and out.

For refreshments, we tried to provide a variety of sweets besides the cupcakes

Mini cheesecakes with lime wedges

Cake pops that I made and decorated myself so they turned out a little demented.  Rachel is the cake pop maker in the family.  This is the first time I have ever made them by myself.

I served three chocolate items, chocolate and coconut cover almonds, chocolate meltaways with lime, raspberry or lemon filling and frozen chocolate covered banana bites. The cute tulip plastic cups were for coconut/pecan popcorn made by my friend Nicole Conlin.

The only slightly healthy thing on the table were cups of green grapes and honeydew melon in keeping with our pastel green color scheme

Becca and I went to Barnes and Noble to look for theme ideas when we were in the planning stage and came across two darling children's picture books that centered on cupcakes- one was "When You Give A Cat a Cupcake" (from the "When You Give a Mouse a Cookie" series).  We thought it would be cute to use those 2 books for the guest books and let the people sign in by writing best wishes for Momma and baby on the inside flaps of the books. When Jinny reads to her little bundle of joy she will always remember where those books came from, and who was at her shower.

ELDER UTHAICHAI

Elder Uthaichai left at 6:45am for the Missionary Training Center in Provo Utah to begin his 2 year missionary service for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Chuck, Jared and I drove him to the airport (Becca had already left for work). It was pretty quick as we only had about 10 minutes with him at the airport while he checked his luggage, then he was through security and he was gone. The speed of it all made it pretty painless.  The hard part was the last 24 hours.  Sam and I went to the temple yesterday morning together for a little mother/son bonding, then some last minute shopping.  My friend Marie Davidson was nice enough to hem all 5 pairs of suit pants for Sam in 3 days.  I was so grateful for her willingness to help!  Sam came home and finished packing, printed out his boarding pass, shuttle reservation for the ride from Salt Lake City to the MTC in Provo and started skypeing all his friends to say goodbye. By the time he was done, there were a lot of crying girls in Montana and Idaho.  At 7:30pm our family went to the Stake Center with Sam for him to be set apart. That was pretty emotional.  President Stapley pronounced a wonderful blessing on Sam that was very comforting.

We are so excited for Sam, but sad to see him go.  The people of Indiana are so blessed to get him for the next two years.

LARGE AND IN CHARGE

This is Lulu Belle.  She is a Landseer Newfoundland.  She weighs 145lbs.  She is large. She is stubborn. She thinks she is in charge. This is where we disagree. I happen to think I am in charge,  Silly me.

She is so big she can counter surf with all 4 feet on the ground.

 Lulu just spent 10 days at my house while her family was on vacation over spring break. She really is a big sweetheart, but she is used to getting her own way.  When you are that big, not too many people are going to argue with you. I, on the other hand, am the argumentative type. We had a fun week determining who was more stubborn.  I am not sure who won.

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!

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Spring has arrived here in the Northwest, and we are so ready for it! Our Thundercloud Plum tree in the front yard is in full bloom.  This is Rachel's tree.  She picked it out at the nursery as a little girl, and we brought it home and planted it in the back yard.  When we put the sports court in many years ago, it was transplanted to the front yard where it is much happier.

 It is so nice to have a little bit of color peeking through out in the yard.  Soon, my tulips will be blooming if the deer don't eat them first!!

My peonies and oriental poppies are starting to sprout in the garden, although it will be a month before any blooms will be visible, it is still nice to know the dreariness of winter is behind us.

PRE-MISSION ROAD TRIP

Sam leaves for his mission one week from today. He is excited, nervous and not quite sure what to expect , which are emotions I would assume most missionaries experience prior to entering the mission field.

After our Schweitzer trip  Sam, Jared and their friend Tim headed east to Montana and SE Idaho, while the rest of the family headed west back home.  It was a road trip to say goodbye to college friends he wouldn't see for the next 2 years.

While in Idaho Sam took the opportunity to go to the Missionary Mall. One stop shopping for missionaries, it carries everything they need to get them through their two years in the mission field: suits, ties, white shirts, etc.  The entire group of kids above went along to give fashion advice.

The boys had a lot of fun, spending two more days skiing in Montana and doing some last minute sibling bonding (or rivalry, as the case may be).