Earlier this week I went in to a photography studio where I got my picture taken for our new website at work. It was a nice setup, and the guy who took the pictures was very professional. As he worked we discussed his past in photojournalism and it was a good reminder to me that I need to bring out the camera a bit more. Honestly, a LOT has happened in the past couple of weeks, but I don't feel like I can write anything until I have some great pictures to share with it. Pictures, after all, are worth a thousand words, right? And those pictures, more than anything I write, are likely to trigger the memories I hope we are making for years down the road. 

The problem is that a photojournalist is, almost by definition, apart from the activities taking place rather than a part of them. It is possible, I believe, to play both the role of actor and audience during one's own affairs, but striking such a balance is difficult, and not always conducive to organic experiences. And so, while photodocumentation is definitely a renewed priority of mine, I am also unapologetic for posts like these which, perhaps to my future chagrin, trade the memory of events for my own indulgence and immersion into the events themselves.

Anyway...

Like I said, a lot has been going on recently. Before we get to that though, just a few notes on our overall lifestyle. I know it may sound sentimental, but seriously, this is the life I always wanted to live. We ski every weekend. We have groups of climbers at our place just to hang out a couple nights every week. Rachel and I both have challenging and fulfilling careers, and the kids each have their own "cool" individualism and seem mature beyond their years. This is our normal, but it is often punctuated with family trips, new experiences, and exciting events. It's almost scary. I've always been careful to guard myself against complacency. Constant improvement, pushing, and striving has been a way of life for us for so long, and I don't imagine that is about to stop. But where do we go from here? I'm not really sure, but I am thrilled to find out!

As for events beyond the normal, let's share a few photos:

Jackson's room has been our latest project. He spent a lot of time browsing Pinterest and Amazon for ideas, and has come up with a theme that I think will be pretty cool. We had our own input regarding closet storage and organization, but the majority of this came from him. In its current state it is all but finished, as we are waiting on a couple of larger items to arrive from online orders before we can actually take final pictures. Suffice it to say, I think that for a while he'll have the coolest room in the house. As such, it will also double as our main guest room when people come to visit.

Next- I got a new car! Not much to say about this other than I love it. We are keeping the old Durango to use as a work truck, but from now on you can see me in my new Subaru Ascent. It's very nice and is less than two years old, making me feel a little bit like a pauper in prince's clothing when I drive it. Virtually my entire life I have driven cars with over 150,000 miles and stubborn check-engine lights, and I have grown accustomed to the unease that comes with knowing that you could be stranded at any moment by mechanical failure. And while a part of me will miss the grit and character that one develops through such a tenuous relationship with the road, I suppose I can always go and hitchhike my way through a rainstorm in the middle-of-nowhere just for old-times' sake. In the meantime, I'll thoroughly enjoy my heated steering wheel, soft leather seats, and lighted cupholders.

It has begun- two of our kids will soon be in braces. Evelyn and Jackson (the two most desperate cases) both had consults with the orthodontist and are excited to start this journey. I've worked closely with Dr. Brent over at Peach Orthodontics for years, and I have every reason to expect great results with my own kids. To celebrate, we let them pick out all the sticky and crunchy junk food they wanted during one giant shopping spree. It will be the last time they will be able to enjoy these foods for a good long while.

Jackson- just a little crowded. This is what my own teeth looked like as a kid.

Evelyn- a little overjet. This is what happens when a kid sucks her thumb for too long.

Alright, there isn't much else to share. Later today Rachel and I will go out to watch football, and we have a rock climbing date scheduled for tomorrow morning when the kids are in school. Also, I'll take a few more pictures for next time.

Have a good week!

2020 Hazard Update

Get ready for a long one! Just to offer a roadmap of the next 5,000 words, I (Logan) will give a brief rundown of our year, followed by brief updates on Rachel and me. Rach will then do small updates on each of the kids, followed by a wrap-up that I will write. And...yeah, that's pretty much it. Enjoy!

*****

2020- What a year! It definitely did NOT go according to plan, that's for sure. It's hard to even know where to start...

Early in the year, Covid came and laid waste to most of our travel plans. It did this, first of all, by shutting down all of our trips out of the country, including several to Canada that I had planned and one to Europe that Rach and I were hoping to do.  The most disappointing of all was Rachel and Evelyn's cancelled trip to Bolivia. It also, "generously" (and I say that with the smirkiest of smirks), gave us lots of "family time" by cancelling the vast majority of days the kids were in school this year. Finally, it closed a large share of venues where we would normally go as a family, including museums, theatres, zoos, and parks. We did our best to be creative, but it got a little tough at times.

Covid was, by far, the biggest surprise of the year (I think that most people would say this) and caused the largest disruptions to our plans. But wait- there's more! Like all years, there was a smattering of other circumstances to throw things off, including fires in California, rioting in Seattle, and a broken foot for Rachel (more on that below). Each of these things had direct effects on our family, albeit to varying degrees, but I think it is safe to say that, taken all together, there is virtually nothing big that happened this year that we could have predicted last January.

That isn't to say it was a bad year though. Not by a long shot! In fact, I think we're all in agreement that it was one of the best years ever for our family. Starting in early spring (when ski resorts shut down early) we were out almost every weekend on camping trips. We got a travel trailer to make things even easier, and we were off! Vantage (a climbing destination in the deserts of Washington) became a very familiar playground for all of our kids. Our range extended a bit once the warm weather came, and we took several weekend trips to Utah, Southern Idaho, and Western Washington.

The kids are wonderful road-trip companions (no joke), and I have to say the time we spent in the car together was almost as memorable, in a good way, as the destinations we were traveling to. The combination of long hours together and the introduction of "live streaming" to the theater industry introduced a new normal for us on these trips, where we would spend long hours discussing the story lines, themes, and issues in a play, and then go home and watch the show together as a family. So far we have ticked off Hamilton, Les Misérables, Dear Evan Hanson, and Billy Elliot. The kids have had some great insights along the way, and I am somewhat happy to say that they are all becoming bona fide theater nerds. This was brought home to me one day when, in the course of a normal conversation, the question came up "what does it mean to 'be a good person'?" Maren responded thoughtfully..."Well, it depends- I think Jean Val Jean is a good example..." and proceeded to deliver a well-reasoned response drawing several examples from the show Les Misérables.

Besides camping trips, we have spent the time together as a family doing more house projects than we ever intended. The living room with full carpeting came first, followed by a complete rebuild of our back deck and installation of a lower deck area, followed again by the transformation of our detached shop to a full home gym complete with the coolest climbing wall I could ever ask for. Later this month we will begin work on Jackson's room, and before long our house will be completely unrecognizable from the one we had in the pre-covid era.

 

As for the individual people in the family, I'll do a quick update below. In brief, everyone is doing well and thriving in their various pursuits. We are all happy, healthy, and looking forward to whatever surprises are in store for this new year. Happy 2021!

Logan

There is no accurate way to describe my year without the mention of rock climbing. This has been a hobby of mine for as long as I can remember, and at the beginning of the year things were all set for a grand tour of "bucket list" climbs I have been wanting to do. Well, Covid put the kibosh on that pretty quickly and it became obvious early on that things would have to be a little different. And so, instead of focusing on certain destinations, I opted instead to get stronger and increase my skillset. This has resulted in the best year of my life in terms of climbing accomplishment. Gradewise, I have moved decisively into v10 and 5.13. My overall fitness has never been better- ever. And my enjoyment for this pastime seems to have reached a point of near-obsession. My home wall has become a hang-out spot for local climbers since the gyms have been forced to close down, and a couple evenings each week we'll have a group out there- each person working on their own goals- the music and laughter in the background providing the laid-back vibe that seems to be interwoven into the fabric of the sport. I love it.

Besides climbing, work has provided me with rewarding changes this year as well. Our office, once part of a larger group called Loftus Family Dental, broke off and became independent at the end of summer. The name change became official this week, and "Syringa Dental and Implants" is now looking forward to a bright new future. Along with the change in name/ownership, we are also introducing a lot of new technology into the office including 3D imaging and CAD/CAM solutions. These are new tools that will challenge me to be a better doctor, while at the same time making my days more creative and interesting. So far, in spite of covid shutting us down for five weeks in the spring, we have had our most productive year in history (including the time prior to our separation) and we enjoy our highest ever reputation in the surrounding community. I also have to say that I am excited, but also relieved, to be undergoing all these changes with the funnest and most competent group of people I've ever had the privilege of working with. I think there is every reason to be optimistic about the future, and if nothing else, it should be a fun ride.

One last thing I feel like I want to mention is that, in large part due to covid, I have found myself with a lot of extra time this year to get through many of the more challenging books on my reading list. Anna Karenina, Ulysses, Don Quixote, The Divine Comedy, and Crime and Punishment all made their way onto my shelf after completion, as well as many smaller (and lighter) works. Some were better than I expected (Anna and Ulysses), whereas others I was just happy to be done with (Don Q and Divine Comedy). I do feel like each one made me look at the world a little bit differently, and for that I am grateful. I don't talk about it much on this blog because it isn't a real action-packed endeavor, but I have always loved soaking up ideas and experiences through the arts, and of all of them I'd say that literature is what I have developed the most passion for. I learned long ago that life is way too short to do everything I want to do, but that through books I might accumulate at least a sampling of the culture, experience, and understanding of not just one, but of the thousands of other lives that I might have lived as well. To me, this is a beautiful thing.

Rachel

When covid hit way back in the spring and everyone was freaking out, we made the decision to close the dental office for a week until we had more information. That was a crazy time, and by the end of it, due to a series of recommendations from dental/medical boards and mandates from government officials we ended up shutting down for a total of 5 weeks. We were available for emergencies, but I probably saw as many patients during that entire time as I normally see in just a few days. This is where Rachel enters the picture, because when we saw this coming we anticipated a sharp decrease in our family income. Rachel, though, was like "Nah, I don't think so," and she upped her hours by just a little bit (apparently she was more "essential" than I was). She would get up early and go to work while I stayed behind and did the homeschool thing with our kids. Rach would return soon after lunch, and then we'd go out and play as a family. And guess what? It worked marvelously! It isn't something we'd want to do long-term, but she actually enjoyed carrying the weight for a while, and it was a nice experiment to prove to ourselves that Rachel, on her single income, could keep us going indefinitely if needed. In other words, she's a highly skilled professional...and kind of a badass. One of the many reasons to love her.

This is Evelyn during homeschool. The point is, this was actually not too bad a time for us, since Rach was able to work.

Rachel also took this year to really focus on rock climbing for herself. Since we met, she has gone with me a countless number of times, and she always has fun. But she's never made a concerted effort at improvement before, and that was a big push for her as we were going out as a family this spring. She began to lead, both sport and trad, and had a handful of routes she was working on. Our outings together were fun, both with and without kids in tow, and we encouraged each other to try hard as we worked our individual projects. This all led up to an innocent day in July, on a multi-pitch route that we were excited to do. At the base we bantered about Rach not letting me lead at all since she wanted every pitch! Rach set off on the first pitch and got a little off-route before taking a 20 foot whipper, breaking her foot on a small ledge as she fell. We pulled the rope and she carefully trekked over boulders for the mile or so back to our car without any complaining, but it would be months before she could put climbing shoes on again. Her season was pretty much shot. In the meantime, she developed her upper body strength like a beast, and got really good at rolling around on her scooter. ]

This is the pitch Rachel fell on, about 40 feet past this point.

Today she is back on the rock, stronger than ever. She participates in our gym on climbing nights, and gathers an audience when she climbs on other indoor walls. In Seattle, she had the best climbing day of her life and on-sighted (climbed on first try without falling) many climbs that she couldn't have even gotten on earlier in the year. Her climbing passion is definitely long multi pitch trad routes. Her dream list is getting longer and longer and climbing trips for us are already in the works! I have no doubt that she can take this as far as she wants, and I'm looking forward to many more days on the wall with my best friend in the world.

Finally, I have to say one motto that Rach has always lived by is that life is better with good friends. To this end, she has found a tight knit group of three that she has grown quite close to. Jamie, Kristen, and Rachel are often found having ladies nights or getting out and being active together. Depending on the season, they can be found kayaking on a nearby lake, having family BBQ's, or skiing late into the day. All three families (ours and theirs) have kids of the same age who also happen to be pretty good friends, making it easy to have large gatherings. As Rach would say- Friends are just the best!

Kids

Our kids are really coming into their own, and we like the people they are becoming. Family trips are delightful, and planning them with kids in mind has been more fun now that activities are fun for adults and kids alike! The only problem comes when there are so many things to do and not enough time to do it all!  The future is looking bright here.

As all of you already know, skiing has taken up a permanent place with our family. We have been skiing as a family for three years now, and the kids are all excelling and have definite ski personalities on the hill!  Evelyn takes great enjoyment ticking off the blue squares, and all the better if friends are involved, Adalie loves jumps and hitting the ski park, Jack is an energizer bunny who wants to tick off the hardest trails on the mountain and is happy to be alone or with friends, Maren recently discovered a love for doing black diamonds with Logan, and Lindsey is Lindsey. She does whatever she pleases which often involves sitting in the Lodge and talking up a storm with whomever will listen! If she has her mind set, then she will cruise the hill, but if she is not in the mood there is no changing her mind! I have a little ray of hope in the fact that on our last trip she crushed her goal of skiing Huckleberry without stopping or falling, then she proceeded to do the bunny hill with me about 50 times. Her motivation? Playing lemonade stand with me on the lift between runs. If you have never heard of this delightful game you should ask Alexa about it...

We now have three certified babysitters in the house! Adalie and Jackson recently took their babysitter and CPR/First Aid certification courses, and they are off and running. Evelyn has been a great example of the perfect babysitter. She plays games, does crafts with the kids, cooks meals, and has the house spotless when we get home. The kids practically push us out the door to get a chance to be babysat by Ev. Adalie and Jack are following suit and Linsey and Maren are spoiled rotten whenever they have one of their siblings in charge.  I love this dynamic! On distance learning days I often work early mornings and leave one of the kids in charge, and on days like today I return home only to have all of the kids involved in a fully inclusive imaginative world together.  It is not always sunshine and rainbows, but these kids know how to play together! 

As the kids grow up it is necessary for traditions to change. We have adopted a new routine at night that involves Logan reading a chapter book to the kids. This has led to a lot of fun discussions and insights with them. I am not sure who enjoys it more, Logan or the kids! Here are some of their favorite books: Evelyn-Dear Even Hanson, the novel, Adalie-, Frindle, by Andrew Clements Jack-Because of Wynn Dixie, by Kate Dicamillo , Maren-Uglies, by Scott Westerfield, and Lindsey-The Unteachables, by Gordon Korman.  They are now tackling Refugee, by Alan Gratz. There has already been a lot of good discussion and the book just began! 

Evelyn

Evelyn is growing up fast, and I love the person she is becoming. We recently took a trip to Rexburg and Utah and she has surpassed many of her aunts and even her Grandma Nancy in height! At the beginning of the school year she decided to try and create her own style. After a few tries she settled on the torn jeans, hoodie, and a beanie look. She pulls it off well and it is fun to see the hoodies she buys that match her interests. 

Creepy pasta became a thing for Ev this year.  Her favorite aspects were the artistry and the memes, and it prompted the purchase of a cosplay hoodie from her favorite character. This enjoyment led her to the discovery of Anime. She is now an expert on all things MHA, and has even joined an after school Anime club. At Walmart the other day her MHA hoodie attracted the attention of another weeb and an instant connection was formed. I must say that there is something to belonging to a 'club' with a hobby or interest. Seahawks game, anyone? 

Band or Choir is required in sixth grade, but those with a real interest have the choice to continue the class beyond the first year.  Evelyn has a passion for playing the drums, and I love having conversations with her about the different percussion instruments she employs for different songs on the current school playlist. Her "I can't keep calm, I'm a drummer" hoodie just might be her favorite. This interest in drumming has led her to a love of all things classic rock. Drummers were just cool back then, and her music interests are pretty awesome. 

Evelyn recently joined the National Jr. Honor Society, and she is off and running with her ideas about volunteer opportunities in the community. She has a meeting coming up with the director to discuss ideas of a possible community garden project, toy drive, or fundraiser for food that she wants to spearhead. Overall, she is becoming a pretty cool kid.

Adalie

Adalie loves school and was thrown for a loop when Covid hit and she wasn't able to attend. She normally has to prepare herself for Summer and the lack of school that she must endure for three months. While some of our kids were loving the freedom, Adalie couldn't wait to get back to her friends and the familiar routine.  

I think a perfect day for Adalie would have to include curling up on the couch with a blanket and a good book.  This year she began collecting the Harry Potter art book series. Every book is printed in full color with beautiful artwork adorning every page. The words are tiny, but that doesn't matter because there is eye candy everywhere!  

Hip hop is still one of Addy's favorite forms of dance expression. She has the perfect mix of attitude and smiles to shine on stage, and on stage is where she loves to be! She was bummed when the end of the year performance had to be cancelled. 

Adalie recently had the idea to set up an after school club. After speaking with the teachers in her grade she set up a sign-up sheet for her new group that she dubbed "School'n!" She has brainstormed multiple ideas including STEAM activities, school projects, and crafts. The club meets once a week and will begin in two weeks. She already has thirteen students signed up! I am looking forward to seeing her excel in this leadership role created out of her imagination. And I am so grateful to her teacher who selflessly volunteered extra hours out of her day so that Addy could do this.

I love watching Adalie climb. She is beginning to develop a passion for the sport, and watching her dance up her latest route is a joy! She enjoys bouldering, sport climbing, and leading everything that is a comfortable grade for her. Up until recently she has set the top anchor using two draws, and on our recent trip to Vantage I had the pleasure of meeting her at the top of the climb and showing her how to set bolt anchors. Her furrowed eyebrows were a window to her focus as she easily caught on. With her focus and passion she will go far!

Jack

Jackson is constantly thinking, plotting, planning, designing, or imagining something up. I don't think his mind ever stops moving. He can be found creating lego designs, making new inventions, knitting something, coming up with crafts to do when babysitting, writing stories, imagining up and conducting experiments, fixing random electronics, sewing up stuffies, planting something, or redecorating his room. It is exhausting just thinking about how his mind works. He does a great job putting his creativity to work and making something awesome. 

I have decorations in our upstairs living area and in the bathroom that rotate out every season. Jackson noticed this and decided that nothing was stopping him from using this idea for his room. Since that realization he has saved money and purchased a wide variety of decorations for holidays from Halloween to Christmas. His drive and ambition is evident when you see the decorating schemes he puts together. I am genuinely impressed.

Jack is our most likely child to get into extreme sports as a teenager and young adult. He. Has. No. Fear. He will do anything that he considers a fun challenge, and he will do it with gusto and skill. This was his year to excel at skiing. Logan made an agreement with him that if he skied 5 black diamonds without falling, he could try a double black. Jack took on the challenge and made short work of those five black diamonds. On the next ski day Jack and Logan proceeded to tick off every double black on the hill with style, and without falling. Nice work!

Jack has continued with his climbing this year. He is leading harder and harder climbs, and he is doing it with style. Jack and Addy both make regular appearances at our tension board climbing nights with friends. It is pretty awesome that the board allows all levels of climbers to come together, and with the swipe of a phone, put up routes to challenge each person. Jack enjoys the positive attention, and he seems to genuinely enjoy the sport.

Scouts is still a thing. Jack has some good friends in scouts, and he loves just about every topic that they cover. It is a good fit for him, and I can see him sticking with it for a long time. This year I have noticed that Jack has really come into his own. He is confident, cool, and classy. He is coming into himself and he is becoming a pretty cool kid. 

Jack and Logan at the top of Jackson's first multi-pitch in the City of Rocks. He led all four pitches.

 Maren

I love to write about Maren! Maren is one of those kids that is so charming, completely unpredictable, and unique. I never know what is going to come out of this kids' mouth! A prime example of this happened this October when I asked her what she wanted to be for Halloween. She lit up and excitedly exclaimed that she wanted to be a hot dog, and her heart was set! Well... She was the cutest darn hot dog that I have ever seen. She definitely wore it well!

Somehow Maren was introduced to her new hero and favorite person of all time. You guessed it! Bob Ross! On Christmas morning she became the proud new owner of a Bob Ross bobblehead, and she is currently saving her money for the entire Bob Ross painting set up so that she can paint along side her new found hero. The idea of "mistakes" has been completely replaced with, "Happy little accidents." I must say that when it comes to role models, he is a pretty good one. A bit unique, and that makes him a perfect fit for Maren!

Whenever I go shopping with the kids I am bound to hear someone ask to buy something. I know that when I am with Maren she will ask me if she can spend her money on a "just because" present for someone in our family. She is constantly thinking about others, and on the look out for something she can get to make another person's life a little bit sweeter. She is thoughtful and amazing!

Earlier this year Maren bought a pair of the sweetest bunnies! S'mores and Marshmallow have become part of the family (much to Logan's chagrin!), and Maren is the sweetest bunny mama ever! She takes care of them without complaint and loves them beyond measure!

People rock climb for many different reasons. Some of these reasons may include: getting outside, exploring, challenging their bodies, getting to the top, reaching goals, etc. Maren has a favorite kind of climb. She loves to ascend chimneys! I am not sure where this fascination came from, but I am always on the look out for another one of "Maren's chimney's." She also has a favorite part of climbing that is unique to her. She loves to take a moment at the top of each route and enjoy looking at the world from a different angle. She told me that she loves that the only way to get to experience that specific view is to make it to the top of the climb.  I know that when I am belaying she will take her sweet time when she completes the climb, and I am happy to just watch her face from below. She isn't going to take this wonderful world for granted. She is going to enjoy every angle. 

Lindsey

Lindsey is the oldest six year old I have ever met! She is confident, comfortable around peers and adults, and she is as smart as a whip. She will strike up a conversation with anyone, and I swear she knows what topic to choose according to the person she is speaking with. She is saavy with a bit of sass, and if our kids were asked who was in charge in our family, her name might come up.

Fairness is one of her driving passions, especially if she feels like she is getting the short end of the stick. She will let you know about it. She has quite the commanding voice and has reigned it in to focus it intently on what she wants. This is a skill that we are trying to tamp down a bit, or at least get a bit of the sass out of her voice. This is a girl who knows what she wants.

No one was a bit surprised when Lindsey told us she wanted to be Elsa for Halloween... Again. Her love for Frozen has not waned one bit this year.  I was, however, able to convince her to change her character. She decided that she wanted to be Anna instead because they have the same color hair. When I asked her about changing things up next year she excitedly responded that next year she could be Olaf! Keep that youth as long as you can sweet girl! I realize that you are, and will grow up faster than your siblings.

This year Linds had a very Barbie Christmas. This is another part of our attempt to keep her young. When she is not curled up on the couch reading chapter books she can be immersed in a world of make believe with herself or with her siblings.  She loves all things Barbie, and her siblings are still into playing with her. Score!

Lindsey notices everything. Sometimes I make it a game to see how long it will take her to see something that I have changed (earrings, nail polish, etc). It is never more than a few seconds! She also has an incredible memory for clothing styles. We were out and about one day and she wandered off. She found someone to help her and she proceeded to tell her my name, phone number, address, and the clothes I was wearing right down to my shoes. Needless to say, when she found me, her new found friend and I had a laugh about it. She also relates her memories with what clothes she was wearing at the time. Not only can she recall what happened, but she can remember what people were wearing. 

 If you ever want to get Lindsey into an animated conversation just ask her about the play, Hamilton. You will get an ear full! you may even get  serenaded with a solo from the musical!

Wrap-Up

Well, this is Logan again. I am impressed if you have actually made it this far. I thought that I might have a few more things to add, but there really isn't anything. In brief, 2020 was not what we expected, but it was pretty dang good. We have tried to highlight certain people/events, but there is really no way to capture everything.

Anyway...have a good week!