Papa Week

So, Rachel has a really neat job. She is a sign language interpreter. At first glance, this is sort of like "huh- cool" in a nonchalant sort of way- the same way one might react to a deer or something standing on the side of the road. It's unique enough to be notable, but not so special that it evokes a particularly strong response. At least that was my first reaction. Over time, however, I have changed my mind about this. Rachel's job isn't just "huh-cool." As I have watched her over the years I have come to realize more and more that what she does is actually "amazingly awesome."

Let me brag a little bit here. Rachel is a good interpreter. Like, really good. And this puts her in a lot of neat situations. Now just as a disclaimer I have to say that I don't know details about any of this because the nature of her work involves high degrees of confidentiality. That said, she has interpreted countless intimate conversations between people with their doctors, lawyers, accountants, social workers, and lovers. She had interpreted for Fortune 500 companies and for the Department of Defense. She has done stage interpreting in front of tens of thousands, and she has done covert drug deals meant for nobody to hear. She has interpreted for art students painting nudes, and for nursing students pumping stomachs. She has had to be a voice for celebrities presenting before hundreds of well educated business people, as well as for angry high-school dropouts who can't say two words without dropping the F-bomb. She has done break-ups and meet-ups. She has been on the other end of 911 calls, and has watched people receive life changing news, for better and for worse. And then, at the end of the day she comes home and is somehow just Rachel- the wife, the mom, the friend. It is amazing.

Well, recently (can't be too specific or the HIPAA police might come) her job has taken her to a venue she had not been in before, and one which she has been looking forward to for some time. A cruise ship. That's right. They paid her to go on a cruise and interpret for just a few hours each day. The rest of the time was for her to spend how she pleased. When she arrived at port with her team they gave her an upper room with a large balcony and then they were off to Alaska. By all accounts she had a fabulous time, and I will see if I can convince her to blog about it. In the meantime, you get me.

So...that's that. Rachel has a cool job that puts her in cool situations. And that isn't even scratching the surface of how interesting things get once you decide to delve into the art, science, and philosophy of linguistics which underscores everything she does on the job. The truth is, I am enamored by her and by what she does.

While Rachel was gone, the kids and I hung out and had a good time. They had to have babysitters while I was at work, but this did not stop us from having fun when I got home. Below, I have copied snippets of the email/text conversations that we had with Rachel while she was gone. There are also a few pictures at the bottom of our week.

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Hey Love,

I hope you are having a great time on your cruise. I just thought I'd send you a quick email to say hi and to let you know that we all miss you, but that we are doing well.

On Sunday, Jack got to ring the bell at church, and they did a "noisy offering" that all the kids got to be a part of. All the money this week was going to school supplies for low-income families, and all the kids under age 10 ran around with buckets collecting loose change and bills from whoever was raising their hand. It was a little bit chaotic, which made it fun and cute. I am glad that the kids enjoy going so much. I really do to; I love the community involvement of 1^st Pres, as well as the aesthetic and the relaxed, “big tent” mentality. I think things are finally starting to feel settled for us on this front.

That afternoon we had a picnic dinner (Mac-n-Cheese) at Hauser Lake. The kids went exploring and found a water snake, which was sort of cool. We had fun right up until the end when it was time to go...then it became very frustrating because Maren was swimming in the water and wouldn't come out and I was holding Lindsey and didn't have my swimming suit on. I think I provided good entertainment for the other people who were there as I stood on the beach trying to coax her out of the water despite outright defiance on her part. I kept telling myself "People are watching- be nice. Be Nice. BE NICE!" Eventually I had Jack swim out and drag her from the water by the handle on her life jacket- Maren floating on her back and flailing in protest all the while. It was hard not to laugh at the absurdity of the situation- and easier to laugh than to get angry.

Yesterday we went shopping at WinCo where the kids did a great job helping me get stuff. If I had a dollar for every person who told me "you have your hands full!" then the trip would have paid for itself. Really, the kids were pretty good though. We also went to the Kroc where I got my "fast" run in for the week. It is probably the only time I will get to run before you come home. I was planning on doing another 13 miles on Monday when you get back, but it turns out I had agreed a long time ago to cover Post Falls that day for Dr. S, so I'm not sure how that's going to work out. Maybe that evening? We'll see. That night we had a "PPP"- Papa Pizza Picnic- at Falls Park which worked out really well. Our kids are needing less and less supervision and it is fun to watch them be kids without having to intervene all the time.

At night time I have watched some really good movies- "The Man From Earth" was really good and raised some interesting questions. We should watch it together. I also watched "The Seventh Seal," a classic Swedish film from the 50s that explores a number of issues. It was one of those movies that seems like it has many layers, and I will be thinking about it for a while.

Anyway- things are good here. I hope you are having fun. If you get the time to send an email I am sure the kids would be happy to hear from you. 

I sure love you,

-Logan

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Hey guys!

I love you and miss you a lot, and I am enjoying every minute of this cruise! Our ship has 11 stories and the top one has a swimming pool and a hot tub. Every night I get to try new foods. Last night I ate frog legs, and tomorrow I will be eating escargot which is fried snails. At night we watch special performances of singers and dancers. I took a movie of two dancers dancing while they were hanging from silks in the ceiling.

Our ship stops in four different places in Alaska. Right now I am off the ship in a place called icy Strait point. I am going to go in a small boat on an adventure looking for whales, dolphins, porpoises and other animals. I will take a lot of pictures and show them to you when I get home.

I love you guys forever and ever no matter what! I hope you have fun with the babysitters and with Papa.

I will send another email when I can. I love you guys.

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Hey Love,

This is an email from all of us:

Evelyn: The sky here is really green and misty because of forest fires. I am a little bit worried about the fires. I hope the animals in the forest are safe. I love you and miss you a lot. We were scared because we thought there was an alien landing our backyard. Also, please get some seashells if you can find them.

Jackson: I lost the thing that you gave me to remember you with but I will find it in the morning when you come home. I love you. That's all.

Addy: I love you. I really really really really want to be with you. You are the best mom in the world. I miss you very much.

Maren: Please give me powers that I can be a mermaid.

Me: Hope things are going great for you. As Evelyn mentioned, the sky here is full of smoke- it's kind-of a twilight zone atmosphere- muted sounds, well-defined orange globe of a sun, colors look like they are from a technicolor film. It's interesting.

I had some babysitter problems this morning and got to work late. How frustrating. At least it gave us time to write this email. Due to lack of stimulating conversation at night (I miss you) I am watching a bunch of movies. Besides the ones I told you about earlier, I have also watched "Run Lola Run" which is a German film, and "Memento," a trippy film that probably requires several viewings to put together. Both films play with ideas of free will and reality. Tonight is either "The Manchurian Candidate" (1968 version) or Minority Report.

Anyway, Molly should be here in about 10 minutes so I need to go.

Love you,

-Us

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Hey guys!

I love you and miss you so much! Right now I am getting dressed up for dinner. Every night all of the guests dress fancy and go to a fun dinner at a really nice restaurant. The waiters call you sir and madame, and instead of ordering one meal you tell them 4 things you want to eat. You tell them an appetizer, soup or salad, main meal, and a dessert. I have been trying new things each night. Last night I age duck and the night before I ate frog legs! Tonight I am trying escargot, which is a fancy word for fried snails.

Today I saw something I have never seen before! I saw a glacier. The glacier is almost the size of our town! We brought the cruise ship right next to it in the ocean. I took a lot of pictures to show you when I get home. I also have many stories to tell you.

My friend just now got a video of dolphins jumping in the water right outside the balcony in our room! I am off to a show now before dinner.

I love you guys!

Good night, good night, sleep tight.

-Mom

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Good morning!

We are in Juneau, Alaska and today I’m going on a whale watching trip. The city is set up against an enormous mountain. I am not often in a place that is so pretty that it takes my breath away and brings tears to my eyes. I could seriously live here…if it wasn’t Alaska. It is beautiful. I will take a lot of pictures. It is a little bit rainy here, but it should be sunny this afternoon. Alaska is an extremely rainy place, and we are very lucky to have sunlight for most of this trip. The rain makes it beautiful and green.

There is a grand buffet dining room that is lined with food all day long. Every few hours part of the selection changes. Sometimes they have food from China or Mexico. But they always have a mini dessert bar where the options are constantly changing. 

I am thinking about all of you. I am having a fabulous time, but I miss you…

…(later that same day)…I have had a wonderful day! We woke up and went whale watching and I had fish for lunch! I was surprised because I really, really liked the fish.

I learned all about humpback whales, and the guide said there were more of them than usual today. We were able to watch the cool way that they work together to catch fish. I want you guys to be thinking about questions you have about whales. When I get home I will tell you all about what I learned and you can ask me the questions you have. If I do not know the answer then we can find out together.

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Well, that's all you get for now. I think Rach will do a post a little later with more pictures/details of her trip. For now, enjoy some pictures of our week:

Since Addy did the drama camp this summer she got free tickets to Shrek, the Musical. Her and I went and had a great time. I seriously love Broadway style shows- most of them strike a really good balance between being really fun and being really insightful. We usually watch these kinds of shows with the "Best of Broadway" series in Spokane, which is fun and fancy and provides a great excuse for a "night out on the town." That said, I have to admit that the Coeur d'Alene Summer Theater has totally won me over- they bring in great talent from around the country, do an  awesome job pulling out all the stops on their productions, and usually have smaller venues making for a more intimate viewing experience. I am already excited for next year! (Sorry about the fuzzy pic. For some reason strangers have a hard time figuring out the camera on my phone).

Taken through our car window, which obviously needs to get washed. Anyway, this was taken in the late afternoon when it is usually pretty sunny. You can see all the smoke in the air from wildfires rising up to meet the blue sky. The whole town smells like we are at a campfire. It needs to rain!

This is a walk we went on. The night before we had read a story about a little girl in the "olden days" who lived in the mountains and had to walk down the hill every day to pump water. Despite the really brown field in the back (cut low to prevent fires), the walk was actually really pretty. The kids had fun exploring along the river, and we got a nice refreshing drink at the end from this still-functional relic of an earlier Post Falls.

Happy Birthday to Me and Some Childhood Recollections

It's a good day today. It's my birthday. 33 years old- not bad. A lot has happened in that time, a brief overview of which I will share a little later in this blog. As for today, I woke up early and ran a half-marathon. It was a good run, but despite beating my personal goal of 1:40 I came in feeling like I could have done better. I guess there is always a next time. When I got home, the kids had made me breakfast and we relaxed a little before Rachel loaded up her bike for the pedalfest (an annual 26 mile bike race that she had entered- capped at 500 contestants due to popularity). I stayed home with the kids and fought sea monsters, dragons, and giant spiders until we located the secret magic treasure that would make them go away. After we had finally secured the safety of our home, the kids all had baths to wash off the dragon snot, and then we drove down to watch Mom cross the finish line. She had a good showing and came in 3rd place- a surprise to me (but it shouldn't have been) given the number of more "serious" bikers in the race with much better bikes and more racing experience. I am proud of Rach- she definitely knows how to drive herself hard with a stubborn persistence that I hope our children pick up on.

Just now I finished mowing the lawn and am about to sit down to read a book while the kids have quiet time (Rachel is working a few hours today). Later, we will have a birthday party for me, and then Addy and I will go see a live production of Shrek, the Musical. It is being done by the fairly prestigious Summer Theater, and one of Addy's drama teachers is in the play, so that should be fun. Anyway- it's been a good day. Happy birthday to me.

And now on to my actual blog entry:
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My family is awesome. Can I just say that? It's true.

Lately, I have been reading through some of my old journals and looking at pictures of growing up. Unlike some of my siblings (I am assuming), the home I remember most when I think of my childhood is the yellow one we had in California. The day-to-day events that stand out to me are picking (stealing, in retrospect) oranges off of trees as I walked to or from school, making forts or catching crawdads in the nearby creek-bed, playing roller hockey in our long driveway, and going on bike rides to Rahilly Park. On the weekends we would collect pecans, raspberries, and mistletoe to sell to neighbors for candy money which I would spend at "The Treat Store," or go to Applegate Zoo and feel bad for the decrepit animals living there, or swim in the muddy waters of Yosemite Lake.

School for me was an unwanted lesson in sociology as I watched good friends from elementary school develop strong racial and cultural prejudices against one another as we entered middle or junior high school, sometimes even resulting in violence. I can still remember the names of some of my friends- Victor, or Kong, or Maria, or Gene, or Kao, who each fell victim to gangs or drugs (or both), their lives tragically stolen from them before they had even had a chance to get started. These were kids I had had footraces with on the playground, or built tunnels with in the sandbox. They were good kids. Oblivious at the time to intense social pressures that I didn't have to deal with, I didn't understand why school seemed increasingly difficult and unimportant to most of my fellow students. After all, it wasn't even that hard- you just had to set goals, work hard, and study. All it takes is for people to apply themselves, right?

How naive I was.

My family life, on the other hand, was blissful. I had a stay-at-home mom, and a dad who was around virtually any time I was, including summer vacations (he was a high-school teacher). I remember my mom reading long books to us including The Secret Garden, Little House on the Prairie, The Mixed-up Files of Basil E. Frankweiler, Harry Potter, and of course The Book of Mormon. I remember my dad helping me with math homework and extra-credit science experiments. We spent a lot of time together and went on a lot of vacations. At least that's what it seemed like to me. I especially remember trips to Yosemite or the beach where we would hang out with my grandparents, or to my cousins' house in Weldon where we would explore "The Rocks", or ride horses to Paul's Place. We also did some long family trips to Utah to visit extended family, and once we even drove to Illinois on a parent-guided tour of US and LDS history. In doing all these things I feel like I formed strong bonds with my siblings- my family was strong, and they were easily the most important people in the world to me.

As we grew up, my siblings and I started going our own separate directions. I left first at the age of 19 for a two-year LDS mission to Brazil. I was home from that for only a few months before moving out to attend college at BYU, during which time I saw my brother very briefly before he left on his own mission. While he was away I got married to a beautiful sign language interpreter and elementary school teacher (Rachel), became heavily involved in academics and scientific research, and started preparations for dental school. While the rest of my family still lived together, I moved to Cleveland, Ohio for more schooling, and from there to Northern Idaho where I live now.

In the meantime, my brother returned from his mission, got married, and moved to Oklahoma for law school where he stayed after graduation for a job. His wife, Ashland, is a nurse and stay-at-home mom, and they were just recently able to move to Utah- a move that I think they were both excited for. My sister, Haley graduated from college, got married, and moved to Texas with her husband, Matt. He was an army officer who spent a lot of time overseas, but they recently moved to a small oil town in North Dakota where Haley spends most of her time with the kids while Matt works hard as a business administrator. Allison graduated and moved to Utah where she got a job and met Clayson, who helps design computer software and works from time to time on a family-owned ranch in Idaho. They got married and recently bought a home in Logan (Utah). Courtney also graduated from college and moved away, working now in the greater Salt Lake City area helping autistic children. My parents have stayed in Rexburg the whole time as we have each gone on to build our own lives elsewhere. They are strong members of the different communities they are a part of (work, church, neighborhood), and seem to be enjoying their now-quiet home with brief interruptions of chaos from the grand-kids. Things are going well. The family continues to grow, and I think everyone is happy despite small first-world problems.  Life is good.

Alright- that is all well and good. But why did I give this abbreviated family history? The truth is that I don't really know. Maybe most people would see it as entirely irrelevant to events this week. It just seemed sort of important to me though, and this is my blog. When I think about my family today I feel extremely proud to consider myself a part of it. Each of my siblings have gone on to become very successful adults by pretty much anyone's criteria. We have some amazing people who have married into the family too, and some incredible kids as a result. Like I said, my family is awesome.

We have also grown apart in some ways though- not in bad ways, but in natural ways. Time and distance have separated us, and many of us have our own families to worry about now. As our family, educational, or cultural backgrounds have diverged we have each become different people than we once were. Like my parents, we each have our own communities at work, at church, or in our towns where we play active roles. On a day to day basis we really don't have that large an impact on each other's activities or choices. Again, I think that all of this is not only inevitable, but is also very right...but sometimes I still miss crawdad fishing and roller hockey.

And maybe that's why this past weekend was so good. Due to a fortuitous converging of circumstances, it just sort of happened that we had an impromptu family reunion of sorts. Everyone but Matt was there at the same time (unfortunately he had to work), and for a while it was like old times...but better. Because now we weren't just kids- we were grown-ups, each living very full lives of our own and coming together not only as siblings but as a diverse group of experienced adults...and as friends. Somehow that seems more important to me now than mere genetic similarities. It was really, really fun.

Now, it's not as if we never see each other. We do stay in touch, and some people even live close to each other. But getting everyone in the same house, with all the kids and all the noise and all the personalities all at once- well, it was cool. I don't know that there's much more to say about that, but at the same time I don't feel like I have given it the significance that I feel it deserves. And who knows- maybe it was just me. But I had a good time. I think other people did too. Hopefully we can do it more often in the future.

Here are some pictures:

These first few are from a trip that Dad, Griffin, Clayson, and I took to the Darby Wind Caves. I had never been there before, though I have wanted to go for a long time. The trip did not disappoint.

Here we are on the hike up. You can see the entry to the cave right behind Griffin's head to the left.

Another picture of the 3 mile hike. In this one the cave is seen in the distance on the mountains behind us. 

Just before you get to the cave you come to this beautiful waterfall coming out of an underground river.

Here's my dad (Griffin behind him) just before getting to the entrance.

The cave seems to get narrower and narrower...

...and narrower...

...and narrower still.

Eventually it opened up into a large cavern with a steep drop-off. This is where we were planning on stopping, but there happened to be a rope there descending further into the abyss (well, at least the remains of what used to be a rope).

Despite the questionable quality of our lifeline, Griffin and I decided to do a little more exploring. The smarter people stayed behind so that there would be someone left to tell the story of our demise.

At the bottom of the pit, we found the underground river (you can't see it very well...just know that I am above it)

Griffin and I by the underground river. The wall had a bunch of cool fins on it, and the ceiling had mineral deposits that sparkled in the light of our headlamps. I tried to get pictures but none of them turned out very well...I guess some things are just meant to be experienced. It was a fun trip.

 These next few pictures are from a walk/scavenger hunt we took at the BYU-Idaho gardens.

Of course the kids had to visit the Hart Building. This has almost become a tradition.

They are doing a skit on the stage, I think.

The kids also did a good job helping grandpa to do all the yardwork. 

And finally, this is our "garden" that I came home to. The other side looks just as bad. Apparently, there was a 4-day stretch of 100+ degree weather while we were gone, and I had not arranged for anyone to come water the plants. So sad. 

One more. This is from Rachel's bike race today

This is right after the finish line. You can't tell in the picture, but Rach was breathing pretty hard. After I took this she basically fell off her bike and collapsed into the grass. That's how you know it was a good race. I am proud of her.

The next generation

Almond Reunion

I have done a lot of driving in the last week.

Last Friday after work I got in my little supercar and hit the road. The last few days had been spent getting things in order and packing our stuff. Rachel had left earlier in the day with the kids and I would meet her in Rexburg late that night (or early the next morning, if you want to get technical about it). It was a pleasant drive and besides a short rest-stop along the way, I made good time. I walked in the house at 3:30am.

I woke the next morning at 6:30 and couldn’t go back to sleep. Sometimes I don’t like my natural alarm clock. Surely, I would pay for this lack of sleep later in the day.

After a casual morning with my parents we all got in the van and drove to a campground on the Palisades Reservoir. That is where we met Rachel’s family. The next several days were filled with boating, talking, cooking, and games.

Good times.

Making Breakfast

Having fun on the lake with Aunt Marissa

Me and Rachel before one of the most terrifying experiences of my life

Maren and Wesley

The babies

I got drove back home Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. Today (Friday) I am planning on making the trip all over again to see some my family this time. Rachel stayed down there the whole week with her family while I went back to work.

Bubble wrap with Grandma Almond!

Isn't she adorable?

Now just cross your fingers for the supercar. I seriously consider it a miracle each day it makes the 10 mile drive to the office.