The Hazard Chronicles

Last week I wrote about how Evelyn had her first day of school, thus marking the end of Summer for us and the beginning of routine. I have to say, it is sort of nice to fall back into the easy flow of things- it seems that the presence of routine makes the spontaneity of Summer that much better, which in turn makes the routine itself more enjoyable and relaxing. I really feel like we have struck a good balance here.

As far as Evelyn goes, her first week of school was "the best week ever!" (Her words, not mine). She really likes her teacher, her friends, and the stuff they are learning. It is fun to listen to her recount her days to us in vivid detail and with so much excitement that we often have to ask her to slow down so that we can understand what she is saying. I sure love that girl and her enthusiasm for...everything.

Addy and Jack also had their first week of school this week. They are going to preschool at the Kroc Center (an awesome local community center) and seem very grown-up as they go off to class with their big kid backpacks (thanks, Grandma) and smiles on their faces. It is so amazing to me that our kids are old enough to be doing these things. I mean, in some ways it seems like soooo long ago that they were born. In fact, it sometimes seems like I can hardly remember when they weren't a part of our family. But then, at the same time, it seems like they have gotten so big so fast that it is hard for me to keep up. It's strange, I know, but I am betting that almost every parent can identify with what I am trying to say.

As for Maren- Rachel is hard at work organizing a pre-school coop with some of the women in her various social groups. It has been interesting to try and meet everyone's needs, but after a lot of discussion it seems that things are starting to come together. Rachel has been doing this since Evelyn was 2 years old, and by now she is a pro at the organization- but it is still a lot of work for her and I am so amazed that she has managed to keep it up with everything else going on in her life right now.

Speaking of things going on in Rach's life- she is back at work and loving it. She often talks about how fulfilling it is for her to be contributing her talents to the community, and I am glad that she has the opportunity to do this. Also, she is doing very well and people are noticing this, which may lead to further opportunities for her down the road.

On my part, I joined a group this past week called Spokane Mountaineers. It is a local climbing group that meets often for different reasons including social gatherings, instruction, conservation, trip planning, and weekly climbing trips to local destinations. I already knew some of the members, and I am looking forward to participating more in this organization as time goes on. I went out with them this past Thursday and had a lot of fun exploring some new (to me) routes around here.

So, that's an update on all of us.

Oh. Lindsey. She ate this week. And pooped. And spit, and cried, and slept. And SMILED.

And that's all.

As far as activities go, this week has been about cleaning! This is actually very exciting for us. We found that with being out so much over the Summer, certain parts of the house had become sort of neglected (which is okay, but it was nice to get organized again). Yesterday, the kids and I took a big load of garbage to the dumpster, and a big load of donations to the local Goodwill. The funny thing is that our house doesn't look a whole lot different after all this effort- but somehow it feels tremendously fresh and new again. It's almost like it is easier to breathe. Funny how that works, isn't it?

Yesterday, the kids and I went and met Rachel after work at a park near her office for a picnic dinner. I know that probably sounds a little mundane when you are just reading it, but it was actually a really fun night. I am really liking the stage that our family is in right now, and things seem to be going very smoothly for us. Sure, with 5 young kids it can get crazy sometimes, but like the relationship between routine and spontaneity, the juxtaposition between craziness and tranquility makes each one that much sweeter and blissful for what it is. I mean, maybe that's what really living life is all about after all- experiencing such a full gamut of emotions and events and happenstances that they can't help but mesh together into some sort of living tapestry that can only be described as beautiful precisely because of its unique and inherent stochasticity.

Stop! (That was me stopping myself from getting too philosophical on this blog. But you've got to admit, without opposition and divergence in life, things would get pretty boring.)

Anyway- now that I've brought us back from that tangential rut, I can mention one more thing before I sign off for the week. On Friday night Rachel and I went on a date to the fanciest restaurant either of us has ever been to so far. It started out as us just looking for a place to enjoy live music with our meal. There are a variety of places around here that host local bands, and we thought we'd just sort of stop in on one. Well, we got a babysitter, and then one thing led to another, and before we knew it we were sitting across from each other at a fine restaurant, ordering off a French menu, and listening to the light sounds dancing from a fingerpicked guitar. It was a great night out, and at the very least it went to prove one thing for us- that as far as we are concerned, a comfortable routine will never be enough to quelch the simple and elegant delights that come from occasional and impulsive spontaneity. And that is how it should be.

Have a good week!

The personification of "class." I love this woman.