The Hazard Chronicles

I've been thinking lately and this post is going to get a little bit "meta" for a second. Please indulge the aside for a moment from our regular narrative. Or don't. You can skip to the fun parts if your want.

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The Hazard Chronicles. I started this project in 2007, and I have written almost weekly ever since. At the end of the year we print everything out to make a "yearbook" of sorts for our family. I love these books, and we will continue to make them- forever, hopefully.

But things are changing a little bit, because more and more "The Hazard Chronicles" are becoming "The Logan Chronicles." Up until recently there hasn't been too much of a difference. Our kids were young and we have pretty much always done things together. My limited perspective can't even begin to keep up with a dynamic family of seven though, with an increasingly diverse range of interests and activities. I can't be a part of everything- nor should I be- and I don't want to become the nagging parent/husband who is constantly asking people to write things. 

A part of me wants to though. I feel that there is value in a personal record, and I have always kept a journal of sorts. I can tell myself all the stories I want about "when I was younger," but memory fades and these stories are inevitably flawed, sometimes beyond recognition, when trying to make sense of current events. I feel like I gain valuable insight into our family though, when I go back and read about our Cleveland days. Just as I gain insight into myself when I read the words I wrote back in high school, or when I was walking the streets of Brazil, or when I was becoming a dad, or when I was grasping at shadows trying to hold onto both a business and a faith that were quickly slipping through my fingers. The people who wrote those journals are different from who I am today, but they have all shaped me and are a part of me. Seeing the world again through their eyes gives me a far clearer picture of who I am today than trying to rely on memory alone. And I guess that I see that as an important thing.

Anyway, just know that when reading these posts, whether you are friends and family in the present, or someone far in the future looking back, that you are only getting one very small part of the Hazard Family through these words. You will likely not hear about all the mini-dramas of high school, or travels that our kids have with friends during extracurricular activities. You will almost always see our kids through my own filters, but not very often through Rachel's or their own. And when writing, one is always a protagonist in their own narrative...even when maybe they shouldn't be. That is a little bit tough for me to accept. But I'll keep doing it because I think that someone has to.

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Okay- now we can get back to the regularly scheduled program of our little family doing little things that seem big to us. Because that, I think, is the human experience, and it is a beautiful thing.

Actually, in spite of my intro, I did nag Addy to write a little bit for this one. A while ago, her, Maren, and Jackson started planning a backpacking trip with just them. Nobody else could come, including (especially) adults. Well, they pulled it off this weekend at Steven's Lake, and by the way they talk about "lavender farts," I'm pretty sure I didn't miss out on anything. Here is her blurb:

Jack, Maren, and I (Adalie), went backpacking on our own this week. There were a few casualties, but overall it went surprisingly smoothly. However, no backpacking trip goes perfectly, so I have a few stories to tell. First off, Jackson and I were just sitting at the campsite and Maren was pooping, when we heard in the woods, "Guys! A squirrel is watching me poop!" Then, a few minutes later, we saw Maren running from the woods, still pulling up her pants. "Guys, is it still following me? Is the squirrel still following me?" After she calmed down, she told us about how the squirrel watching her poop had jumped at her. She got scared and zoomed away from him and ran for us.

We ate dinner, then went to sleep. Maren woke me up in the night, and asked me what time it was. I looked at my watch and was shocked to find out it was only 11:30. It was super bright out. So bright, in fact, that one side of the tent was white. By this point, Jack was awake too. After about 15 minutes, we finally got the guts to figure out what was making he light. Maren poked her head out and immediately said "Guys, you've gotta see this!" Jack poked his head our and gasped. I then stuck my head out and saw the brightest moon I have seen in my life. It was reflecting off the lake to make one of the prettiest night scenes I have ever been a part of. We were awestruck.

All in all, we had a great backpacking trip, and all feel very accomplished to have completed it without any adult supervision. That is all.

Planning the trip at home.

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While the other kids were running from squirrels and staring at the moon, the rest of us went to our Wallace house. We spent the afternoon exploring the town, and in the evening Rachel and I went on a little date. It really is a nice place, and a neat location. For some of the kids it was their first time there, and it was fun to watch their enthusiasm. Furnishings still consist of just a few airbeds, but that is rapidly changing. I think that within the next month or so we'll have all the basics.

Wallace did this thing on 9/11 where a bunch of people paraded up and down the town stairs, led by the local fire crew- like a tribute thing to the first responders. Now I'll be the first to admit that we aren't the most patriotic family, but the stairs went right by our house and Lindsey was out there anyway cheering them on, so this just seemed fitting.

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As far as day-to-day life, we are fully back into the swing of things with school and extracurriculars. Ev went to a high-school football game on Friday night with a bunch of friends and said she had a good time, although she wasn't able to tell me for sure which team won. She is already looking forward to the next one. 

Also, she has a "walk-fit" class for PE. They walk. That is all they do. I think that is funny.

The regular NFL season also kicked off this week, which for us means a lot of good times with junk food.

We start almost every day by eating breakfast together on the deck. It's a lovely start to the morning.

Football season is here!

Have a good week!