Rachel's Houston trip and Grandma Almond's visit

So, lately I have been thinking a lot about news/politics. For the past couple of years I have read five newspapers every day- the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Idaho Statesman, and the Coeur d'Alene Press. I seldom miss a day, although events almost never have a direct bearing on my life. I also receive email subscriptions to political watchdog groups like Factcheck.org or Politifact.com, as well as to various news or political podcasts, my favorites being Left, Right, and Center, Amicus, and Radiolab's recent addition, More Perfect. And this is only a fraction of the media I consume if you include the books I read, the movies I watch, or the radio I listen to.

Why do I do all this? Honestly, I don't really know. Entertainment? I think that is probably the only real answer I can give.

I mean sure, I like to think that being informed about things makes it so that the opinions I hold are somehow more justified or valid. When I really think about it though, I realize this is probably not the case at all. If anything, I am probably less likely to take a strong stance on any given issue as I learn more about it- mostly because I can totally understand where all sides are coming from, and that they are almost all sensible and valid from a certain point of view. When forced to express a position I will normally come to working conclusions which often, for me, seems to reside just slightly to the left of center on the US political spectrum. I guess that is the area where my "ideal" world lies. At the same time, I also realize that what is good for me is probably terrible to someone else's interest, or even to my own if taken to certain extremes. And then I start questioning things all over again.

I think that maybe the thing I am really interested in is ideas for their own sake. Not so much for reaching conclusions, but more for exploring the questions themselves. They (questions) are much more interesting. Conclusions seem so static by comparison- necessary, in a way, to avoid a sort of intellectual paralysis, but unfulfilling at the same time. Simple or dogmatic answers tend to bore me, and I swear I am about to quit social media altogether if I see one more stupid meme that condenses a complex and fascinating issue into one of plain right or wrong, as if those terms are so easy to define. As if there was just one answer- one correct form of government, one correct way to raise kids, one correct road to happiness, or one correct approach to life's mysteries- and the rest of the world is somehow ignorant or corrupted or evil or stupid for not seeing things in the same way.

Which I guess leads to the question that's been on my mind lately-what is the point of asking questions? I mean, if it's all just a matter of opinion in the end, then why even try? Why not just give up, or give in to whatever voice is the first to claim moral authority or superiority? Why try to figure things out at all, if there turns out in the end to be multiple and irreconcilable right answers depending only upon one's perspective?

And I guess the best answer I can come up with is because I like it- and perhaps because I don't know how to let someone else take responsibility for my own thoughts. Maybe it's for the same reasons that I like listening to blues rock, or eating Mediterranean food, or climbing rocks. It satisfies me to think about things. It also exercises my intellect, makes for deeper conversation, and every once in a while leads to a new or important insight that I use to guide my own decisions. 

But mostly, it's just a hobby. It's fun.

And so I continue to consume my media, and wrestle with my ideas, and add to my endless list of questions while claiming fewer and fewer sure answers to anything. I suppose that to some people this could be construed as unsettled or unavailing. And I guess, in a way, it is (especially when taken to an unhealthy extreme). At the same time, I think it is the best any of us can do. As Voltaire so eloquently wrote, "doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is an absurd one." The minute we feel that we truly "know" the answer to an issue is the minute we choose not to learn any more about it. And I'm not willing to make that choice. Thinking and learning are too interesting of pastimes for me to give up on.

Wow. That one sort of got away from me. I realize that "ideas" aren't as intriguing to everybody else as they are to me, and that certain ideas might even be interpreted as dangerous to some people. For this reason, I am finding myself becoming more and more selective as I get older when it comes to sharing my thoughts. For me, this is a simple matter of prudence. In my experience there are way too many people who mistake disagreement for hatred, curiosity for provocation, or uncertainty for apathy, and I trust myself less and less to be articulate enough to head off these misconceptions. Even so, I think I'll leave this here. Rachel told me to. And if anything, it can give people an insight into how I think.

*****

This week I actually have two weeks to catch up on. For the first, on my end at least, there wasn't a whole lot that happened. Of course we continued our active lifestyle- I'm sure we went swimming a few times or something, and it was mostly a good week- just not really noteworthy in any way. For Rachel however, the story is a little bit different. Here is what she has to say:

Hello everyone!  It has been quite a long time since my writing has made an appearance on our blog.  First, I would like to take a minute to say that I have the most awesome husband ever! Thank you, my Love, for taking time every week to chronicle the crazy/fun/memorable events of our lives.  The printed Hazard Chronicles are, hands down, my favorite possessions.  We all know that they would be about 20 pages long if it were my responsibility to write weekly.  Thanks again!  I sure love you.

On to Houston!

Anyone who knows me knows that my favorite word is "balance." I am constantly aware of each facet of my life (family time, one-on-one time with kids, time with Logan, my work schedule, my "me" time, cycling time, etc) and how they are affecting the other parts and staying in balance to create... Well.. a balanced "me."  (I told you that was my favorite word).  Anyway. My work segment consists of working 1-2 afternoons a week, my goal of interpreting one cruise every year, and attending a professional interpreting conference annually.  The latter came due two weeks ago.

On Wednesday I packed up, said goodbye to Logan and the kids, and set off for a week of interpreting courses and family activities.  My regional conference was held in Arizona this year, but I decided to ditch it and go to RID region IV conference in Houston to visit my temporary stomping grounds and see Deanna, Dave, and company.  Let the fun begin!

Lets back up a bit and say that my profession is awesome!  I absolutely love being an interpreter because it lets me be a professional and a stay at home mom, there are endless 'specialties' to focus on for improving my skill, ASL linguistics are my passion, and my day-to-day work is varied and exciting.  Lets just say that spending four full days doing back to back conferences is eye and brain candy for me.  In this conference I focused heavily on classes about legal and courtroom interpreting (spoiler alert- a future goal is to spend one to two years becoming certified as a legal interpreter).  

As the classes wound down each day I eagerly looked forward to the evenings spent with Deanna, Dave, Ashton, Savanna, and Landon.  Some of our activities included: an evening out at an antique auction in which Deanna scored some great buys for their new house, dinner out with the family, hours of good conversation, attending the Houston Symphony performance in the park (which was masterfully done), and a fun Sunday family dinner before I headed back to Idaho.  I was also very excited to see Grant and Debbie, Tyan and Kellye (and families), along with Deanna and Dave (and company) for a fun dinner out.  I have missed all of you and it was great to catch up!

I have to mention in here that I was very impressed with Savannah and Ashton. They are well poised, smart, and interesting.  I had a lot of fun conversations with them on this trip and I am excited to watch their lives unfold and see what they do in the future.  

After some crazy flight delays I arrived home at 3:30 Monday morning to begin a fun week with my mom in town...

True to form I completely missed every good photo opportunity.  You will just have to take my word that I went to Houston, I did lots of stuff, and I loved it!

*****

I have written and rewritten this section about 12 times only to come up with just one more way to create a long list of activities.  I have decided to embrace this and create a few different lists accompanied by pictures.  

Sunday to Sunday with my mom was packed with non-stop action!  We had the perfect mix of kids activities, adult time, mom/daughter time, and grandma one-on-one time. 

Kid time
Our family time took us to the beach, the bounce house, plenty of parks, a morning movie at the theater, and culminated in a 10 mile bike race on Sunday (more about that to come).

Mom/Daughter time
I had more time this week with my mom than I can remember having in a LONG time!  On Tuesday I finished up my evening training ride and met my mom to finish the night doing a few miles with her.  She recently bought a bike and has been going out on rides in Sandy.  We were excited to get together and do something that both of us enjoy. Later that week we went out for some "us time" to La Peep for lunch and out for Gooies for dessert.  We also went to Bardenay together for a dinner out (Logan was supposed to join us, but he volunteered to stay home when we had babysitter troubles).  

Adult time
Deck nights have become a staple in our house.  Logan and I go out and enjoy the sunset at least four times a week together in the  Summer.  There are no shortage of conversation topics and we have yet to tire of this tradition.  We ended most of our days this week with the three of us talking on the deck until all hours of the morning. Great fun!  The three of us were also able to escape for an evening to see "The Music Man" put on by the CDA Summer Theater.  This theater group is amazing, and they did not disappoint for this performance.  We had a wonderful evening.

Logan/Rachel time
Hooray for date nights! My mom watched the kids for an evening so that we could enjoy a good old fashioned dinner and a movie date!   We had dinner at The Porch in Hayden and then out to see the newest X-Men movie.  We enjoyed the quaint atmosphere during dinner and the good movie afterwards! Later, we were able to sneak out again in the early morning hours to get a bit of rock climbing in.  Can I just say that I love rock climbing and that I love Logan!  Thanks, mom.

Grandma/kid time
My mom had some fun one-on-one time with each of the kids during her stay.

Sunday's Race
This Summer had been full of running and cycling for Logan and me.  We have been keeping up a busy schedule with races and training.  Early this year we decided it would be fun for the kids to have a race to train for as well.  We found a 10 mile family ride that was part of the 2016 Valleyfest.  For the past 6 weeks we have been going on progressively longer family rides to get the kids ready for their event.  All of us have been really excited, and it was fun to have grandma join us!  She has been riding for a few weeks and it was a great accomplishment for her as well.

Hooray for family time! Bring on the pictures!

Lots of playing with the kids

10 mile family bike race. I pulled Maren and Lindsey in the trailer

We went and saw The Music Man. I love the Summer Theatre!

We went to the beach and found a bunch of Merpeople lounging in the sand

Mother-Daughter date.

*****

And with that, we can officially say WE MADE IT THROUGH JULY! It was a crazy month. Lots of family. Lots of fun. Lots of new stuff/repairs. Lots and lots and lots of activity- and lots of stress (positive stress, but stress nonetheless) to go with it. Whew. Bring on August- the month where we have virtually no plans. The month for just lounging on a beach or a freshly cut lawn and enjoying the long days of Summer.

Have a good week!

Maren's favorite breakfast. Uck!

"Car Wash Scary" are the newest additions to Lindsey's rapidly expanding vocabulary.