Rach and I went to see the newest revival of "Company" This week. We didn't really know what to expect beforehand. It was a "Concept Musical" dealing with contemporary relationships. Much of it had been updated (for the better) from it's original run, and it was a good watch. Early on in the play comes the song "The Little Things you Do Together." The opening lyrics:

It's the little things you do together
Do together
Do together
That make perfect relationships
The hobbies you pursue together
Savings you accrue together
Looks you misconstrue together
That make marriage a joy

At this moment, we had to "share a little wink together" (another lyric), since it was our topic of conversation just earlier that morning. We do a lot, to the point maybe, of "becoming a cliche' together," and it really is a joy. Autumn time is out in force and we are making the best of it.

Have a good week!

A little morning paddle across the lake. Those kayaks were a good buy for us.

Going to plays is an "us" thing. The local and traveling theaters around here all do a great job, but we are especially excited to be headed back to Broadway in New York next month!

Earlier this year Evelyn made a bucket list. Lake Estelle was on that list. Beautiful drive. Easy hike. Stunning lake in the high alpine. This was a great way to spend our Sunday afternoon (followed by football, of course). Just the four of us went on this one. Everyone else was occupied with friends. Have I mentioned before that I love where we live?

Catching tadpoles (and then letting them go) was more fun than any of us want to admit. They had little legs!

Still plenty of ripe berries to be found. We went home and made huckleberry shakes while finishing the book Huckleberry Finn as a family.

I mentioned it last week, but I've been impressed with the devotion of these two to band. They both leave early in the morning for jazz, and come home and practice every day. It is nice that we have a couple of detached buildings for that purpose. Here I caught them jamming together as they worked on different fills for the improv bits. I also think it is cool that they get to play together in the same band. It makes my dad heart smile.

This week has had a definite sense of "settling in." School has started, and with it some old routines have come back into our lives. Sharing the kitchen over breakfast. Balancing rides to and from different activities. Homework and friends schedules. Nighttime preparations for the following day. In addition to school, the NFL season has officially started and Sunday football games are introduced back into our weekly agenda.

Overall, it feels nice. I like the routines. I like the stability. I think that we, as a family, are good at being spontaneous and at doing things. We don't need any encouragement in these areas. But sometimes it is nice to just let "the schedule" dictate life for a while. Cruise control, if you will. It let's you focus on other things.

For Rachel and me, those other things are very career oriented right now. I am still processing and integrating some of the ideas that were presented to me recently at the Kois Institute. Rachel is prepping for an upcoming Broadway show that she agreed to interpret. For both of us, we feel that these activities fit nicely into that sweet little overlap in the Venn diagram between "work" and "hobby." It's nice. 

Some of our kids have established new routines as well. Evelyn and Adalie both leave earlier than any of us to do zero-hour Jazz band. I'm pretty sure this is taking a toll on them, judging from the groggy conversation we had this morning, and may require some adjustment in other areas of the schedule. Maren starts a theater class this Thursday, which coincides nicely with an upcoming audition for a show she wants to be in. Lindsey will also be re-starting a church youth group and a dance classes that were both put on pause for the summer vacation. 

As for specific activities this week: We watched a play "Next to Normal" with the older kids. Rach and I both got rock climbing time in, together as well as with friends. Addy and Jack went to the Freshmen tailgate party and subsequent high school football game. They also both turned 15 years old- but we'll celebrate that at a different time. I played guitar at church and we had a potluck afterwards. Rachel and I went to Wallace for a lunch date and spent a few hours working on the bonus room. 

It's been a good week. And, following a fantastic summer vacation, it's nice to be back.

Have a good week!

This play hits hard. It's a musical, but it makes sense that it won a Pulitzer instead of a Tony. I saw it for the first time about ten years ago, and it has always been one of my favorites. Maybe like top 5. Watching it again just confirmed to me how good it is.

Rachel with the try hard

Rach has found a fun group to climb with. These ladies have a good time together!

I think September will always feel like the beginning of a new year for me. It's like, overnight, it is fall. The air is cooler- the leaves a little bit more colorful- the sunsets a little sooner. And school. Yep- today was the first day for everyone. It's been a great summer.

As a family we had a BBQ last night, and talked long after the sun had gone down about highlights and expectations. We relived great memories of backpacking and family reunions and days on the lake. We talked about academic schedules and extracurricular activities. Everyone seems excited for the start of the year. It's gonna be a good one!

Lindsey (5th- last year of elementary school for our family). Jack (9th- high school!). Maren (7th- and totally coming into her own right now). Addy (9th- high school!). Evelyn (11th- A junior?! Already?!)

As the kids got ready to go back to school I felt a little bit like I was starting something new at work as well. I have been in Seattle this whole last week at Kois, which is possibly the best training center in the world for advanced dentistry. It was enlightening and motivational and gave me a newfound enthusiasm for what I do every day. I don't think I'd use the word "transformational." That would be a stretch. A lot of what I learned was actually just nice confirmation that I am already doing things at a pretty high level. Since returning I have just been trying to digest everything, but I think that when I look back in a few years I will be able to identify this time as a turning point regarding the way I approach some aspects of treatment planning. It's kind of cool.

Also while in Seattle I got some good time in at Vertical World- one of my favorite climbing gyms. I had some free time to explore the city, and in the process discovered an entire community of "van-lifers" that tend to congregate in the suburb of Ballard.  I especially relished my daily early-morning drives into the downtown area, as I watched the city slowly come to life along the way. A specific moment that will stay with me was while I was reading my book at a park down by the water and suddenly just realized how much was going on around me. All sorts of people were enjoying this area, some playing sports, or hanging out around campfires, or dancing, or playing music, or swimming, or walking their dogs, or studying for their classes. I could hear at least four languages being spoken, as well as a jazz saxophone echoing from under the bridge, and in the near distance I could see sailboats returning back as the sun started to set. It was special, and for me, the landscape of people that night was as beautiful as anything I have ever seen. Cities are cool.

This weekend, the kids mostly just relaxed the summer away, relishing the freedom of doing nothing. Some of them went to the beach with friends. Ev was in CDA all day. Rach and I escaped to an evening of dancing and music at Arbor Crest, and on Monday we got some work done on our Wallace attic project. It's been a good week.

The walls are still coming along- slowly but surely

Still dancing the night away

Let the new year begin!