Cadence and I were chatting about Christmas and my memories of when she was little this evening.
We were laughing about one memory, which happened on a very hot day in June 2000 (she was 4 1/2), I promise you that it is Christmas related.
We were visiting the Cougar Mountain Zoo. Cadey was wearing a Barbie Pink Cast on her leg as she'd broken it the month before on our neighbour's trampoline.
(Yes, I was wracked with guilt over this accident. I was less than 2 feet away from her when it happened - she simply fell on the tramp. with one leg tucked underneath her bum - and she broke her tibia, had her leg in cast for 8 weeks, then 2 days after the cast came off, she came down with Chicken Pox .... 2 weeks after that, Curtis came down with the Chicken Pox!!!).
Back to the story ... so, we're looking at the parrots, cougars, etc. then we get to the reindeer. They'd had babies (calfs ... ?) There was a lady Ranger at this viewing area, educating us on reindeer. She was very knowledgeable, explaining their natural habitat compared to WA state. Everybody was interested in the babies - they were so cute! At the end of her lecture, she asked if anybody had any questions.
Cadey raised her hand and she asked:
"Can they fly yet?"
Nobody laughed at her, but everybody sighed and said "Awwwww" I think she melted a few hearts with that question!
Seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child is such a thrill and making memories are even more thrilling! Looks like we may make some snowball fight memories this weekend!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
Where's Your Christmas Card ...?
Craig and I sometimes wonder how many Starbucks Gift Cards, spa products and novelty socks one person can actually possess and gain enjoyment from at Christmas-time?
It seems like everywhere I turn, the commercial Christmas theme is trying to sell me $5.00's worth of and $10.00's worth of crap, which I can't live without, or which would be perfect for my friend, a great thank you gift or teacher gift. It's all a bunch of baloney! I feel the same way about Hallmark cards too.
With this in mind, plus a few other reasons like: wanting to simplify Christmas, enjoying our children and remembering the true meaning of Christmas, ie, Christ's birth ... we have decided to make a purchase of a farm animal through World Concern to be given to a family in Africa - for everyone we know who is on the 'card and present worthy' list.
We're going to purchase a goat - they are one of the best sources of milk (which can then made into cheese and yogurt and sold at market) and they eat virtually anything. A goat can turn a family's life around, improving their health and wealth and giving them a hope for the future.
If you're like us - you see the need in the world, you see the hunger in the world and you feel overwhelmed by it all ... wondering how your small donation can help these desperate families.
We have figured out that by not buying Christmas Cards, little insignificant token gifts and paying for the postage that we can use the money we would usually spend to do this instead!
Good warm, fuzzy feelings are what Christmas is all about! We hope that you feel this way about learning why you haven't received a card from us this year.
So, Merry Christmas! And please ... if you feel inspired to do the same ... we won't miss your card either! www.worldvisiongifts.org
With much love at Christmas-time,
Lisa, Craig, Curtis & Cadence xoxo
It seems like everywhere I turn, the commercial Christmas theme is trying to sell me $5.00's worth of and $10.00's worth of crap, which I can't live without, or which would be perfect for my friend, a great thank you gift or teacher gift. It's all a bunch of baloney! I feel the same way about Hallmark cards too.
With this in mind, plus a few other reasons like: wanting to simplify Christmas, enjoying our children and remembering the true meaning of Christmas, ie, Christ's birth ... we have decided to make a purchase of a farm animal through World Concern to be given to a family in Africa - for everyone we know who is on the 'card and present worthy' list.
We're going to purchase a goat - they are one of the best sources of milk (which can then made into cheese and yogurt and sold at market) and they eat virtually anything. A goat can turn a family's life around, improving their health and wealth and giving them a hope for the future.
If you're like us - you see the need in the world, you see the hunger in the world and you feel overwhelmed by it all ... wondering how your small donation can help these desperate families.
We have figured out that by not buying Christmas Cards, little insignificant token gifts and paying for the postage that we can use the money we would usually spend to do this instead!
Good warm, fuzzy feelings are what Christmas is all about! We hope that you feel this way about learning why you haven't received a card from us this year.
So, Merry Christmas! And please ... if you feel inspired to do the same ... we won't miss your card either! www.worldvisiongifts.org
With much love at Christmas-time,
Lisa, Craig, Curtis & Cadence xoxo
Friday, December 5, 2008
Happy 13th Birthday Cadence!
Happy Birthday, Sweetpea! I love you, and I'm so glad that you have had a wonderful day,
Mum xx
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
A Dream come True
Between the ages of 10 and 15, I had an obsession. Nope, it wasn't with pop music, cutesy teen singers, soccer players or movie stars - oddly enough, it was owls!
My bedroom walls were covered with pictures of owls, paintings of owls, and my own artwork. I researched them, learned all their Latin names, their calls and what area of the world each specific owl lived in.
I had a collection of ornaments, friends and relatives always knew what to buy me for my birthday and Christmas. I still have some of these ornaments, although now they're tucked away in a box someplace safe.
I had a fascination with nature at large at that age. I loved working in the yard, growing plants from seed, loved being outdoors in general and I LOVED owls.
I remember once, my Dad took me to collect owl pellets (Mum was totally repulsed) - we found some, brought them home and soaked them in bleach, then investigated what the owl had regurgitated (bones and skin). It was such an adventure for me!
I've seen owls from a distance, mainly at night - just out of sight of vehicles headlights. I've seen them at the zoo - perched oh so tamely in the raptor exhibit.
But last night, (as I let Meg out for her bedtime pee), on our birdbath - 25 ft away from me - was an owl, startled by us, taking flight, coming towards me!
I just stood there in awe! It flew above my head, then over and into a tree ... in complete silence!
My memory of those couple of seconds were of wonderment, trying to drink in this birds beauty, its size, its feathers, its eyes ... its silence. That was eerie - its true - their feathers do not make a sound AT ALL.
I knew that there were owls in the neighbourhood - I've heard their calls over the years. I feel so lucky, I'm still on a high from this encounter ... I'll be on the lookout again tonight. I think it was a Barred Owl ... I think ...
Meg was as bewildered as me for a moment, then proceeded to go potty and sniff around the birdbath for a few minutes - no big deal to her! I think I need to check her breed characteristics - I thought she was a retriever, gun dog, (bird dog) - but she's turned out to be a plain old sofa dog!
My bedroom walls were covered with pictures of owls, paintings of owls, and my own artwork. I researched them, learned all their Latin names, their calls and what area of the world each specific owl lived in.
I had a collection of ornaments, friends and relatives always knew what to buy me for my birthday and Christmas. I still have some of these ornaments, although now they're tucked away in a box someplace safe.
I had a fascination with nature at large at that age. I loved working in the yard, growing plants from seed, loved being outdoors in general and I LOVED owls.
I remember once, my Dad took me to collect owl pellets (Mum was totally repulsed) - we found some, brought them home and soaked them in bleach, then investigated what the owl had regurgitated (bones and skin). It was such an adventure for me!
I've seen owls from a distance, mainly at night - just out of sight of vehicles headlights. I've seen them at the zoo - perched oh so tamely in the raptor exhibit.
But last night, (as I let Meg out for her bedtime pee), on our birdbath - 25 ft away from me - was an owl, startled by us, taking flight, coming towards me!
I just stood there in awe! It flew above my head, then over and into a tree ... in complete silence!
My memory of those couple of seconds were of wonderment, trying to drink in this birds beauty, its size, its feathers, its eyes ... its silence. That was eerie - its true - their feathers do not make a sound AT ALL.
I knew that there were owls in the neighbourhood - I've heard their calls over the years. I feel so lucky, I'm still on a high from this encounter ... I'll be on the lookout again tonight. I think it was a Barred Owl ... I think ...
Meg was as bewildered as me for a moment, then proceeded to go potty and sniff around the birdbath for a few minutes - no big deal to her! I think I need to check her breed characteristics - I thought she was a retriever, gun dog, (bird dog) - but she's turned out to be a plain old sofa dog!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
STRIPPED
It is not until it is stripped of its leaves that you can see the peculiar characteristics of each individual tree: the massive and generous bough structure of the beech, the majesty of the oak, the straightness of the larch and the grace of the birch. And so it is with our friends. It is not until we have shared some great experience that we see one another as we really are. It is when the winters come and the big winds blow that superficialities and pretences are stripped away revealing the bare bones of true affection in all their strength and beauty.
~Patience Strong
~Patience Strong
Friday, October 24, 2008
Do I miss my home?
We've lived here for 15 years now. We still get asked if we miss our home. I don't miss my hometown at all, not even my homeland, but I do miss my family...
Some days, I'd give ANYTHING for a cuppa tea and a hug from my Mum, go visit any of my sisters-in-law and have a glass of wine and a good laugh, or visit with some old friends and share a nice meal and catch up with them. Right now, I'd love to visit with a certain new baby girl :)
We do all this and more when we visit anyways, so, although it doesn't happen as often as we'd like it to ... it still happens.
For two very important people in my life, Mukilteo is their home - they don't know anything different. Curtis was 14 months old when we moved here, (two suitcases, a stroller and an infant car-seat were all we possessed, but that's another blog entry). Cadence was born here.
The kids think that a trip back home is a vacation, which it is, kind of. For me, its primarily to visit the family. My idea of a vacation is sunshine, sand, relaxation... The kids enjoy the differences in the cultures - Cadey revels in the spotlight of attention that her American Accent brings - she glows! And, they gain some understanding about why their parents are a 'little different' (we're not different at all - just displaced - everyone in Hull is like Craig and me).
Hull is very flat - extremely flat ... it sits on the plain of Holderness - a glacial moraine deposit, so is very fertile and so lots of agriculture, but these days lots of flooding too. There isn't scenery anything like WA state, but we do have the rolling hills of the Yorkshire Wolds, the North Sea with its fishing towns, cliffs, and wonderful beaches (when its not raining). Of course, there's always old places to explore - old settlements, castles, churches, museums ...
It is strange ... being raised in Northern English culture with very little disposable income and a "make do and mend" attitude. Friends were raised the same way - we have a common bond there. Very few people moved away and people with different skin colour or accents were few and far between. Leaving that place of normalcy and trying to become entrenched in a different environment has been interesting and fun. WA State is very diverse in its population, so you're free to be who you want to be and do what you want to do, because of the many cultures blending here already. We're just adding to that huge melting pot.
We felt for many years that we didn't completely fit in here. But those feelings have changed, thankfully. We realize that now, we don't quite fit in back home either. We've been gone too long, don't know the recent history, who's famous in that land, don't know the music, news, in-jokes, etc.
I must tell you about a funny thing happening to us on our last trip home. During our car journey north after landing at Heathrow, we stopped off at a 'motorway cafe' to get a meal and some 'goodies' for the trip.
This was quite a performance ... two jet-lagged adults, stressed, because they've just had to try to remember how to park a little (stick-shift, steering wheel on the other side of the) vehicle into a minuscule parking spot, two kids who really didn't want a meal because to them, its waaaay past their bed-time, but instead wanted to scarf down all the Cadbury's Chocolate they could get their hands on. Then the kids paying for their items with funny money - a 15 year old (with a British accent) asking for help counting out coins ... not knowing the value of each coin ... holding up the queue ... we were quite a sight!
Anyways, the style of ten pound note (or Tenner) in our possession last year had been taken out of circulation several years prior ... we didn't know this ... we tried to pay for our 'sweeties' with it ...
The cashier looked at us ... we knew something was wrong ... she looked down at the Tenner ... she looked at us again ... she must have thought we were nuts! (especially since we'd just had the fiasco with Curtis and his coins).
We sounded like her, looked like her, but judging by our blank expressions, we were utterly clueless.
"Ooooooh no, luv, you can't pay wiv this ..... where've ya bin fa 3 an arf years? ... ey June! come and 'av a look at this! This fella's got wun-a-vem old tennas"
The four of us turned purple with embarrassment and I whipped out my Visa card pronto.
We paid for our stuff ... on credit ... then as we were leaving, the cashier says (and Cadence does a fantastic mimic of this next line) ... "Fanks luv, fanks a bunch!"
I am proud to be British ... even prouder to come from Yorkshire. Would I ever want to return there to live?
No.
Some days, I'd give ANYTHING for a cuppa tea and a hug from my Mum, go visit any of my sisters-in-law and have a glass of wine and a good laugh, or visit with some old friends and share a nice meal and catch up with them. Right now, I'd love to visit with a certain new baby girl :)
We do all this and more when we visit anyways, so, although it doesn't happen as often as we'd like it to ... it still happens.
For two very important people in my life, Mukilteo is their home - they don't know anything different. Curtis was 14 months old when we moved here, (two suitcases, a stroller and an infant car-seat were all we possessed, but that's another blog entry). Cadence was born here.
The kids think that a trip back home is a vacation, which it is, kind of. For me, its primarily to visit the family. My idea of a vacation is sunshine, sand, relaxation... The kids enjoy the differences in the cultures - Cadey revels in the spotlight of attention that her American Accent brings - she glows! And, they gain some understanding about why their parents are a 'little different' (we're not different at all - just displaced - everyone in Hull is like Craig and me).
Hull is very flat - extremely flat ... it sits on the plain of Holderness - a glacial moraine deposit, so is very fertile and so lots of agriculture, but these days lots of flooding too. There isn't scenery anything like WA state, but we do have the rolling hills of the Yorkshire Wolds, the North Sea with its fishing towns, cliffs, and wonderful beaches (when its not raining). Of course, there's always old places to explore - old settlements, castles, churches, museums ...
It is strange ... being raised in Northern English culture with very little disposable income and a "make do and mend" attitude. Friends were raised the same way - we have a common bond there. Very few people moved away and people with different skin colour or accents were few and far between. Leaving that place of normalcy and trying to become entrenched in a different environment has been interesting and fun. WA State is very diverse in its population, so you're free to be who you want to be and do what you want to do, because of the many cultures blending here already. We're just adding to that huge melting pot.
We felt for many years that we didn't completely fit in here. But those feelings have changed, thankfully. We realize that now, we don't quite fit in back home either. We've been gone too long, don't know the recent history, who's famous in that land, don't know the music, news, in-jokes, etc.
I must tell you about a funny thing happening to us on our last trip home. During our car journey north after landing at Heathrow, we stopped off at a 'motorway cafe' to get a meal and some 'goodies' for the trip.
This was quite a performance ... two jet-lagged adults, stressed, because they've just had to try to remember how to park a little (stick-shift, steering wheel on the other side of the) vehicle into a minuscule parking spot, two kids who really didn't want a meal because to them, its waaaay past their bed-time, but instead wanted to scarf down all the Cadbury's Chocolate they could get their hands on. Then the kids paying for their items with funny money - a 15 year old (with a British accent) asking for help counting out coins ... not knowing the value of each coin ... holding up the queue ... we were quite a sight!
Anyways, the style of ten pound note (or Tenner) in our possession last year had been taken out of circulation several years prior ... we didn't know this ... we tried to pay for our 'sweeties' with it ...
The cashier looked at us ... we knew something was wrong ... she looked down at the Tenner ... she looked at us again ... she must have thought we were nuts! (especially since we'd just had the fiasco with Curtis and his coins).
We sounded like her, looked like her, but judging by our blank expressions, we were utterly clueless.
"Ooooooh no, luv, you can't pay wiv this ..... where've ya bin fa 3 an arf years? ... ey June! come and 'av a look at this! This fella's got wun-a-vem old tennas"
The four of us turned purple with embarrassment and I whipped out my Visa card pronto.
We paid for our stuff ... on credit ... then as we were leaving, the cashier says (and Cadence does a fantastic mimic of this next line) ... "Fanks luv, fanks a bunch!"
I am proud to be British ... even prouder to come from Yorkshire. Would I ever want to return there to live?
No.
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