Alright: A lot has happened since the last post, so buckle down for a long read and lots of pictures. This is going to be fun.

Or...JUST SCROLL DOWN TO LOOK AT THE GINGERBREAD HOUSES AND VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE ONE BY COMMENTING HERE OR ON FACEBOOK OR MESSAGE US OR PM US OR CALL US OR EMAIL US OR COME AND VISIT US. BUT PLEASE VOTE- THE STAKES ARE HUGE AND EVERY VOTE COUNTS. LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!

Now that's out of the way. Let's get on with the blog.

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Black Friday. What a day. Every year people wake up early to pay their special devotions to the gods of consumerism. It's almost a ritual- looking through the ads ahead of time, planning your routes from store to store to get all the best doorbusters, eating a late breakfast with friends and family to compare who got the best deals, and then going home and sleeping off the buyers remorse before it hits too hard. The great American pastime.

Not to be outdone, I wanted to participate in this rite for myself. So, I got up 15 minutes earlier than normal (4:45) and battled traffic in the dark to get to the nearest Walmart. I walked in, elbowed my way through the crowds, and emerged successful with my purchase of a single bottle of hair gel. I had run out the day before.

Having thus satisfied my inner need to accumulate stuff, I continued on in the murky darkness toward my real objective. Traffic thinned as I got further and further away from the shopping centers, until it was just me, all alone on an ever narrowing road.

I made muddy footprints as I stepped out of my SUV, and I lifted my hood against the lightly falling rain. The terrain was uneven as I made my way up the mountain, but the darkness didn't bother me. This place is a virtual extension of my home, and the curves of the trail are as familiar to me as the contours of my bedroom. Finally, I reached my destination and searched for a sheltered area as tiny puffs formed in the air from my heavy breathing. I had made it just in time.

Suddenly, a light cracked the darkness over the hills and started to spread across the landscape, dancing from wave to wave once it arrived on the water. The air was filled with the scent of  pine mixed with a faint whiff of woodsmoke- a natural incense that spas and temples could only dream of replicating. The sound of water lapping the shoreline blended almost seamlessly with the rain, adding a percussive element to the music of the area. In the distance, faint silhouettes of mountains slowly emerged as night gave way to day. 

And then the eagle came. This is what I had hoped for, and I stood breathless as I watched the bird perform its aerial survey of the area. At times, it came so close to me that I could make out its eyes, only to have it swoop away again at the last instant and head out toward the water. I sat there and watched this performance for almost an hour, cozy in my little hollow, completely emerged in the moment. It was going to be a good day.

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Living where I do, mornings like this can happen several times a week. This time has become almost sacred to me, and acts as a regular reminder of my place in this amazing world we live in. And although it is common, it never gets old.

Beauty. What does that word even mean? I suppose perceptions vary from person to person; what is inspiring to one may have very little meaning for another. And yet, there is no denying that it exists. Places, people, art, music, rituals, and communities- things that stir the soul and tell us that there is a richness to life that makes it well worth the journey.

This year I am thankful to live in a place where beauty, whatever that may be, is so abundant. I am lucky that life's circumstances have allowed me to appreciate this to such a degree.

*****

For Thanksgiving we had Rachel's whole family come up and visit us. Between bouts of structured activity there were countless hours of talking and hanging out together. The pictures below represent our lame attempts of bottling these memories up, never to be forgotten or changed with time. Yeah right. Pictures can only go so far. Just as an orchestral masterpiece can never be fully experienced through the tinny speakers of a dimestore radio, a picture cannot never show the bonding, the laughter, the connections, or the intimate conversations that took place. We do our best though. It was a good weekend.

Rachel has relatives who own a small pecan farm, making for a lot of nuts in this family. Getting them out of their hard shells takes a lot of patience and hard work, but is so worth it for the reward at the end. Jackson deserves a special shout-out in this regard. Talk about diligence!

Thanksgiving dinner was awesome, in spite of my efforts to help. Seriously, it was a weird day. I almost ruined everything I touched, but Rachel was always able to save the meal. In doing so, she also allowed me to save face.

I didn't take this picture, but it was taken on the same night. Credits at bottom of photo.

We went to the annual festival of lights in Coeur d'Alene. The parade was the longest one I think they've had, and the fireworks were spectacular, as always. 

The adults got away for a nice night out. We went to a great local place and enjoyed the live music amidst good food and good company. Sometimes it is a breath of fresh air to ditch the kids and experience just a few moments of uninterrupted sanity.

And of course, the annual gingerbread house contest. We had three teams this year. Names will be announced next week so as not to influence the voting.

PLEASE VOTE!!!!!

Our first contestants present us with a lovely mountain resort. In the foreground, you can see a pond for skating, as well as a firepit for warming up. The roof sports the largest Christmas tree in the gingerbread world, and the balcony is a lovely place to enjoy resplendent views of the Hazard's kitchen.

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Next up, we have the knight's castle. Protected in the front by a moat and drawbridge, the villagers enjoy a quaint holiday getaway in the garden courtyard. As long as the flag waves, they know they are safe.

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Finally, we have the Christmas cottage. You can arrive by carriage, and while the adults enjoy a cozy glass of cider on the inside, the kids can play on the swingset, skate on the pond, or build snow angels. This one's got it all.

AGAIN, PLEASE VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE. THE EASIEST WAY TO DO THIS IS BY LEAVING A COMMENT EITHER HERE OR ON FACEBOOK. OTHER WAYS WORK TOO. THE WINNERS WILL BE REVEALED NEXT WEEK!

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After four wonderful days, most of the family had to go back home to their normal lives. Rachel's mom and sister stayed a little longer. We will miss everyone, but want them to know how much fun it was having a full house.

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Here's a few other fun things that have happened in the last week or so:

The festival of trees. Everyone had fun, and I was very impressed (jealousy?) with Santa's facial hair.

I found this in note in our bathroom. Evelyn found a boxelder bug on our windowsill (pictured upper left) and decided to adopt it. "To Frank, A loyal beeatle bug that we trulley think is fastanating. I hope you enjoy some food and a bed that should last you awhile. -Evelyn, your human friend!" (sic)

A few days before everyone came, Addy stepped on glass and had to get stitches. She did great. Giggling, she asked me to take a picture of the needle going through her toe. She said "It will freak Evelyn out!" Other than a little soreness the next day, the repair doesn't seem to have slowed her down at all.

*****

Have a good week!

I'm sitting at work right now and I have a quick minute to try and get this week's blog out. We are currently getting our first snowfall of the year, and it is beautiful and cozy feeling to watch the big flakes fall outside of our big front windows. None of it is sticking on the ground, and the uncharacteristically warm weather we've had so far this Fall makes me think it will be a while before we get to start sliding around on the roads.

The biggest event we've had as a family is the follow-through with Evelyn's service project. Due to late invitations (partly Evelyn's fault, partly mine), the turnout was mostly just our family. It was still a lot of fun though. Here are some pictures:

Here's the "before" picture. Pretty overgrown.

Lindsey spent most of the time rolling around in the dirt and giggling.

About to dump the last wheelbarrow full of weeds before we went out for ice cream. Notice the nice, clean planter boxes behind us. Nice work everyone- but especially Ev for organizing this.

As for the rest of the blog, I think I'll just put pictures with captions up. It's easier that way.

Rach was cleaning out some old clothes and came up with this fantastic find. The dress is from a homecoming dance we went to 12 years ago when we were dating. The pants, from two years ago after Lindsey was born. She has been graceful and stunningly beautiful to me every step of the way. Hooray for healthy, active lifestyles!

I took the kids for a treat at Carl's Jr. I got distracted. Next thing I knew, Addy and Jack were swinging from the rafters of the building. I had a hard time finding the balance between pride and guilt. 

Movie-popcorn-slumber-party night at the school!

Have a good week!

To start out this post, I want to do a quick highlight on Evelyn. Rachel says I tend to favor Ev on this blog than the other kids. I'm not sure about that. Either way, her recent activities definitely deserve a shout out. I am so impressed by her.

So, a couple of weeks ago she just announced out of the blue that she wanted to organize a community service project with some of her friends and asked us how she would go about doing that. We told her we weren't sure, but that city hall could probably point her in the right direction. Evelyn then made a script for herself and started making phone calls. Eventually she found someone who could help. Since then, she has had several back and forth phone conversations where she grabs a pen and paper and retreats to a quiet area of the house. Rachel and I just stand by and let her update us on how things are shaping up. Last week she told us she had set up a meeting with this person, and told us when and where we would have to get her there. She went to the meeting on her own and came out with instructions and plans for a project at the local community gardens. She is now making invitations for people to come and help.

Her initiative in all of this is astounding! I mean, I doubt that there are very many 8 year olds out their who, on their own accord, set up meetings with local civic leaders to organize things like this. I doubt there are many 8 year olds who even clean their own rooms (she does), let alone look outside of themselves to the greater community. What a great example she is to me.

But that's not all. A couple of days ago she came up and asked me if I could help her practice a speech she had written.

"A speech? For what?"

"Oh- I am running for student office. I already made a poster, but I have to give a speech as well."

Alright then. Once again, here she was acting on her own- believing enough in the power of her own ideas to take definitive steps to seeing them implemented into action. We went in the shop and practiced the speech until she had it down. She gives it tomorrow, and I am holding my breath for her. I also asked her what would happen if she lost the election. Her response- "I'll try again next year."

I am a proud daddy. I get to take at least a little bit of the credit, right?

*****

Speaking of elections, I feel like I have to say something about the events that will transpire during the day. Please skip this next part if politics are not your thing.

Over time I have become more and more reserved about sharing my views regarding pretty much anything that people could disagree with, because I find all too often that disagreement is mistaken for hatred or intolerance. Obviously, if this were the case then our country, not to mention most of our relationships, wouldn't work. Thankfully, it is not. The United States has a longer history of a peaceful transfer of power between parties than any other nation on earth. That is significant, and I believe a large part of this success can be attributed to the fact that we do argue about things and force each other into considering other perspectives, and into compromising to find workable solutions to problems that may arise. In fact, I would be very nervous if the arguing stopped.

That said, it is a matter of historic fact that the rhetoric of this election is uglier, less substantive, and more dismissive of basic facts than anything we've ever seen in the recent past. This, I feel, is trading an important thing- arguing, for a destructive one- fighting. I also think that, while nobody is completely innocent, the vast majority of this negativity can be attributed to one person and to one political party, and there is broad agreement from both sides of the isle over who this is. That this person is a serious contender for what is arguably the most powerful position in the world has me completely baffled. Reality itself seems to have taken a back seat to bullying, intimidation, and blatant fear mongering, and this trend is troubling to say the least.

And yet, despite all this, there remains a more alarming trend that is taking place under the surface. According to recent surveys, roughly a quarter of millennials in the United States do not believe that democracies work as a form of government. There has never been a time, as far as we know, that a group of Americans this substantial has felt this way. It is also astounding, given the broad set of evidence that history presents us with regarding the success of such a model, not just in our own country, but in virtually every stable and successful government around the globe.

Unfortunately, such disillusionment cannot be attributed to a single election cycle, no matter how nasty things may have gotten. Rather, this is the result of elected officials failing to do their jobs in the way that our social contract requires them to. When bald-faced obstructionism and party politics become more important than running the country, then the system begins to sag. When quality journalism is dismissed by voters and politicians alike in favor of self-reinforcing ideological bubbles, then our legs are cut out from under us. And when sincere and insightful opposition is falsely characterized as either intellectually stupid or morally bankrupt, then it becomes no wonder that fighting ensues and that trust goes out the door. All of these things are happening in this country as we become more polarized, and moderate voices are pushed to the sidelines. Both parties are culpable, though definitely not to an equal degree. The resulting disagreements between elected officials though, are causing a measurable rift in our government that hasn't been seen since the years immediately following the Civil War. In many political circles, compromise seems to be a bad word and is taken as a signal of a weak leader. And yet, it remains the only way to reconcile the varied interests of a free society. Oh, how far we have come...but in what direction?

In spite of all this, I continue to have faith in people. The ability that human beings have to cooperate with each other has been the driving force behind civilization. Without it, we are left a squabbling mess of individuals who cannot see beyond their own self-interest, and in doing so, become unable even to obtain that. On the contrary, as we try to actually listen to each other and acknowledge that compromise may be needed in the service of the public good, then I believe great things can be achieved. This is not something that will happen overnight, even if saying so is what politicians have to do in order to get votes. No- instead it is a messy process that can be frustrating and sometimes ugly, and which requires humility from all sides. But I am still one hundred percent convinced that it is the best we've got, and that up until recently, America has done a pretty good job of it.

So no matter who wins or loses tonight, I sure hope that we can all move forward to the business of getting stuff done. Obviously I have my preferred candidate (not that it matters in Idaho), but either way I think America is on solid ground and can move forward productively as one of the greatest nations ever established. Rachel and I are going to an election party with fellow Democrats tonight to watch as the results come in, and it should be a fun night regardless of the outcome.

Then it's on to other important things, like the Seahawks game, the argument about whether or not hot dogs can be considered sandwiches, and the dispute over the status of golf and shuffleboard as sports.

God Bless America.      

*****

Halloween!

What a fun year we had. The kids got boatloads of candy since we went trick-or-treating at three different places. The first was a Trick-or-Treat-around-the-world event hosted by the local AAA. That was fun because we got lots of sweets from other countries. The next stop was downtown Coeur d'Alene where local business handed out candy in a festive atmosphere. Our church took part in this event and gave out over 500 pounds of job security (I'm a dentist) in just a couple of hours! Finally, we headed back to our neighborhood where we went up and down the streets in order to fill the buckets yet again. What a day!

I took the three oldest kids to a Halloween concert. At one point they all got to go up on stage and dance. So much fun!

*****

The weather up here has been awesome for the past couple of weeks and Autumn seems to be lasting a bit longer than usual. I love it! Here's some pictures from a walk we went on:

This was a beautiful park in Spokane- it has become one of my favorite places to visit in our area.

*****

Random Sampler:

The other day, Lindsey went in the bathroom and accidentally closed the door on herself. Minutes later, I heard terrified screaming. I ran back to see what was the matter and I saw her backed up against the door with a look of pure horror on her face. One hand was covering her mouth, and the other was pointing to my electric toothbrush on the floor, which she had inadvertently turned on. She is terrified of that thing.

They say the average driver puts about 12,000 miles on their car in a year. We have put that much on our van in the past three months. We like driving.

We were trick-or-treating and suddenly I heard Maren yell, in a high pitched voice of excitement, "LIFE IS SO GOOD!"

Yes it is, here in North Idaho. We love it.

Have a good week!