Joey & Erin

Thanksgiving Offerings

2011-11-24T10:40:00.000-08:00

In a year that started with this...

And included this....

We have so much to be thankful for.

Our two tiny babies, who spent ten days and twenty-six days in the hospital respectively, have grown into happy, healthy almost eleven-month olds. While there are still moments of "OMG, we have twins," I can't imagine life without Sabine and Daria. They are a joy. My life is immeasurably better just because I get to be their mom.

The support of friends -- near and far, old and new -- made some of the lowest moments bearable and some of the best even better. We didn't have to feed ourselves for months because of your generosity. The drop-ins, calls, beers, emails, unexpected gifts, and facebook posts brightened many days. Thank you to all of you. (I am avoiding the Oscar-gaffe of listing names but we truly do appreciate all that you have done for us.)

Family is always there when you need them. Our family showed their true colors this year. The grandmothers were only a call and a drive/flight away. My dad answered many medical calls with patience and reassurance as we dealt with the unknown worlds of baby illnesses and cancer. My brother, sister and their partners were here whenever we needed them, including babysitting and emergency calls in the night and even mopping up a flooded basement. Distant family was here too, providing a pick-up for Joey on bad days and extra laughs on good ones. We love all of you and are so blessed to have you in our lives.

As I watch my friends face the passing of beloved parents, I am also truly thankful that all of our parents and in-laws are alive and healthy. I say it is because I want my children to know their grandparents, but it is much more selfish than that. I cherish all six of you and want you here for my sake... even if the grandkids are now first in your hearts.

I am thankful for heat and excellent health insurance and the various grown-up things that provide stability. We are in the 99% but we do not have to worry about food, heat, shelter, or access to top-notch health care. In a year full of craziness, this is more valuable than I ever realized. We are so lucky.

Most, though, I am thankful that my time with Joey will be measured in decades. When he was first diagnosed, I told him that five years was not enough time together. I would feel cheated even at twenty-five. He is my beloved. I am so very, very happy that his cancer is in remission and our life as a family will not be cut short.

Life has returned to normal -- small frustrations and all -- and I am grateful for every moment of it. Thanks to all of you for helping us survive 2011. You had our back.

We made it to 8 months!

2011-09-03T09:14:00.001-07:00

Sabine and Daria are now 8 months old. They are totally awesome. Both girls have their own distinct ways of approaching the world. It makes life around here quite interesting.

Daria is in constant motion. She has no off switch. She can crawl quite quickly for short distances. She gets her feet all tangled up, distracting her nicely, when she attempts the longer distances. As soon as she figures out that it is better to crawl (and stand) with one's feet uncrossed, the house will be hers. As it is, nothing is safe from her curious fingers, and mouth, as she tries to figure out how everything works. If she doesn't get it the first time, she will keep at it until she does.

Sabine is our chatterbox. Once she gets going, you can hear her throughout the house. Where Daria succeeds through sheer persistence, Sabine is much more likely to watch until she figures out how to do whatever it is she wants to do. She is not very mobile yet. There seems to be little around her that deserves the effort. She takes a totally cute wiggle worm approach when she does need to get somewhere. It is not efficient but it works. Sabine is also our cuddler and an unabashed mama's girl. Daria will snuggle until something else catches her attention; Sabine is there for the snuggle first. She and her Grandpa Bear have been quite content to cuddle in the rocker for hours.

Joey is finally feeling like a normal person. July and August were rough months. He never really recuperated from the fifth round of chemo, so round six hit him really hard. About six weeks after rocking a half-marathon, he had to spend a weekend in the hospital due to infection concerns. He ended up being fine, but the last round of chemo made us realize how lucky we had been up until then. Joey will go in for a final round of testing towards the end of September. I think the news will be good, but the waiting is hard.

We were incredibly blessed to have such great help from the day the girls arrived throughout this whole cancer thing. I can't imagine how we would have done it without grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, and coworkers. Thank you to all of you.

Erin

The light is at the end of the tunnel

2011-08-02T08:39:00.000-07:00

It has been a difficult several months. Twins are hard enough work, but to have a Lymphoma diagnosis 2 months into that adventure really added an extra challenge. But, we are almost through it.

July 28 was the final scheduled regimen (6 of 6) of R-CHOP chemotherapy, and I've been feeling almost not terrible. The light really is at the end of our tunnel and we are starting to say things like "when this is over..." and "I can't wait until we can do such-and-such again."

The girls are super as ever. They are eating solid food, sitting up, and beginning to understand crawling. Below is their monthly "photo on the calendar" which shocks me month to month, but for a real jaw-dropper check out six months ago!

July - 6 months!

2011-07-12T16:28:00.001-07:00

025, originally uploaded by oeyjay.

This month's calendar photo is a little late, but with the summer holidays, etc it is hard to hit the date right every time.

Six month have flown by and the kids are getting so big as you can see. If you follow the links over to Flickr, you can also see the girl's first foray into solid food (oatmeal).

Otherwise, things are great and they bring joy to our lives daily.

Getting so big

2011-05-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

The girls are sprouting like weeds... and they are talking and giggling and grabbing things.
Some days it feels like it is taking forever for them to get from one phase to the next, but then suddenly they are 14 pounds!

The first video below is of Daria giggling at fart sounds.
I guess it doesn't matter how old or young you are, that's always funny.

Next video is of Sabine talking.
She does this all day long...

Grab Your Fleece, it's spring time!

2011-04-15T23:10:00.001-07:00

060, originally uploaded by oeyjay.

Woot! These daffodils are from our front yard, and we snapped this pic on our way out the door for our daily walk. It is getting so nice out and the girls are getting so big. Soon, they'll be leading the walks.

Hope to see you in the neighborhood!

First Treatment Notes

2011-04-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

Monday was the first chemotherapy treatment, which is called "RCHOP". According to about dot com, "R-CHOP is the abbreviated name of a combination of drugs used in chemotherapy for aggressive Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas (NHL). It is a relatively new combination which adds the drug Rituximab - a monoclonal antibody, to the standard combination called CHOP. CHOP consists of four chemotherapy drugs."

The actual chemo infusion was relatively easy with a couple of delays along the way. Because of how the human body (potentially) reacts to Rituximab, it is infused very slowly to ensure there are no problems. Except for a few chills and itchy fingers all went well for me. Erin was there most of the day, and Blake & Will showed up for lunch to listen to me snore and tell bad jokes.

The following days have been hazy. I've read/heard of "chemo brain" but I literally get my chronology mixed up sometimes - did i just brush my teeth? again?

Taking care of the babies has been helpful. It is the perfect routine in the midst of chaos. We've also had super help around so far, and so many nice folks bringing food, etc. We've been overwhelmed by the kindness of our friends. As my mother says, "it's another star in their crown".

So, the craziest thing so far is that the swollen lymph node in my left hip is hardly palpable any more. The drs said that there may be an immediate effect in the area, but I had no idea that it would be so immediate and obvious. Anyway, more later...

No April Foolin'

2011-04-02T15:38:00.001-07:00

050, originally uploaded by oeyjay.

This post is a couple days late, but the monthly calendar photo is back for their three month milestone. Hooray!

Oh, and Spring is in the air as you can see from the cherry blossom branch. Hooray!

And chemo has been delayed two weeks. Hooray!

Not such a bad week after all.

The C Word

2011-03-18T16:50:00.000-07:00

We have had several complaints recently about not having enough new updates or pictures of the girls. We do have built-in excuses as taking care of twins is no easy task. Erin has been doing a great job and is really enjoying being a mom. I can follow basic instructions and haven't dropped them yet. So all in all, we feel very successful.

However, we have a new issue which will make our lives even more busy. I have been diagnosed with Stage 2 Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, and will begin chemotherapy treatment on March 25. This has come as a shock, but all of the doctors say that my prognosis is good. We are all optimistic and think that this will just be a minor chapter in the Book of Joey.

We are incredibly lucky to have such supportive friends and family. All offers of dinner, baby-sitting, or just hanging out will be gratefully accepted.

Joey

One month old (er... new)

2011-02-01T14:23:00.000-08:00

The babies are officially one month old now. As you can see by the pic above, they are still tee-niney, but they are growing and doing great!

Next week is their official due date, and we can't quite wrap our brains around the fact that they aren't even supposed to be here yet. I have secretly wondered during some of the middle-of-the-night feedings whether they will just change into lovely little cry-less babies as of next Sunday, but that's likely just wishful thinking.

We are great and slowly accepting visitors. So many of our friends have been helping out and bringing food, etc. We will owe many return favors.

Don't forget to check out the Flickr link on the right side of the page, as we upload photos pretty regularly.

Much better, thank you.

2011-01-22T21:54:00.000-08:00

We've had a busy three weeks, but we are all handling things well. Daria remains in the hospital, but we brought Sabine into the ISCU for a play date and the girls get along swimmingly. Sunday will be 38 weeks, and we are thankful that both of them are progressing so quickly.

We are also thankful for the outpouring of help and offers for help. If we haven't called you yet, don't lose hope - you will likely be next. Thank you notes are not enough to show our full appreciation for everyone's help.

Also, we are updating our Flickr account with photos as frequently as we can. We have videos too, and will upload them eventually.

Waiting for Daria...

2011-01-11T21:52:00.000-08:00

Sabine is home. She is doing fantastic. Her parents are experiencing a steep learning curve but enjoying every minute of it. All three of us are ready for Daria to come home.

Daria is doing quite well in the ISCU. As the smaller twin, she has a little more catching up to do. We hope to be able to bring her back to Ballard this weekend or early next week. We are just waiting for her to get strong enough to be able to take all of her feedings by bottle instead of sleeping through half of them. She is already past her birthweight, off of her IV, and out of the isolette. She is tiny but scrappy. We have high hopes for her (though we think she is the twin most likely to run us ragged).

Erin

Progress

2011-01-05T00:54:00.000-08:00

The girls are progressing well. They are out of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and have moved into the Infant Special Care Unit (ISCU). This is a "step down" in care, and after they have achieved the next set of milestones, they will be allowed to come home. Of course, I have told all of the dr's and nurses that our daughters are gifted and talented, and I'm positive that this will be a short stay (they tend to roll their eyes and act like they are being called).

They are both eating and growing quickly, and Daria is in the picture above with the bottle. They are both under a special light which helps them develop, so they need to wear little masks to protect their eyes. In the second photo, you can see that one of the nurses decided to have some fun with Sabine's mask.

Erin and I are now able to come home for some much needed rest, although to say we are fully rested would be entirely false. We travel to the hospital as often as possible, because we are allowed to hold and assist with their care at certain times of the day. It is frustrating, but we are so pleased and confident with the care at Swedish that we can't really complain.

Joey

A little early, but all's well.

2011-01-03T16:41:00.000-08:00

Sabine Marie and Daria Peyt were born New Year's Eve at 5:29 and 5:30 respectively. They didn't quite make it to 35 weeks so they will be staying in the NICU until they reach some key milestones. But, they are healthy and beautiful, and they have some of the proudest parents around. Sabine weighed in at 4 lbs 14.5 oz and Daria was 4 lbs 1.4 oz. Both girls are 18 inches long.

Erin is recovering from her surprise labor and unexpected c-section, and I am still shocked at how tough that woman is (and most women are: credit where it's due). Several nurses also mentioned how meticulous she was with keeping up with schedules and meds, etc. I'm not sure they appreciated it so much, but even full of drugs she kept reminding them of which steps she was expecting and decisions that had to be made about procedures before she was even asked. I guess it comes from reading practically every book available.

We are able to stay in parenting rooms at the hospital, and will be there as often as possible until the girls can come home. Hopefully, that will be sooner than later.

Like, every half hour

2010-12-22T13:30:00.000-08:00

So, I've noticed that Erin has had to "go" more frequently, but the reason didn't really dawn on me until I saw the above picture. I've had some anatomy classes and such, but a very kind ultrasound technician pointed out that Ani's head is getting so large that it is intruding on Erin's bladder. Hopefully, the labels in the lower image will make it easier to see that there's an indentation where her head is pressing.

It hadn't occurred to me until today that this is not only a drag to go pee all the time, but it makes one tired when not being able to get a good night's sleep. Hopefully, this is good "practice for no sleep" as my family likes to say.

231 days

2010-12-20T15:19:00.000-08:00

Photo from Sunday.
33 weeks and counting.

All these tests!

2010-12-09T20:16:00.000-08:00

Beginning this week, Erin has to go to two dr appointments per week.
We've already had to go way more often than I expected, but I think we might have to exchange gifts with the nurses since we'll see them so regularly during the holidays.

Erin has been very tolerant of all the poking and prodding (see below), and I actually have gotten used to seeing the girls with regularity. All signs point to healthy babies and healthy mommy.

Latest pic - 12/6

2010-12-06T12:10:00.001-08:00

We haven't posted a belly photo in a long time, so here's the latest.
More soon...

Loot!

2010-11-21T21:16:00.000-08:00

We've had the pleasure of having two baby showers hosted for us (so far with one more on the calendar). Thanks to Allie & Tina, and Kristin, and Katie for hosting.

The gifts have been so sweet and thoughtful, and we are so overwhelmed by how many personal tips and wise tales (not to mention all the loot) we've received and hope to put to practical use. We have such a list of Thank You notes to send, but the blog seems a nice way to send a show of appreciation.

We have some pics posted on Flickr too.

Can you get that for me?

2010-10-25T23:37:00.000-07:00

As Erin's belly gets larger, there are certain things that she is no longer able to do. Like touch her toes or reach anything on the floor...

Don't get me wrong. She continues to do chores, which I've declared off limits, but she refuses to listen (thankfully). In any case, our lives have become a game of "while you are up..." and "can you get that for me?" and my personal favorite, "can you help me up?"

I feel like it is practice for when the kids start playing the pick-up-that-thing-that-i-just-threw-on-the-floor game with us. You know that game.

To be honest, I'm looking forward to playing.

Joey

PS - 25 weeks. January will be here before we know it!

In case of emergency, Erin's belly can be used as a personal flotation device

2010-10-21T21:20:00.001-07:00

It has been a pretty quiet week here in Ballard but that doesn't mean we aren't making new discoveries.

We have learned that Ani, although likely to be the oldest (thus, anterior), may not fully fit the mold of perfect first born. Yes, she has been in the same, heads down position since early on. And yes, her growth rate is above average. But! I have a feeling, or more accurately a bruise forming under my ribcage, that suggests she may be the most likely to use the "mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom" tactic.

Po, our somersaulting second child (posterior), likes certain sounds. I first had an inkling of this when she jumped in response to the bell rung at the close of yoga. Three rings, three jumps and then she was quiescent. Joey is strutting his stuff over our next discovery. His voice is one of the sounds she likes. She may not know who he is yet but she definitely perks up when he starts talking close to the belly.

Joey has decided that it is time to lose the baby weight. I think he might have lost track of the weeks. The kiddos aren't supposed to arrive for twelve more weeks and then we have at least six months before people start to look at us funny. Obviously, I am not a huge fan of this plan. The only way that I won't pass him is if he keeps the weight he has and adds a few extra pounds. I guess I will need to make another cake this weekend to counteract the biking, running, and swimming.

We swam laps tonight for the first time. Turns out that I float really, really well. Breast stroke works as expected but the crawl stroke is threatened by the flotation device on the front of my body. I fear that in a few weeks, you will find me cork-screwing across the pool as each stroke with the right arm flips me onto my back and each stroke with the left returns me to my stomache. I promise to take video if this happens.

Erin

Seeing the Babies

2010-10-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

We are now seeing Ani & Po every other week.
Typically, we wouldn't get a chance to see them so regularly, but the docs want to make sure they are growing as expected (long story).

For now though, here are the most recent profile photos for your viewing pleasure. In case you are not a radiologist, both of the kids are looking up and to the left. You can see the roundness of their heads, their left eye sockets, noses, and chins.

Erin says that Po (labeled tw b) has an Austin nose, but I think she's just jealous.
Also, Ani's picture (labeled tw a) has some shadows, so maybe she is also blessed with an Austin nose but we just can't quite see it.

Anyway, 24 weeks and counting.

Joey

Na Pali Hike

2010-10-10T16:07:00.000-07:00

On Friday, we hiked along the Na Pali coast, and it was a bit more of a challenge than we anticipated. Clearly, we knew that a hike in the heat of the day along a coastline which has both steep ups and slippery downs would be difficult for a pregnant lady, but we figured we'd go as far as we were comfortable. We brought extra water and snacks, and took plenty of breaks.

What a magnificent hike! The way that the volcano has eroded, via collapses and landslides, has created a marvelous landscape. Also, since Kauai is the oldest of the islands, the jungle growth is just spectacular.

I've created an album on Flickr to show some of the things we saw.

Joey

Kauai Babymoon

2010-10-07T01:11:00.000-07:00

We'd heard about a "babymoon" in some of the parenting books, as well as suggestions from friends. Basically, the idea is to take some time for ourselves before we get caught up in the whirlwind of kids and all of the things that go along with that. Personally, I was just hoping to "bank" some sleep because I'd heard that there is none to be had after the twins' arrival.

Hawaii seemed like the most reasonable place - Erin was born here, and it isn't such a long trip. It isn't even that expensive either considering pregnant ladies can't do very much, and we have been making our own breakfasts & lunches. We selected Kauai, as it is a relatively quiet island and this time of year is not too hot.

So far, we've swam in the ocean (although Erin says it was really just bobbing in the waves) and done a couple of minor hikes. We got to go to the 14th Annual Coconut Festival in Kapaa, which had remarkable Coconut Shrimp. I've even got a little bit of sunburn on my shoulders, but we've been pretty careful about that.

There's more to this story, but it is getting late. Check out the photos on Flickr and we'll post more as we get time.

Joey

Some Stats

2010-09-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

Last week, Joey posted that we are halfway there. Given that it is my belly that is growing so quickly (inches per week, I swear), I thought I should clear that up. Twins are considered term at 37 weeks and typically deliver by week 38 to avoid a number of complications. So, we actually passed the halfway point at 19 weeks. As of this morning, we are now 55.26% the way there. Woot!

Our revised due date is January 23rd. Twins do tend to deliver early, with around half coming before 37 weeks. Generally 35 weeks is the cutoff for guaranteed NICU time, so we are definitely shooting for at least January 2nd. My answer to "when are they due" has evolved to "we are expecting them sometime in January, but definitely by January 23rd." The later the better, but I already am getting the idea that I will be ready!

The girls are fraternal. Ani is slightly bigger than Po. (As an older sister myself, I think she is just trying to get a jump on the necessary superiority complex.) We go in on Tuesday for the measurement ultrasound. According to the books, they are about ten inches long right now and 12 oz each. We'll see on Tuesday if they are textbook babies (like their mama) or more freewheelers (like their dada).

I am doing well. This whole pregnancy thing is cooler than I expected. I have felt the girls move for the past couple of weeks. Joey got to feel Ani kick (or punch) a couple of nights ago. I have turned into one of those pregnant ladies who has her hands on her belly all of the time. Pretty heady stuff.

Erin

A first for Joey

2010-09-24T10:52:00.000-07:00

This morning, we went to our local coffee shop to get some croissants for breakfast, and our barista finally noticed Erin's belly. She made a comment about Erin's "bump" and was all giddy. There was also a gentlemen in the line behind us, who was carrying his daughter on his back. He even got caught up in the conversation about babies and such.

This had me floored. As some of you may be aware, I'll talk to any stranger about anything, but I am not used to having other people be so interested in what would seem (to me) to be a more personal situation. This was a first for me, but Erin said that it's been happening more frequently and she's even had people touch her belly.

I have a feeling that this is only going to get more interesting.

does this fit anymore??

2010-09-13T20:34:00.000-07:00

So, Erin has been growing. Rapidly.
This week we're half-way there.

Year of Surprises….

2010-09-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

2010 is shaping up to be a banner year for surprises, from the small (yes, it is still called summer when it is 50 degrees and rainy) to the large (yes, two little sacks on the ultrasound screen really means twins). The latest big reveal that has me a little dumbfounded is that fortunes do come true.

When Joey and I were in Singapore in February of 2007, we had our fortunes told at the Goddess of Mercy temple. The results were confusing – a lot about silkworm production and farming that didn’t seem terribly applicable to two backpackers. We both received, and understood, the line about having a daughter in our future. I, being me, assumed this meant one daughter shared between the two of us. Joey, being Joey, assumed it meant two daughters, still shared but one for him and one for me.

So, was Guanyin right? Do we have one or more daughters in our future? Am I right and we will only have one? Or is Joey right and we will have two?

........

Looks like Joey wins this round.

In January, two little girls will make our twosome a foursome. We are thrilled. To be fair, we would have been thrilled with any of the typical combinations.

We are still calling them Ani and Po for their placement in the womb, anterior and posterior, but the name search now begins in earnest. I am also quite pleased to report that Bruce, Clark, Peter, and Carnivorous are officially off the list.

Erin

A new adventure

2010-08-03T14:52:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since we've posted, and isn't because we haven't been doing anything exciting. Personally, I believe we've just been waiting to build suspense, and now we are ready for the big "reveal"!

Erin and I are going to have babies - that's plural, in case you didn't notice. We found out that we are going to have twins in February of '11. Technically, they could come sooner, but Feb. is the official due date.

So many things have been going on, and we have so much to share. We'll be posting more here as Erin's belly gets bigger and my hair gets grayer (by the day!).

Memorial Day Memories

2009-02-05T08:53:00.001-08:00

The Memorial Day post linked to in the title was one of many conversations Joey and I had about Becky during our world trip. We told each other stories, we remembered times together, and often one of us would simply remark, "dang, she would have loved this."

Over the years, Joey and I have talked about hosting a reunion weekend for Becky's friends and family. Our plans crystallized on our trip but then were put on hold until the right time. Well, the right time has arrived. This Memorial Day will mark ten years since Becky's death. We would be honored if Becky's loved ones would join us for a reunion weekend in Packwood, Washington.

Joey sent out a preliminary email last night. We know we didn't get everyone; there are simply too many people we have lost contact with over the last ten years. If we missed you, please let us know so we can add you. This blog will be one of the information centers for our Memorial Day plans. Facebook, email and old-fashioned phone calls will be the others.

Our hope for this Memorial Day weekend is that everyone will have that moment where they sit back and think "dang, she would have loved this." We hope that you will come be a part of it.

Erin

Whales!

2008-12-05T21:04:00.000-08:00

We were driving today, and decided to stop at a ocean viewing area on the side of the road. We passed many of these while we have been on the island, and there was no particular reason to pick this one. However, it was a serendipitous selection, because as we were standing there one of the other tourists started yelling about whales.

I quickly grabbed our camera and snapped a few photos - with no success. Then Erin took a turn with the camera (mainly, because our telephoto lens gave a better view), and she was able to capture the following three images.

Caption Contest

2008-12-05T10:38:00.000-08:00

I found this picture on our spare (and broken - see below) camera, and I can't stop laughing about it. Yes, that's a fried turkey carcass being eyeballed by my niece, Libby. I ate WAY more of that turkey than she did, but the photo makes it look like she devoured that thing.

So, this blog will have it's first photo caption contest. The winner gets... a laugh? a $350,000,000 bailout?

Here are our captions to get you started:

I can't believe I ate the WHOLE thing!
Mom, do you have any floss?
What's a gizzard??

Good luck!

Christmas in Paradise

2008-12-05T10:13:00.000-08:00

Two years ago, we were in New Zealand for Christmas and were surprised to see Santa in Bermuda shorts and surfing. Well, he surfs in Hawaii also. Unfortunately, we don't have any photos, but I did get some nice Christmas trees and palm trees.

More beach time

2008-12-05T10:09:00.000-08:00

We've decided that we'd spend every day on the beach if we could. Alas, beaches in the Pacific Northwest aren't really warm or body-surf-able.

Maui Dive

2008-12-02T15:02:00.001-08:00

We haven't been scuba diving since Thailand, and there's LOTS of water in Hawaii (in case you haven't heard). So, we decided to go for a dive. It was spectacular! Is there an echo on this blog??

We went with Mike Severns Diving company, which was fantastic. They were extremely knowledgeable and gave many tips on what we were going to see and how best to see it. We'd give them 5 stars.

Our first dive of the day was at Molokini - a volcano crater, which is slightly protected from the winds and rolling surf. We saw garden eels and some other fishies.

Our second dive was at St Anthony's wreck - a ship which was intentionally sunk to provide artificial reef. We saw two HUGE turtles (NOGGIN! again), and many other fish. We even saw an octopus, which is a rare treat.

Before the dives, we weren't sure if we wanted to go diving more than one day (we MUST make sure that we have plenty of beach time too, of course). But after our time under water, we signed up for another day.

PS - we didn't get any pictures, because we don't have an underwater camera. However, a fellow diver said he'd let us borrow his, so we may have some pics tomorrow.

West Maui drive

2008-12-01T23:22:00.001-08:00

We drove around the north side of the island today, and it was spectacular! I'm sure I'll use that word every day.

The cliffs are pretty scary at times, but worth a peek over the edge. We saw a turtle, and I was reminded of 'Finding Nemo' - NOGGIN!

We also visited a blow hole, which was formed in the rock. Now and again, it would spray mass amounts of water. Scary and beautiful.

The drive does get treacherous in places, because the road narrows to one lane. As noted above, the cliffs on this part of the island are scary. Imagine looking out of your window and seeing straight down. Eek!

Do you see the school bus above?

If you find yourself on Maui, head north of Lahaina. You'll LOVE it.

First day in Maui

2008-11-30T23:40:00.000-08:00

We traveled more than 15 hours from Houston to Maui, but it was well worth it.
It was raining when we landed, but it started to clear up by sunset.
Our hotel has a nice lanai (deck), and the view is spectacular.

We spent day two on the beach, and we avoided sunburns and the 20 foot surf (whew!).
No pictures from today, but we're going to the North side of Maui tomorrow so expect some cool photos.

More Turkey Day

2008-11-30T23:18:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, the pictures are too large to post to this blog.
So, I've uploaded some of the pictures to our Flickr album.

Turkey Day 08

2008-11-30T22:58:00.000-08:00

Erin and I headed to the South for Thanksgiving. It was a BLAST!

We got to see lots of family, and of course we ate lots of food.
We didn't get to see everyone we wanted to, but we did spend quality time with more than just the turkey.

You did what!?

2008-11-13T16:54:00.000-08:00

That is still one of my favorite questions people ask when they hear about our trip. It means so many different things. We recently bought a camera, and it reminded me of yet another one of those things.

The picture at the top of this post is of the camera we took with us around the world.

Yes - it was broken like that for the entire journey. Well, really... Erin gave it to me as a Christmas gift, and I promptly cracked the view screen. Ug! The screen was only slightly obscured originally, and we figured we might find a bargain camera to purchase on our journey. Nope. And due to many hours in my pocket, and the humidity of Southeast Asia, and the heat of India, the screen became more or less useless.

The challenge was taking a photo ASSUMING that you had everything framed correctly. We had so many pictures that had to be deleted, because there was absolutely nothing in the shot. And it was always funny trying to explain to a stranger (kind enough to take a photo of us in front of some random monument - or tree) that they should ignore the view screen and focus through the eye-piece. I truly believe that some people thought we were pranking them.

The camera made it, and so did we. It seems like so long ago now, but I only recently passed my one year anniversary of working again. I'm looking forward to some new adventures to photograph.

Trying Triathlon

2008-08-24T18:41:00.000-07:00

As "team" manager/driver/maintenance crew/motivator/and all around domestique, I'm taking it upon myself to be team blogger too.

Erin, Erica and Andy - all buddies since grade school - decided to do a triathlon this year. After much - er, some - training, the event went down at Medical Lake on August 17th. Much fun was had by all, and a plan is now in place for next year's competition. In an interview with ESPN SportsCenter, Erica commented "I believe that the team put out 100% on the course - we had such a blast. I can't wait to come back next year and kick some tail!"

The team's pre-race rituals seemed to ease the tension on Sunday morning. As the team applied temporary "eagle head" tatoos (for swiftness and heart) and put on their matching jewelry (yellow bracelets), they played loud music and pumped their fists. Fox Sports News asked Erin about the team's preparations: "We felt that creating a good time atmosphere instead of focusing on the competition would relax everyone. And having fun's what it's all about, right?"

Everyone feels that they could have gone a little faster, but the temperature topped out at 100-plus that weekend and those weren't the best conditions for our fair competitors. A Sports Illustrated reporter cornered Andy; "We have had a really hot summer, and it's hard to stay hydrated in this kind of heat." If she wouldn't have had 3 flats prior-to and one more flat during the race, Andy would likely have had an even better time. Asked about the flats, Andy said "I blame nargles."

It's really too bad that they Olympics were happening. Everyone had an invitation to compete in Beijing for the US, but they all agreed that this was a more important meet for the team. As for the team manager, he believes they all deserve gold!

One final note: it turns out that the temporary tattoos set off the anti-theft machines at department stores, which makes everyone particularly embarrassed now. Erin and I went to Macy's the other day, and she beeped multiple times - even after I was holding her purse and all of the items in her pocket.

Seattle to Portland - on a bicycle

2008-07-27T15:37:00.001-07:00

This summer, I decided to ride in the annual STP bicycle classic. Riding from Seattle to Portland is a rite of passage for Northwest bicyclists, and I hadn't earned my stripe yet. So...

Friends from AT&T and I rode away from the University of Washington in Seattle just after 7 on Saturday morning. Our group broke up pretty early, but I stayed with Glenn & Cynthia until Yelm, Washington (about 64 miles). I was hooking up with some GLG folks for the ride on Sunday, so I spent the night in Vader, Washington (mile 109). The long day was topped with a hearty meal at the Vader Assembly of God. Our hosts provided home-made pies and desserts, and I went back for many samplings. Sunday went quickly - we left around 7 and arrived in Portland right before noon. 208 miles over two days, and many many calories later...

Blog-able

2008-04-18T18:57:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wonder about the "blog-a-bility" of certain things.
Do I want to share that my job is going well?

Is it news that Erin's title has changed (again?! - 4th time in two months).

Well, it snowed today (APRIL 18th). In Ballard!!

I hope your day is noteworthy as well.

More Mom & Snow pics

2008-03-28T18:38:00.001-07:00

Making snow balls. Snow throne!

Calling home from the mountains.Can you spot the snowball flying at the cameraman?

Mom & Snow!

2008-03-28T16:08:00.000-07:00

Joey's mom is visiting and it's snowing in Seattle (isn't it almost April?!).

We went up to the mountains earlier today to see some deep snow, but when we got back it was snowing at home. It was deeper by Snoqualmie, but fun to see in Ballard.

Caucusing

2008-02-09T17:43:00.000-08:00

Erin and I went to our local Democratic caucus today. It was a very interesting political experience. Neither of us have been to a caucus before, but it appeared that the crowd was more than the planners expected. We were also impressed with how many folks with kids in attendance. What an excellent way for children to experience the election process!

It felt very historic, and I don't think it was entirely caused by the location - The Oddfellows Hall in Ballard!

Mardi Gras

2008-02-04T09:33:00.000-08:00

Mardi Gras is tomorrow, but we celebrated on Saturday nite. We ate Jambalaya & Red Beans and rice. We had pralines and roasted pecans. There were Hurricanes and Mint Juleps. I ate way too much, but I had a ball!

We set-up the mirror above our fireplace with dry erase markers, and let folks list the items they plan to give up for lent this year. Some of the vices listed are as follows:

Illegal HOV lane driving
Shaving
Catholocism
Paris Hilton
'meat'
Abstinence

The eagles have landed

2007-12-25T14:02:00.000-08:00

In December & January, bald eagles visit the Skagit River to feed on all of the salmon that has recently died after spawning season. Erin & I decided to go see the eagles for our Christmas Day celebration. We obviously opened presents and visited friends, but we agree that there is something magical in the mountains.

We hope you and yours had (are having) a safe and wonderful holiday season. Give us a call if you can. We'd love to hear from you.

PS - If you are interested, there is more info about the bald eagles in Skagit County and the Skagit County Bald Eagle Festival.

Three Hundred Sixty-Five days ago

2007-12-05T07:45:00.000-08:00

One year ago today, Erin and I left the country to begin our trip around the world.
This photo is from that day. You can see that we are a bit nervous - a bit over packed - and oh, so excited!

So much has happened

2007-12-02T10:35:00.000-08:00

So, we have been super busy recently, and our blog has suffered because of it. I'll try to catch you up to speed.

First, Joey got a job, and has been getting back into the grove of working/commuting/making money. It was going well until he got into a fender bender - now he has a crunched up car. If you look carefully at the photo above, you can see the hood has a bit of "character".

Erin has accepted a job at Microsoft working on the MSN.com homepage. Sounds like a load of fun for her. We just have to figure out how our commute to the East side is going to work. We may be seeing a new car in our near future.

As you can also see in the photo above, it snowed in Seattle yesterday. What an exciting afternoon. We just wish that it would stay on the ground longer. However, this does mean snow in the mountains, so snowboarding is DEFINITELY in our near future!

the things we are thankful for

2007-11-23T19:56:00.000-08:00

Our year of travel is now officially coming to a close. Joey has started working and Erin is interviewing, so the yearlong journey is at its end. December 5th is the one year anniversary of our leaving the States for our trip around the world, and it has been such an amazing experience!

At Thanksgiving, we are thankful for our friends and family. You have been an integral part of our trip, and it has made us recognize the impact you have in our lives. During our trip and since, you have let us stay in your homes and fed us. You have shared more than your fair share when it comes to splitting gas fill ups and bar tabs. You've even let us borrow dvds, so we don't have to rent them. Some call it 'mooching', but you said 'no problem'. We felt guilt, and you pardoned us. We have been the friend in need, and you have been a friend indeed. We hope that one day, we can repay your kindness with the same.

We hope you all had a merry & safe Thanksgiving.

Bach Parties

2007-10-20T12:47:00.000-07:00

We are a bit behind on other posts, but this weekend is Erin's brother's wedding.

Congratulations Ben & Kim!!

The boys went out and played video games for a while, and the gals went bar hopping. Eventually, we all rendezvoused and fun was had by all. Remember, what happens if Vegas stays in Vegas. And, yes - we went to Vegas.

Did that sign say "tank crossing"?!

2007-10-11T11:26:00.000-07:00

On our return trip from the hike, we drove past a military training camp. It was pretty wild actually, because we could hear the exercises happening as we drove. The BOOMing explosions and ack-ack-ack of machine guns were kind of scary actually.

Then, we drove by a sign which read "tank crossing" with a warning that there was "danger of death". I wasn't terribly frightened, but it was a pretty sobering thing to see on the side of the road. Just past the fence, we could see tanks which didn't appear in use. They were likely being used as targets.

Hiking the Jurassic Coast

2007-10-11T11:10:00.001-07:00

My uncle Ridwan is a big fan of hiking, and we were very interested in seeing the English countryside. Just south of of Dorchester, many dinosaur fossils have been found along the coastline, and it has been nicknamed the Jurassic Coast. There's even a dinosaur museum in Dorchester.

After our 16 hours of sleep, Ridwan took us on a very pleasant walk out to the coast. We got to see some cottages and farmhouses, and we even got to see a castle and climb over some fence stiles and "kissing gates".

At the end of our hike, we stopped off at a local pub for a soda and rest. The Scott Arms overlooked the Corfe Castle, and we had a very pleasant chat.

My English Family

2007-10-11T10:37:00.001-07:00

When my grandfather was stationed in England, he met a woman and they had a child. Unfortunately, they didn't know about the baby until just a few days prior to him being deployed to Normandy, and he was never able to return to meet his daughter. There were a few letters, but my side of the family did not know about her until she called my dad several years ago.

Malinda had been curious about her American family, but did not make contact until recently and I am so glad that she reached out to us. It has been such a pleasure meeting our English family and getting to know them better.

Erin and I stayed with my cousin, Hamid, and his family while we were in the UK, and we had such a good time getting acquainted in real life as opposed to over e-mail. I hope that we will be able to see them again soon.

Here are a couple of photos and brief descriptions, so that my side of the family can see how everyone is doing.

Uncle Ridwan, Hamid and his two kids, Josephina and Frederick.

Hassana's husband, Hardey, and their son Albert joined us on a hike.

Unfortunately, we didn't get any good photos of everyone. Hassana and Haroon are missing, and Malinda asked that we not put her on the web. I'm respecting her wishes, and sending that photo via e-mail to the American family.

16 hours of sleep

2007-10-11T10:23:00.000-07:00

We landed in London at 6 am local time after flying for about 13 hours. Considering that we had 4 hours of sleep the night before and our seats did not recline, we didn't really get that much sleep over 36 hours of "travel time."

We caught a bus from the airport to Bournemouth, where we were picked up by my uncle Ridwan. He drove us the rest of the way to Dorchester, and we spent the day with my extended family (more details in the next post).

Erin and I decided to stay awake for the whole day, so that we could get adjusted to UK time. However, it did have an impact on us as the day progressed. As Ridwan described, we were "shattered" which is as accurate a description as I can think of. By the end of the day, I don't even think we were speaking in complete sentences any more.

So, we turned in around 8pm, and we got up the following day at NOON. I don't think I've slept that much since college, and to be honest, I could have slept longer.

Time to go. Nope. Time to wait.

2007-10-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

Scott and Brian dropped us off at the Seattle airport on Friday night for our flight to England, and we made it through security and passport checks with much time to spare. After a bit of waiting, we got on the plane and took our traditional "leaving another country photo" (see above). We even struck up a conversation with a very nice lady who was sharing the row with us.

After sitting for quite a while on the runway, the captain announced that there was a steering problem and we would have to return to the gate. At the gate, our names were called - which is clearly a bad sign. The Alaska Airline folks told us that because of the delay, we would miss our flight from Boston to the UK. So, they put us up in a hotel for the night, and we were rescheduled to leave on Saturday instead. I felt a bit pouty and tired as we caught the shuttle from the airport to the hotel.

After 4 hours of sleep, we returned to the airport and we actually got to fly this time. It was a fine flight, but we did spend 13 hours in the air and we were dead tired when we arrived in London.

Friday Status Report

2007-10-05T10:49:00.000-07:00

Well, we didn't get as far along on the floor project as we had hoped. However, we have made lots of progress and the floors are ready to be varnished. The sanding stage of refinishing a floor can take a lot out of you. Erin and I have been working solid every day (we are so sore and full of splinters - not to mention sawdust), and we are proud of our work.

Unfortunately, we have to put this project on hold, because we are headed to the UK tonight. And of course, we haven't been able to do all of the other stuff that we wanted to do before we leave - like see Jeff & Lavi's new baby, Jack, again. We haven't seen Blake and Jodi's baby either (shame on us!). So, today will be full of running around and calling and seeing folks. Hopefully, we'll get it all done before it is time to go.

Final note - this is the last leg of our around the world trip, and we are both excited to get on the road again. We'll post some photos and notes from abroad when we get a chance. We are looking forward to seeing the Kennedys (my extended family), and getting to know them better.

Have a great weekend! Over and out.

Wednesday Pre-work Status

2007-10-03T10:14:00.001-07:00

I saw the weather report this morning, and the high temperature in Seattle today is going to be 54 degrees (12 degrees C for our European readers). Yikes!!

Both Erin and I agree that this might not be the right week to have pulled the radiators out of our house. It is a bit chilly at night, and it will continue this way for the rest of the week (year).

Anyway, you may imagine that it is hard to motivate oneself to start working in the morning when one cannot feel one's fingers. Fortunately, a couple of cups of coffee gets us moving and warm.

Today, we are going to finish sanding. After a bit of cleaning the sawdust, we'll start painting.

Tuesday Photo Update

2007-10-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

We made lots of progress on Tuesday. The office floor is completely sanded down to the hardwoods, and is ready to be painted (stained really). It will take a bit of cleaning up, because there is still sawdust EVERYWHERE!! Once we finish the bedroom, we'll do a few passes with a wet washcloth to pick up the dust.

Erin has been really good about making sure that we follow the process. I have to admit that we are a pretty good team when it comes to house projects. Let's just hope that the final product is as good as we hoped.

Monday Photo Update

2007-10-02T09:17:00.000-07:00

Joey sanding the office, first pass.

After three passes with 36 grit.

Time to call it a night. Joey's feet are representative of what the rest of him looks like after three hours of sanding. Even with regular vacuuming, the dust gets deep.

The office needs one more pass with 36 grit and then we will move onto the finer grits. Fun stuff!

Home Depot Humor

2007-09-30T15:18:00.000-07:00

Erin decided to continue painting, while I ran to Home Depot for some supplies. I always feel like I'm forgetting something, so I grabbed my cel phone on my way out. Luckily, my cel has a built in camera, so I can snap photos like the one above.

The sign actually says "order here" but someone hung something over the final letter. So, as you can see it says "order her". Home Depot always has something fun to check out.

Lunchtime Progress

2007-09-28T13:07:00.000-07:00

I won't keep boring you with every detail of our progress, but we've had some success. I've been a bit wary about removing the radiators, while Erin has been confident all along. We were both right.

The picture at the top of this post is identical to the final pic in the previous post, except there is no radiator in the new version. WooHoo! Removing radiator #1 was cake. Erin flexed her muscles, and lifted the radiators by herself and said "didn't it take 5 guys to move this one last time?"

Removing radiator #2 was more difficult. One of the parts broke while I was trying to remove it. Bogus! I didn't know my own strengh. I think that it is particularly ironic that the newspaper which is taped to the floor is the job market section.

Anyway, it is now out of the way, and we are on to painting.

After we grab a bite to eat.

Friday Status Report

2007-09-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

OK - to catch you up on our project so far, we have done the following steps.

In the office:

filled in nail holes and cracks in plaster
touched up the wall paint
painted the trim

In the bedroom:

sanded the walls and window frames
taped trim in preparation for painting the ceiling

Next steps:

remove radiators
paint bedroom ceilings and window frames
refinish floor in office, bedroom, and hallway

more "more than we can chew"

2007-09-27T22:37:00.001-07:00

We have been looking for jobs, and each had some promising aspects. However, we have been unsuccessful so far.

In the meantime, we have decided to do another home project or two. We have time and a little bit of cabin fever, so we have plenty of energy to burn while sanding and taping and painting. We are even going to refinish the floors once we get the walls done - hopefully by the end of the weekend!

It is nice to see progress on the house, and now that Ben and Kim have moved out we don't feel bad about doing construction work at all hours of the night and day.

On another note, we are leaving for the UK next Friday. This is officially the last leg of our trip, and it is approaching faster than we expected. Erin and I are excited about getting out of Seattle, since the winter has apparently already arrived. I have a feeling that England will have a similarly cold temp - it'll just be in Celcius.

It's so easy, even Joey can do it

2007-09-19T09:55:00.000-07:00

I love those Geico commercials, but I'm not EVEN going to watch the show based on the characters. So, in honor of the cavemen (and cave women), the following post is all in caveman speak.

Joey and Erin no post for long time.

We working hard look for jobs.

We move Ben and Kim out house.

We try see friends - still missing some pals (where you at?!)

Daytime TV lame!

It cold in Seattle.

Catchup - Denver

2007-08-26T21:01:00.000-07:00

Denver was excellent and we even got to be there for Erica's birthday party. WooHoo! We got to meet a few of Erica's friends and I got to work the grill. We played badminton and tricked Erica with candles which wouldn't go out. Mike and Judy even came for the shindig.

Erin and I also got to see our friends Brian and Ingrid. The library in their neighborhood was hosting an event which was sponsored by the Denver Broncos. We were treated to ice cream and a signed roster poster. WooHoo!

We all went shopping for cowboy hats. WooHoo!

Catchup - Flaming Gorge

2007-08-26T20:41:00.001-07:00

We drove through Teton National Park, and decided not to stop for the night. Instead, we travelled on to Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. According to a "most beautiful drives" in America book, the drive on the west side of the rec area (hwy 530)is the best direction to travel. Additionally, the Greater Green River Intergalactic Space Port is on this highway.
Unfortunately, neither the drive nor the Space port came through. We did really enjoy our camp site though. Once Erin and I crossed over to the Utah side and started driving North, we started to see the real beauty of Flaming Gorge.

Catchup - more Yellowstone

2007-08-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

Yellowstone National Park is directly above an active area of the earth, and as a result there is lots of thermal activity within the park. Not only does Old Faithful erupt every 93 minutes, there are many other hot water pools and streams.

Here are a few more photos to pique your interest.

Catchup - Yellowstone

2007-08-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

After we left Glacier National Park, we travelled into the northwest corner of Wyoming to visit Yellowstone National Park. We spent two nights there and got rained on a bit. This was a bit of a pain in regards to the tent, but it was better than some of the extreme heat that the rest of the country was experiencing.

Yellowstone is probably best known for the Old Faithful geyser, but we also enjoyed some of the hikes and seeing the wildlife. In the photo at the top of the page, you can see a bison moving through traffic behind our car. Click on the image to see the enlarged version - notice that the bison is larger than the cars.

We did get to see Old Faithful, and in the sequence of photos below you can see it starting to erupt. According to the guides, it erupts every 93 minutes or so.

Hey! Why no post?

2007-08-21T12:11:00.000-07:00

We have not forgotten to post lately. I think that we are just so excited about being home, that we have put the blog to the side for now. Not to mention, driving for 7800 miles makes your brain into mush.

Erin and I will post in the next few days with some photos from our road trip. We also have some fun stories to share. For now, here's a pic of us from the grand canyon.

Thanks

2007-08-09T08:24:00.001-07:00

During our road trip, we have been well taken care of and it is time to say some words of thanks. Everyone has been so hospitable and nice to us as we have mooched our way across the US. The free places to stay, "your treat" lunches and dinners, and especially the home-made meals have been the most special welcome home from abroad gift. We look forward to the day when we can return the favors.

Thanks to:

Judy and Mike
Erica (and Erica B)
Brian and Ingrid
Barb and Bill and Fam
Anna and Roger
Brandi and Justin
Renee and Josh
Mandi
David
Mary and Maurice
Brian and Kevin

There is no way for us to mention everyone we spent time with on our road trip in such a limited space. We had a ball with everyone and were so happy to be able to spend quality time with the folks we missed so much while we were away.

Still travelin'

2007-08-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

We are still on the road, and updating the blog is actually more difficult now than it was from abroad. We have some catching up to do. We still haven't posted Yellowstone, Denver, or any Louisiana stories - we've even attended a Pro Bull Riding (PBR) rodeo and Avery Island, the home of Tabasco Sauce!

Here are a few photos as a teaser.

Camping

2007-07-18T15:26:00.000-07:00

We decided to stay in some of the National Parks as we drive across the states. It is an excellent way to stay inexpensively and really get to see the country. Car camping has been super fun. First of all, you can carry much more than a standard backpacking trip (please refer to previous 6 months). Also, you don't have to work nearly as hard to get to the camp site.

However, there are some drawbacks. The neighbors are pretty close and sometimes the facilities (3north) aren't so clean. I won't even talk about how many days we went without a shower.

There have also been bear sightings near some of the campgrounds, so we had to lock all of our food and be very careful about cooking. This is typical bear prevention camp maintainence when wilderness camping, but when it felt odd with the car so near. In fact, I must have felt pretty at ease, because I left the door of the car open one night and didn't know it until a park ranger shined her flashlight into our tent to inform us of such a rule violation. Eek!! Erin is now telling strangers we meet at gas stations about how much of a doofus she thinks I am.

Glacier

2007-07-18T15:04:00.000-07:00

Glacier National Park is stunning. Erin and I have seen some incredible geological sights on our trip, but Glacier ranks in the top five. It is so ancient and untouched looking (except for the road and all the tourists - but, seriously. it is). I can't imagine what Lewis & Clark must have thought on their expedition of the area in 1806.

The wildlife appear docile, but we kept our distance. On one of our hikes, we wandered upon some mountain goats and big horn sheep.

The roads go to pretty high altitudes, and into some pristine alpine forests. The road construction is also impressive, because it was built so high and in such remote locations. According to the Glacier web site:

Even today, visitors to the park marvel at how such a road could have been built. The final section of the Going-to-the-Sun Road, over Logan Pass, was completed in 1932 after 11 years of work. The road is considered an engineering feat and is a National Historic Landmark.

And it is well worth the drive.

Biking in Coeur d'Alene

2007-07-09T22:59:00.001-07:00

While in Coeur d'Alene, we rode our bikes on the Centennial Trail with one of Erin's school-mates (Andy), and on the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes with her folks. I can't say enough about how beautiful it is here in the summer time (Erin says "just wait for the boating post!").

Also, I have missed my bike so much while we were away. It was nice to spend some quality time with ZR.

Birthday Party

2007-07-07T18:05:00.000-07:00

Erin's mom, Judy, had a birthday and we were in Coeur d'Alene in time to celebrate with her. Erin's sister, Erica, was here too. Ben was here over the weekend, but he had to miss the party because of work (stupid stupid work!!).

Here are a couple of photos for Ben & Kim and the rest of those who couldn't make it.

Driving - Washington

2007-07-07T17:51:00.000-07:00

I love the drive across Washington state. Leaving Seattle, you have to go through the Cascade mountains and then there's a lot of desert and then some farming. Erin has done it so many times that she is kind of bored by it, but I get all giddy about seeing the Columbia river gorge and the Wild Horses Monument - and that's just two sites along the way.
I also like seeing the labels that the farmers put up next to their fields to indicate what is growing at the time. In the picture below, you can see (if you have a magnifying glass) that this farm has peppermint. There was a tractor passing through the field doing something, and it smelled incredible.

It only takes about five hours to drive from our house to the Carlsons. I hope the rest of our drive across the country is as exciting.

On the road again

2007-07-02T09:14:00.000-07:00

We leave today for a trip across the US of A, and we are both pretty excited. Our first stop is Coeur d'Alene, Idaho to visit Erin's folks. Then we are going through Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks on our way to Denver to visit Erin's sister, Erica. Our final destination is Louisiana to visit my family, and then we will loop through the Southwest to see more family on the way home. We are also going to see the Grand Canyon, because neither of us have been there before. We will be gone until the first week of August.

It is actually kind of bitter-sweet to leave now. We are just getting used to being home again and seeing friends whenever we want, and now we have to go. I'm almost tempted to bring our coffee machine with us.

The funniest thing about this trip is that we are packing more for 5 weeks than we did for 6 months. Of course we have our car, so it isn't a big deal but it is remarkable how much different this trip is from our 'around the world' trip.

Changed Priorities Ahead

2007-06-23T12:34:00.000-07:00

We saw the above sign in London, and it has cracked me up ever since. Today it makes me think of our re-entry into American living.

So, we made it home safe and sound. It has been very weird to have such a shift in behavior - and surroundings. We are very happy not to have to move from place to place daily, and we are very pleased not to have to carry backpacks for a while. I'm sure that Erin would say that we are both missing it a bit, but it is so nice to be at home.

We have been getting used to the time shift, and daily pleasures like showering and making food at home. We'll be posting some more photos as soon as we are caught up on sleep and tv watching.

Headed Home!!

2007-06-20T00:28:00.000-07:00

We've been holding off on announcing our return to Seattle, but since we are currently on our way to the airport it is hard to keep the secret any longer. We are going to arrive this afternoon, and we couldn't be more excited.

Unfortunately, we've been so busy in London over the past few days that we've been a little behind in posting photos, etc. Once we get settled in and caught up on sleep, we'll put up some final notes from the trip.

We are looking forward to being home, and especially seeing all of our friends and family. Our cell phones will be turned back on in the next day or so. Please feel free to give us a shout, so we can make plans.

England - Jolly and Old

2007-06-19T02:25:00.001-07:00

We've arrived in England and are very impressed with how modern (and western) it feels. The amazing thing is, and this is just like Turkey, there are very old buildings and statues right next to very new and modern buildings. It is amazing.

We are staying just outside of the Notting Hill neighborhood near Hyde Park, which includes Kennsington Palace. My favorite part of the park is a pirate ship play structure for kids. Unfortunately, they only let kids on it, so I couldn't jump on the deck and yell "avast ye maties!!" Oh well, maybe next time.

So far, we've done more tourist things than we would typically do, but we didn't think we could get away with coming to London without seeing Buckingham Palace, the Tower Bridge, Big Ben or Westminster Abbey. I wish we could have seen a cricket match or some soccer, but we don't have that much time or cash at this point.

Turkey - an abbreviated post

2007-06-17T16:06:00.000-07:00

We were in Turkey for one week and we only saw Istanbul, which was a bummer because everything that we heard and read about the country was inspiring. We'll have to go back sometime when I'm not sick.

We did enjoy Istanbul tremendously, though. The city is beautiful and so old it is unbelievable. For example, the Hagia Sophia was built in the 5th century replacing two previous church buildings which had burned down - the first had been built 200 years prior. Think about that for a minute - the current building has been there for over 1500 years. We also walked past a cistern (for collecting water) which was built around 1000 years ago. Everywhere you go there is ancient and modern sitting side by side.

We've included a few of our favorite photos below. More will be added to our Yahoo photo albums.

Taj Details

2007-06-17T15:47:00.001-07:00

The thing that made the biggest impression on me about the Taj Mahal was not the enormity of it (although, that clearly is shocking). It is the details. As you walk around the buildings, you can see every nook has been carved or etched or marble has been embedded. It is hard to describe how much of it has been engineered for beauty.

Here are a few photos of some of the items which caught our eye. Keep in mind that these are just the best ones, and they include some which are from other buildings - not just the Taj.

Agra - Taj Mahal

2007-06-14T23:50:00.000-07:00

Erin and I have talked a lot while we have traveled about how we travel. We aren't really the type to go and see every site along our way. We are much more into getting the feel for the area, as opposed to what we call "marathon site seeing". I'll try to write more about it later - the point is, you can't go half way across the world and not see the Taj Mahal.

We got there just after dawn and the sun was shining off of the domed roof top. There weren't too many people, so it was nice to just wander the grounds and see the beauty.

If you are not aware, the Taj is a tomb (mausoleum actually), which was built in memory of Shah Jahan's favorite wife. It has been called many things, but my personal favorite is "a teardrop on the cheek of eternity". The pictures don't do it justice.

Agra - the Taj Mahal preview

2007-06-14T23:35:00.002-07:00

Our tour of the Taj Mahal actually began the day before we got there. Across the river from the Taj is a beautiful garden called the Mehtab Bagh, and the views from it are spectacular. The garden itself is also stunning. As we have commented before, it was hot in India (averaging around 111 degrees every day) so most of the landscape was brown. We were there just about a month before the rainy season started, and we could really tell that it was getting late in the summer season.In any case, the garden was spectacular and we probably spent more time there than our driver expected, because we didn't simply walk down to the river to snap a photo and then return. We wandered the gardens for a while and even sat to talk and enjoy the scenery.

One of my favorite pictures from the whole trip is below. I set our camera up to take a timed photo, and then ran as fast as I could to get to where Erin was standing so that we could be in the shot together. As you can see, I didn't quite make it. The good one is at the top of this post.

At the end of the day, we had dinner on the roof of a local restaurant which had a view of the Taj. It was stunning - not the dinner, the view. In the evening, lots of folks head to their rooftops, because the breeze passes through and cools things off nicely. In the photo, you can see some kids playing and trying to fly kites from their perch.

Agra - the sites

2007-06-14T23:04:00.000-07:00

Agra is where the Taj Mahal is, but there are other note-worthy sites as well. I'm not as astute as Erin at taking notes and informing about historical references, so please forgive me if I gloss over some of the more detailed information regarding the following. We will post more photos to Yahoo soon, but for now some of the better ones are below.

Agra Fort

Near the Taj Mahal is a 16th century fort, which is built of red sandstone and not much dissimilar to the fort in Aurangabad. Since is it mostly made of red sandstone, it is aptly named "the Red Fort" (go figure). It is quite stunning and has fairy tale-like palaces, where Shah Jahan lived. There are audience halls, both private and public, and a mosque. There's even a harem area, which unfortunately was quite empty of the women.

Baby Taj Mahal

The tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah was built prior to the Taj Mahal, and was actually the beginning of the architectural style which influence the Taj. It looks quite similar to the proper Taj, but it is much smaller. It was a bit quieter too, so it was nice to walk around it and we even sat for a while to chat in the garden area.

Blue Tomb

There is one more tomb which we visited, but for the life of me I can't remember the name of it. I'll let Erin come back and edit this part, but you can see the photos now.

Agra - another hole

2007-06-14T22:41:00.000-07:00

As noted in the Aurangabad post, where there are tourists there are touts. We found that most Indian touts and hawkers know more about what you are spending in India than you probably do. They likely have cousins or siblings or some other family members who have worked in your home country, so they know what the salary is there. They also know how much it costs to get to India from where ever it is that you live. They also are well aware of how much money each hotel and guest room costs, so if they see you coming out of a place they have a pretty good idea of how much you are spending to be in their town.

Don't get me wrong, not all Indians are out for your cash. We met the sweetest fellow and his family on the train ride to Agra, who shared his home made dinner with us. He said "if I could, I'd invite you to my home and share dinner. But I cannot, so this will have to do." We politely refused, but he stuffed us silly with some of the best food we had when we were in India. It was vegetarian and it was spicy and delicious. This man made an impression on us.

Unfortunately, in tourist traps like Agra there are tons of other folks who do want your dough. Our moto-rickshaw driver scammed us - twice! We found this great internet place just across the street from our hotel, and we visited a few times. The funny thing is that there were a couple of other internet shops on the way, and the owners would see us coming and start shouting out bargains for us - "you should not go to his shop. you should come to mine. much cheaper." And so it went.

Unfortunately, we don't have any good photos to illustrate the frustration and dogged perspicacity (one of my favorite words) of the touts and hawkers. Instead, I just put up a picture of a camel we saw in Agra.

Streets in India

2007-06-13T23:50:00.001-07:00

When we left the caves and Arangabad, we returned to Mumbai and then took a flight to Delhi. It was a much different city, but obviously there were similarities. I'd like to share a few details about streets in India (based on just a few cities that we visited).

Cows - you may have heard that cows are sacred in India. This is clearly evident when you are on the street, as they roam pretty much everywhere. In the pics below, they are picking through the garbage which was left on the road, as well as browsing the shops.

Busses - busses are wildly over packed and rarely actually stop. We saw a few instances of people just running up and grabbing onto the bus and just holding on to the outside. We even saw some folks just climb on top of the bus and ride there. In 110 degree heat, the roof may have been cooler than being inside the confinement of the bus, but it's not like the breeze provides any refreshment.
Rickshaws - rickshaws come in a variety of styles (pedal, motorized, with fancy decorations and blaring music), but they all pretty unsafe looking and overpriced for foreigners. They definitely have one intention - to get YOU into their cab. We were followed once for two days straight by this guy who wanted us to ride with him. Even when we were simply walking across the street, he would show up and start haggling. He'd say "10 rupees for a ride" and I'd respond "no thanks, I'm just walking across the street". He'd reply "ok, 5 rupees" to which I'd answer "walking is free. leave me alone!"Public toilets - I have to admit that we only saw a few of these, but they are available if you have a pressing need to go to the loo. Someone asked us to keep an eye out for the worst toilets in the world - I think this one wins hands down.

Ellora: Kailasa Temple

2007-06-11T08:14:00.000-07:00

In the words of the Lonely Planet India guide, Kailas temple is "one of the most audacious feats of architecture ever conceived" (732). The temple was begun in 760 AD by King Krishna I of the Rashtrakutra dynasty. 200,000 tons of rock were removed by 7000 laborers over 150 years to create this rock-cut extravagance, built as a representation of Shiva's home in the Himalayas, Mount Kailasa. The carvings are spectacular, many still vibrant after 1200 years.

Aurangabad: a Hole

2007-06-11T07:57:00.000-07:00

Aurangabad, an overnight train journey from Mumbai, is the jumping off point for the Ajanta Caves, the Ellora Caves, and Daulatabad Fort. Because of this, it sees a lot of tourists and has a lot of people on hand to take advantage of the tourists. We don't bargain well so, as you can imagine, we were two of those tourists who got taken. Frankly, it is a hole. We were quite happy to spend only one night in the town even though the fantastic sites around it deserve a little more time.

While waiting for our evening train back to Mumbai, we ate dinner at our guesthouse (not great but not bad). The glasses that came with our rather terrible bottle of beer did put a nice spin on two days of touring.
Although Aurangabad was a hole, we had to agree....

Three hours later, awaiting our very late train and getting constantly asked for money, we were forced to revisit this sentiment. Our happy ending took a little longer to arrive.

Daulatabad Fort, Aurangabad, India

2007-06-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

The Daulatabad fort, a now ruined fortress, was built by Sultan Mohammed Tughlaq in the 14th century. A marvel of construction, it was built on an existing hill overlooking the Deccan plain. Its sheer size is amazing, particularly when hiking about it in 90+ degree heat.

You enter the fort through a series of dog-legs and extremely large spike-studded doors. The palace was closed for reconstruction so we only briefly checked out the outer most fortifications before continuing up the hill, across the moat, and then through a pitch-black, bat infested tunnel. (Yes, those are bats in the picture. They didn't move while we were in the tunnel, but the hairs on the back of my neck stood up the whole time.)

The tunnel was part of the fort's defenses. Any potential invader would really have had to want it to continue up! The tunnel brings you above the walls pictured below. It looks like a cliff face in the picture but it really is one enormous wall.

From there, it is a hot but not too strenuous climb to the welcoming coolness of the Chini Mahal. The open windows caught the breeze beautifully, making it one of the coolest rest-stops of our two days in Aurangabad.

After a cookie break, we continued to the tip-top of the fort where a cannon, engraved with Aurangazeb's name, looks over the countryside. Aurangazeb was the last of the great Mughal emperors (ruled 1658-1707). He took the throne after imprisoning his father, Shah Jehan, in the Agra fort (more on that later). He spent part of his reign at Daulatabad, expanding the fort and improving its defenses. After his reign, the Mughals ruled smaller and smaller areas, no longer emperors as in the past.

Ajanta Caves

2007-06-09T00:02:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago, Laura and I attended an art history lecture on the Ajanta caves. Though the lecture was not stellar, the images were burned into my brain. Thus, the Ajanta caves made it onto our top ten list. India was difficult, Aurangabad (where the caves are located) was double so, but the visit to the Ajanta and Ellora caves was worth it.

The Ajanta Caves are a complex of Buddhist rock-cut viharas and chaityas, with the earliest dated to the 2nd century BC. Over the next 900 years, some thirty caves were cut into the cliffs above a horseshoe bend in the river. Most of the caves are monasteries, viharas, which were used during the rainy season. The windowless cells for the monks are accessed through small doorways in the wall (you can see one at the end of the row of columns in this image). Even with artificial lights, a cave monastery seems a rather dark and dank place.

A few are chaityas, temples with stupas inside and without the living spaces for monks.

The caves, carved directly out of the rock, are richly decorated with sculptures but Ajanta is particularly known for its paintings. The caves are sparsely lit to protect the paintings and flash cameras are not allowed so our pictures do not do the images justice. The lapus lazuli remains particularly vibrant after all of this time.

This sculpture of the Buddha at the moment of his parinirvana is the one that stuck with me after the lecture. It is in the very last cave; finding it felt like finding an old friend.

One of the most fascinating things to me about the Ajanta caves was the sheer number of scantily clad women adorning the monastic walls. Buddhism is a religion that rejects sensual pleasures, especially for monks. It seems particularly mean to surround celibate monks with such images. As latter day visitors, we enjoyed pointing out each well-endowed figure.

We had a great time touring Ajanta and other heritage sites in India but there were a few frustrating elements. Foreigners have to pay 25 to 30 times the rate that Indians pay. As someone who doesn't pay taxes to support the sites, I don't mind paying a higher fee. Such a large discrepancy did get annoying though. We were also approached in almost every cave by someone offering to be our tour guide. Saying "no, thank you" did little to dissuade them. Repeatedly saying no would often result in them telling us how little we would enjoy the caves without their expertise. In some instances, they were likely right but we enjoy meandering slowly through a site, picking out images we know, and referring to books for those we don't. We overheard one foreigner telling a would-be guide that his visit was being ruined by the pestering, not the lack of knoweldge. This was a sentiment that we agreed with. Finally, a few sites were well sign-posted but, for the most part, it was not readily evident what our higher fee was paying for. These were small frustrations in view of the granduer of the sites but they did detract from the overall experience.

doo doo doo - doo doo da doo da doo

2007-06-07T01:49:00.000-07:00

We have made it to a new country and a new city which has its own song.
Please feel free to sing along.

Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works
That's nobody's business but the Turks

Thanks to "They Might Be Giants" for getting that song stuck in our heads.

India, not the last word

2007-06-06T00:17:00.000-07:00

We are leaving India tonight, and it has been a whirlwind. We have seen so many things and had so many experiences that we haven't had a chance to catch up on posts or pictures. We arrive in Istanbul tonight, and hopefully our internet options will be more plentiful. As soon as we can, we'll put up some pictures of the Taj Mahal and other sites we have seen.

We hope all is well back home and we miss y'all lots.

Bollywood Invitation

2007-06-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

Mumbai is the capital of Bollywood. If you are not yet aware or have not seen a Bollywood film, you are really missing out. Some of the themes are too funny, and every film (seriously, EVERY film) has a music video or two mashed into the middle.

Unfortunately, we have not been able to see a Bollywood film on the big screen, but we've watched a couple on TV. They are very hard to get since they are in Hindi, but often the story is pretty evident. One of the most recent releases is about a cop who is mixed up in the mafia. The preview shows tons of explosions and shootings and car chases and, you guessed it, a music video where the entire cast sings and dances.

On the day before we left Mumbai, we walked past a shoot. They had cameras and cast and the whole lot, and we stopped to watch for a bit. While we were watching, one of the crew came over and invited us to come by tomorrow to be in the film because they needed some extra westerners. We were so bummed!! Well, I was bummed. Erin wasn't as thrilled about being in a movie that none of our friends would ever hear of much less watch. Anyway, it is still a cool story, so I had to share.

Illin'

2007-06-04T09:29:00.000-07:00

I have not been well since we arrived in India. Technically, the feeling bad part began before we left Bangkok, but I'd really rather not get into the details in a public forum. We'll all be better off in the end if we just leave it at "Joey was sick when he got to India".

We landed in Mumbai (aka Bombay) and chose to stay in a touristy part of town, which is good in ways but also difficult in ways. The good is that there are many conveniences which are welcome to foreigners, like restaurants with chairs and clean glasses. The bad is that there are many hawkers and stall vendors trying to vie for the attention and dollars of any westerner who wanders by.

Being ill does not make me a happy shopper, but we did well wandering the streets and checking out shops. There were a few sights close by like the India Gate, which is where the British set sail to leave India after independance. There was also a museum and a couple of cool book shops. Our favorite place was the Barista coffee shop which served some excellent ice-cold watermelon fizzy drinks. Erin mentioned in the last post that it was hot. These drinks from Barista saved the day and our sanity more than once.
We also wandered over to the train station to buy tickets to Arangabad, so that we could go and see the Ellora and Ajunta caves (more on that later). The train station was one of the most beautiful that we've seen on our trip. Typical train stations are pretty much function over form. However, you can see from the photo below that this train station had some attention paid to the details.

Out of touch in India

2007-06-02T02:06:00.000-07:00

We have made it to India, and despite a few hangups we are safe and well. We spent a few days in Mumbai (Bombay) and took a train to go see some ancient caves in Arangabad (which Erin has studied before). Now we are in Delhi where it is close to 110 degrees and we are doing our best.

India has proven to be one of our hardest destinations, and we'd write more if we had better internet access. Also, we know that each country we visit takes a little adjustment time, and we don't want to sound too down on the place before we give it a chance.

Thanks to eveyone who has e-mailed to check in on us. Yes, we are ok, and we'll be in touch. As soon as we can figure out how to function in this heat, we'll probably post our final pics from Cambodia and some from India. We hope all is well back home. We miss everyone and we are now counting the days until our return.

Memorial Day

2007-05-28T00:31:00.000-07:00

On a devastatingly beautiful Memorial Day in 1999, Joey’s wife and my friend, Becky Galentine, died after a long fight with breast cancer. Traditionally, Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for soldiers who’ve fallen in battle. Since 1999, we instead remember one strong-willed, charismatic, and loving “R” chick who lost a battle of her own.

Our lives, particularly the parts enjoyed together, are not what we would have imagined eight years ago. Marrying each other and then leaving on this incredible trip would have seemed an impossibility during those first years after Becky passed away. But here we are. This trip is one that Beck would have found so cool. In part, her death at too young an age prodded us into taking this journey. We learned that you only get one chance to fully live and that opportunity can be taken away at any time.

This lesson became even more evident during the past six months as we lost two more women way too young. Alyssa (Sonnier) Mayfield passed away just a few days after we first landed in New Zealand. Like Becky, Alyssa also lost a battle against breast cancer. As the younger sister of one of Joey’s best friends growing up in Kinder, it was almost like losing a sister. On the day we learned of her passing, we raised a glass to her in a far off pub in Auckland in a fashion she would have appreciated. On our Memorial Day, we once again remember this vivacious, almost sister of Joey’s and send our thoughts to her family and friends.

In March, Joey’s cousin’s daughter, Whitney, died from pregnancy complications a few weeks after giving birth to her son, Hayden, at the age of 16. It is difficult to describe how this tragedy affected everyone who knew her. Whitney’s mother, Deanna, has set up an online memorial which can be seen here: http://whitney-cappel.virtual-memorials.com. For the second time, we felt the agony of being far away, unable to give hugs, support, or, in this case, change a few diapers.

Throughout our travels, we have told each other stories about Becky, remembering the sad times but focusing on the happy ones. We wish the same healing story-telling for the families and friends of Alyssa and Whitney.

As with each of the past eight Memorial Days, our thoughts are with Becky’s parents, Dave and Liz, and her close friends. Life has continued on in strange and wonderful ways but we still remember our loss.

Scariest car ride EVER!!

2007-05-28T00:06:00.000-07:00

The road between Poipet on the Thai border and Siem Reap is rumored to be one of the worst. We heard gossip that Bangkok Air, the only airline that flies between Bangkok and Siem Reap, has bribed the Cambodian government not to fix the road until after their contract runs out in 2009. We don't know if this is true but...

The guidebooks and the Tales of Asia website scared us off of making the journey by road from Bangkok to Siem Reap. The hassles are many and the risk of running into someone who wants a bribe is high. So we flew there. Having heard that the return trip is easier and not wanting to shell out a second time for an overly expensive air ticket, we risked our backsides and returned via the road.

It was hell.

Not an eternal hell, not even a burning hell thanks to the Camry's air-con, but it was a three and half hour foray into the pits. At the very least, the potholes were deep enough to see demons running across the hood.

The road is unpaved. At the height of the rainy season there is no guarantee that the road will remain passable. For us, it was just one dusty, bumpy ride with little attention paid by our driver to which side is the "correct" side of the road (to be fair, neither did oncoming traffic). For the first hour, we chit-chatted about Angkor, our future kids, our families, our house -- basically our usual transit day conversations. For the second hour, our conversation died down to occasional comments and shared "oh sh*t" looks. For the third hour, we both stared straight ahead, too exhausted from trying not to hit our heads on the ceiling, windows, knees to even share a look at the particularly terrifying moments (will the car make it up the other side of the pothole before that big truck tries to share our molecular space?!). Arriving in Poipet, an awful place, came as a relief. Teeth loosened, but intact, we crossed the border without difficulty and caught a minibus to Bangkok -- a much smoother ride.

We were both 16 once and have had our share of scary car rides with our partners in crime. This was worse than all of them together.