04-30-09

I wanted to get a family photo tonight, since it is the last day of the month and I only got one in April, but it didn't work out.

So I wandered upstairs after the kids went to bed to see what I could capture. Both of them were reading fat books.

Sometimes the kids go to bed willingly, but more often than not we have to prod them a few times. Bedtime is 9pm on school nights, and they can read in their rooms for as long as they want. They are usually both still up when I crawl in bed for my reading time at 10pm.

“Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.” Maya Angelou

04-29-09

"Do you know where my patriotic guy is?"
"Why do you need him?"
"For my blog. For Obama."
"Can't you think of anything better?"

Every morning I watch CNN news with Heidi Collins, and every day they are reporting on President Obama's first 100 days. Well, today is his 100th day! So what will they report on tomorrow?

I don't want to comment since several of my blog fans are not of the same political persuasion as me, so I'll just find a quote and call it good!

We have begun to pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off. I’m pleased with the progress we’ve made, but I’m not satisfied. I’m confident in the future, but I’m not content with the present. - Barack Obama

04-28-09

Love Dare, day 33:
Although our differences can frequently be the source of misunderstanding and conflict, they have been created by God and can be ongoing blessings if we respect them.


Bruce and I are different all right.

I go to bed every night at 10pm; Bruce thinks that is WAY too early.
Bruce is very good at making small talk with just about anyone; I don't have the gift of gab.
Bruce procrastinates; I stress if my to do list gets too long.
I have a very bad memory; Bruce remembers every factoid he ever sees or hears.
Bruce could eat pizza multiple times a week; I would love to never go to fast food.

I'm sure glad that opposites attract!

04-27-09

We had e-bay items close last night, and we have already been paid for all of them! Now we can make one post office run and be done. We listed several items, but only two wii games and a few sets of Pokemon cards sold. Total revenue: $88.02. The kids think they should share in the profits. We'll see.

“The most interesting thing about a postage stamp is the persistence with which it sticks to its job.”
Napoleon Hill

04-26-09

The Alton Collins Retreat Center at Eagle Creek is a gorgeous setting for a retreat.

This morning we held worship in the chapel, with a view of the woods. The sun was shining through, it was really relaxing.

This photo is very similar to the communion photo I took at couples retreat, except that had the ocean as the backdrop.

“I feast on wine and bread, and feasts they are.” Michelangelo

04-25-09

Here we are- the women and friends of Longview Community Church.

Our numbers were fewer this year, but it gave us a better forum for intimate fellowship.

We laughed, we asked some tough questions, we basked in God's love. I stretched into new positions at yoga, hiked a familiar trail with landscape changes due to recent storms, and helped lead Vesper prayers. I also shared my special work, relinquish, with my small group.

Part of relinquish is to put aside, and it is such a blessing to put aside time for learning and loving.

04-24-09

The only thing harder than deciding what restaurant to go to with your family is choosing with a girlfriend. As Traci and I drove through Gresham on our way to the women's retreat, we were having a hard time deciding. "I don't care." "I'm hungry, it all sounds good."

We go to the end of the strip and neither of us had made a decision. We were turning around to make another loop, when Traci spotted a Changs. We both LOVE Chang's!

Yippee for small blessings!

04-23-09

What greets you on the inside of your front door?

I keep my shoes upstairs in my closet, but everyone else keeps them near the doors. Bruce ahs several pairs of equally muddy nondescript shoes. Xander has soccer shoes, crocs, the brown shoes in the corner he never wears but mom made him get them to have something presentable, and the brown and orange shoes he wears EVERY day. Anastasia, the only one in this family who enjoys shoe shopping, has a plethora of pairs thrown all about; many of them don't even fit her women's sized feet anymore.

It's not the sight I want to see when I walk through the door, but it is a part of our everyday life.

“Between saying and doing, many a pair of shoes is worn out.” Iris Murdoch

04-22-09

My radish seeds have sprouted!

When I couldn't get roosters in the kitchen (Bruce is a party pooper), I decided to put them in the back yard instead. We have a big rooster/chicken/chick family scattered through the new spinach/carrot/radish/beet patch.

Debating when to plant my non-winter hardy seed. Today is our average frost free day, but we've had a weird weather year.

“The roosters are part of the character. I am here to defend the chickens.” Jose Menendez

04-21-09

I spent a lot of time in my car today.

Three hours to drive to Seaside for a meeting, and Xander's soccer practice. I sat outside in the sunshine for awhile, but the wind finally chased me inside the car to read my book.

I didn't read my book while I was driving, but I did listen to an intriguing audio book about Jesus coming back to a futuristic America.

04-20-09

After years of avoiding fruit as sugar-laden carbs, now I am eating only fruit in the morning. I'm surviving, and even enjoying it!

My favorites right now are pears of any color and purple grapes. How about you?

“Go out on a limb - that's where the fruit is”
Proverb

04-19-09

Guess who got new shutters today?!?

Maybe a year ago I decided that our house looked plain and that some shutters would help. About six months ago I picked out the shutters I wanted. About a month ago Bruce finally ordered some shutters; he had lost the original choice. For the past week he's been gearing himself up. And, today, they went up.

My Love Dare study says I'm not supposed to project my goal-oriented hard-driving ways onto my spouse. That marriage is a relationship to be enjoyed and savored. Evidently, all home improvement projects are to be savored too..

“Keep high aspirations, moderate expectations, and small needs”
William Howard Stein

04-18-09

The sun came out today, hooray! This was a photo I took on my walk to church for an all day meeting. I seem to have relinquished work stress to take on church responsibility!

I love it when this big tree in the church lawn blooms.

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.”
John Muir

04-17-09

Today seems to be the kids day. Xander is spending the night at a friends, and Anastasia & Manna caught the 4:30 showing of the new Hannah Montana movie. As they get older they tend to scatter even more.

With $17.4 million, Hannah Montana: The Movie had the best opening-day gross for a live-action G-rated movie ever. Manna said it was "kind of cheesy".

Happy weekend, wherever your kids may be!

04-16-09

Something I carve out time for each week is prepping for teaching Sunday School. I gather everything I need and make a prototype of the craft so that the Kindergarteners can see what they'll be making. I have my own glue and fat crayons. It's fun to be a kid again, especially the farther my kids get form adorable little art projects.

Sunday school humor:
A Sunday school teacher asked, “Johnny, do you think Noah did a lot of fishing when he was on the Ark ?”“No,” replied David. “How could he, with just two worms?”

04-15-09

Today I had a long lunch, so I read a scrapbooking magazine from cover to cover. What a rare indulgence.

In the magazine Ali Edwards reiterated that the journaling does not need to relate to the photos. So my blog post today has nothing to do with my photo.

I was in Portland for a managers conference to get CPE. When the discussion went to public speaking, he said that we can make sharing numbers as fun as we want. I fit the boring CPA mold, but something to strive for when I share financials to groups. As an example of repetition, he had us complete the advertisement "Plop plop..." That commercial ahs been off the air for 17 years! That makes me feel old...

"Being a manager is a big game of whack-a-mole" - Karen Foster, conference speaker

04-14-09

Happy birthday to Xander! We're celebrating for a month, but today is the official day!

When I walked through the door Xander said "Dad surprised me at school and everyone in my class got TWO cupcakes!" Yeah, two two-bite cupcakes! Bruce said it was that or girly ones.

Xander got to spend his birthday taking the WASL and going to soccer practice.

Happy birthday bud!

04-13-09

I was getting ready for bed and I suddenly remembered my blog. Not only had I not sent Bruce anything to post, but I had not even taken any photos! D'oh!

I wandered around the dark house looking for interesting still lifes. Anastasia's instrument cases, the fruit bowl, discarded stuff. This bird statue spoke to me the loudest.

Out guest bedroom computer room has a bird motif. They have to be reasonably authentic or Bruce won't have them around. So here is a rare Eurasian Dotterel. I like to call him a shorebird.

“A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”
Maya Angelou

04-12-09

Happy Easter! I had planned to say happy Easter from the Fischer's, because this was a family photo, but I just had to crop myself out of it. As blog author and family historian, I get to destroy all bad photos of myself.

It's been a wonderful quiet day at home, after the morning at church.

He is risen indeed!

“The general perception of Easter when it comes to the world in general is bunnies and Easter eggs and Cadbury eggs and stuff. But the real meaning of it has to do with Jesus Christ giving his life for each and every one of us.”
Rob Fram

04-11-09

And so starts spring soccer. We'll be on field 7 almost every Saturday into June.

It wasn't wet (thank God!), but it was very windy and cold.

This year Xander is on a team with a very hard core coach. I see a lot more wins in their future, but I hope the boys have fun too. It's sure hard to find that balance.

The rules of soccer are very simple, basically it is this: if it moves, kick it. If it doesn't move, kick it until it does. - Phil Woosnam

04-10-09

Today I started a scrapbooking class called Wellness Journey. Normally I would not sign up for another thing with how busy I am, but this one fits into where I'm at in my life so much that I couldn't resist.

Things I've pondered so far:

Wellness is the condition of good physical and mental health.

Moving more breeds more energy to move more, and I need more energy to keep up this pace!

So one of my goals is to get an hour of exercise each day. I have done very poor this week, but I did run each morning.

Today I had extra time, so I scraped together an hour:

- 20 minutes on the treadmill first thing in the morning.

- 20 minutes walking the neighborhood with Bruce. This is where today's photo came from.

- 20 minutes weights downstairs; tackled the dreaded lunges.

"Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body,
it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity."

- John Fitzgerald Kennedy

03-09-09

Dash & go family portraits aren't the greatest, but this will have to do.

I came home from work early today, to help ease our hectic schedule a bit.

"You drop her off then go straight to pick him up. I'll be able to pick her up after my meeting." - Bruce. Shuttle driver #1 talking to shuttle driver #2, planning our evening.

03-08-09

Do you like Mary Kay samples?

I've been trying out the new spring lip glosses that came in the latest catalog. A pain to apply, but fun to try.

Sandwiched between work and church tonight, I had a little one-on-one party with my Mary Kay lady. I tried out four different eye looks and found a lot more stuff to add to my wish list. Thanks Kristin!

“There is no cosmetic for beauty like happiness.”
Maria Mitchell

04-07-09

When life gets busy, my scrapbook room is the first thing to deteriorate.

7:50am Frantically look for those papers I know I printed out last night, head to a meeting in Vancouver
5:15pm Arrive home. Family has already eaten without me, they are off to soccer and ballet.
6:00pm Church meeting for three hours. Several of us have the same glazed "boy are we in over our heads" look in our eyes.
9:15pm Start to scrounge for a blog photo, try to sort through what really needs to be done before I can collapse in bed.

On a less hectic note, today my BFF from junior high e-mailed me. I've been wanting a Facebook page to interact with my current friends, but I wasn't keyed in to finding people from my past. She found my sister on Facebook, who hooked her up with Bruce, and now we're communicating. Fun!

“It's crazy, hectic, and we're low on gas.”
Jamie Thompson

04-06-09

Ok, here’s the photo, you write the caption!

Bruce is accessorizing his hat on this warm beautiful day. Either that or running around with the kids.

“The best things in life are silly” - Scott Adams

04-05-09

Again, lots of photos today. This is not my best, but it captures the day.

This morning we worshiped in the church we were married in, then gave the kids another tour of University of Washington.

As you can see, we were not the only ones on campus. Our first nice weather weekend, and we all explode out of doors. The Quad is an especially popular place when the cherry trees are in bloom. Here’s a “where’s Waldo?” for you – can you spot the bride?

“I recognize that from Monopoly!” – Xander, recognizing locations on campus from our U-Dubopoly game.

04-04-09

Saturday was a busy day; I have six different photos I’d like to post.

After a quiet morning at home, we headed north. We stopped for a walk at Nisqually Wildlife Refuge and watched huge flocks of geese flee from a circling bald eagle. Then we had a get-together with the Fischer clan to celebrate Xander’s eleventh birthday before soccer season really kicks in.

When I went outside to try to photograph the kids, I knew the light was perfect. My subjects, on the other hand, were either in meltdown mode or were intent on a game of football. Or both. But I did get this keeper of little Samuel, who was having his own fun opening and closing the door over and over and over.

“Constant repetition carries conviction.” - Robert Collier

04-03-09

We did another neighborhood walk this evening.

This building, the Blackstone Apartments, is on the list of Local Historic Places.

Why it's noteworthy to me:

- I love old buildings and this is a nice one.

- The apartments are managed by the Longview Housing Authority, where Bruce is on the board of commissioners.

- This low income housing is where little Stacy and her parents would have been placed if they had moved to Longview.

“Historic preservation has an important place in America. 'Preserve America' promotes education, historical preservation and economic development while encouraging a greater appreciation of our national treasure from monuments and buildings to landscapes and main streets.”
Laura Bush

04-02-09

We’re 25% through the year, are you 25% done with your goals?

Good progress:
Relinquish the need to do our finances my way and work with Bruce to put aside more money. Stop feeling deprived when I'm not spending excessively.
Change my mindset that I have to do everything, do it quickly, and do it perfectly at work. I haven’t delegated enough, but I am working less!

Minor progress:
Scrapbook more and relinquish the idea that it takes incredible energy to organize and create.
Work on Christmas projects, and make fruitcake this year!

No progress:
Lose at least 10 of my extra 15 pounds. Eat well and exercise. And this leads me to my photo. I am committed to stop being overweight, but have not seen results. This week I started eating differently and I’m gearing up to exercise more. I LOVE these salads with over 10 ingredients in them.

“The most important thing about having goals is having one.” - Abert F. Geoffrey

04-01-09

I had to go back to work today, but we are still operating at a slower pace. We've been enjoying some nice couple time. The kids are at Grandma & Grandpa's, so what do we do tonight? Go to the movies with the church youth group! We saw Knowing. It was too intense for me, we were very glad Anastasia wasn't in town for this event.

"We Americans think you have to accomplish everything quickly. We're the country of the thirty minute power lunches and two minute football drills... Slow down and make building relationships as important as building projects." - Greg Mortenson