Not much CHEESE going on here...

A couple of weeks ago I hired a friend in our neighborhood to take some pictures of our family. After just a few shots, Ava realized that she was supposed to look at the camera and therefore would rather run and play and NOT be held. Which actually isn't too far from normal, I guess, except she wouldn't look up. The photographer brought a big, bushy, colorful duster to help get her to smile. Well, Ava did smile, as long as she was actually holding the duster. Otherwise you'd think that that ball of fuzz was the essential oxygen her lungs were craving and that we were absolutely torturing her by withholding it. Between that and my eye blinking, it was a wonder that we got any decent shots. But of course Jon, being the rock of the family, looked dashing in every single photo. He would.

Power of Election

Working in city hall, I had the great opportunity to witness first hand civic duty in all its glory. En masse, citizens flocked to the poll, seemingly coming out of the woodwork! And during this time many of the good citizens rediscovered how vital their role is in our free society. After voting, many took the time to walk around city hall. Some reviewed the massive redevelopment plans, others grabbed some literature and left, but there were a few who stopped to discuss the direction of the city and to voice their concerns as to how this or that should or should not happen.

But what really moved me was one man in particular. He strolled through the front doors dressed in dirty, tattered clothes with huge fro-like unkempt hair and a massive, greasy beard. The type you may see panhandling on the street or passed out under an overpass. The people standing around him made the usual gestures you may expect. One woman in particular was covering her mouth as she whispered what I'm sure weren't exactly complimentary remarks the person next to her.

I approached the man and he told me he was there to vote. I don't know why I was a bit surprised at this. Since donning the rank of public servant, I have been astonished and sometimes even flabbergasted at some of the personalities I have encountered, but nonetheless, I was quite proud of Bert, as he introduced himself. He went on to describe in great detail the aspects of each ballot measure and just how he was going to vote on them. Many of his points were very enlightening. So much, in fact, that they altered some of my perspectives on some of the issues this election. It just proves that no matter your background or whether or not you have hundreds of thousands of dollars to throw at a particular referendum, it all comes down to the point of view of even the lowliest of citizens, who, as I have witnessed, are very informed and extremely alert when it comes exercising our power of election.

Halloween Festivities 2007

Saturday night we intivited our families over for spaghetti dinner, cookie decorating, and pumpkin carving. We even played some really old, really bad "scary" movies. Nana and Grandma both came plus James, Jordan and Melanie, Jeff, Emily and Joel, and Erin. I ate too many cookies and Ava basked in the limelight so all in all a good time.

Then last night Ava dressed up as a bumblebee for what I'd hoped would be her first trick-or-treating. However, she refused to nap all day and came down with a cold that morning so obviously she didn't feel up for much. But we made the rounds to show off her costume and one tootsie-pop lasted with her the whole evening. She actually loved the costume and went buzzing around as soon as I put it on and she ran to look in the mirror. Considering her mood and what a busybody she is, it's a wonder that I was able to get any pictures of her at all. (Note the crappy job I did with her face paint! This kid never sits still.)

Erin was dressed as the unstoppable Harry Potter and Jeffrey was the Mario half of the Mario Brothers. He even had these great white gloves which unfortunately didn't make it into the picture.

This was the first year that neither Jon nor I donned any costume. Sigh, parenthood makes us tired.

Seventy One more to go...

"I bet I can live to a hundred if only I can get outdoors again."
--Geraldine Page as Carrie Watts, in The Trip to Bountiful

As of 2:30 a.m. this morning, 29 and counting.

A very happy Un-Birthday to you!

Ava just recently turned 18 months old and half-birthdays are pretty important when those six months constitute a third of your life. I don’t know where I’ve been, but suddenly I woke up one morning and Ava had transformed from my cute bum-scooting baby to a charming, precocious toddler. There is a lot going on with her, too much to write at once, but here are some highlights of who Ava is right now.

She has a very sweet, affectionate disposition and will give hugs and kisses to family, bears, balls, and plastic frogs alike. She has many of the social skills of a child a year older. Her hair has grown into beautiful (yet unruly) blondish-gold ringlets and I haven’t a clue what to do with them. Those curls are a hand-me-down from Jon’s side of the family so I’m learning how to tame them as I go. But for now her locks are as happy-go-lucky as she is. She’s 30 inches tall, has five teeth, and has finally broken the 20-pound mark and gets to sit facing forward in her car seat.
Ava still doesn’t say a whole lot; most of her verbal repertoire consists of onomatopoeia (favorites are beep, pop, tick tock, and any animal sound) plus “up” and “baby.” She's very expressive and our days are filled with "wow" and "uh-oh" and exclamations of all kinds. But she’s learning signs as fast as I can teach them and even making up some of her own. She probably knows around 50 signs now and by far the most popular ones are “daddy” and “outside.” SUCH a daddy’s girl, it’s unbelievable. Ava has a perma-grin whenever Jon is around and when he’s not, she’s constantly signing for him. Anytime they tickle and wrestle she signs, “More more!”
Balls of any sort are irresistible to Ava and she often tries to carry more of them than she has hands for. (In contrast, the more realistic a doll is, the more scorn it receives.) She loves to be read stories and spends a lot of time with books on her own. She likes to put things on her arms and wear them around as bracelets, like stacking rings and rubber bands. But mostly, Ava revels in playing outside. Especially in the dirt. Or sand. Or mud. Or water. She may look just like her Dad but Ava’s got her Momma’s need for sunshine and soil running through her veins. Somebody should buy this girl a sandbox.

Proof of people out there as dumb as I'd feared

As you may already know, Utah Clean Energy and Governor Huntsman recently called for a one-hour “lights out” to take place on the evening of September 19th. Residents were asked to turn off all the lights in their homes between 9 and 10 p.m. Apparently, the goal was to raise awareness for wise energy use and to demonstrate the potential power (no pun intended) of collective energy conservation.

Well, Rocky Mountain Power was “unable to measure any reduction in energy use” that night. I’m sure that many people (including me, embarrassingly) simply weren’t aware of the request. (More likely, no change was detected because energy for lighting only accounts for 14 percent of Utah’s urban energy use and appliances, especially air conditioners and refrigerators, suck up the bulk of the rest.) But some people must have tried to “make a difference” and dimmed their lights on the 19th as a few darker pockets around the Salt Lake valley were noticed around 9 p.m. While these people genuinely want to help make a difference in their community, I think most people try to exude an image of conformity and political correctness when it comes to environmental issues, especially now that green ideas are becoming more mainstream. While some may actually have a basic understanding of global warming and energy crises, I believe that many people speak to environmental concerns to preserve their “trendy” image while inwardly balking at personal lifestyle changes, suspecting that these issues are all just a passing fad and climate change is some far-away abstract condition. It’s all about image, right? But I’m kind of digressing…

Then there’s people way out at the other end of the social spectrum actually working against the greater good. It appears that some people live in the world of fourth grade defiance and, to my great amusement and triumph, lay themselves bare while publicly bragging about their idiocy to the Salt Lake Tribune. Maybe the scales at Rocky Mountain Power were tipped partly because of this turd. Thank you, Mr. Christensen of Taylorsville, for validating my suspicions as to the ability of this community to think beyond its own front door.

…My son and I turned on all our outside lights around the house [on Sept. 19],
including all the headlights on the four gas-guzzling cars we have parked in our
driveway. We also turned on every light in the house, along with all the radios
and TVs.
I hope this will send a message to the governor and the rest of the
world – and to some of our liberal neighbors – that my family is not going to
believe nonsense and become a family of global-warming zealots….
…My family
is more than happy to unscrew any lights not working and screw in new ones
ourselves, then keep them all burning ‘till hell freezes over.

Um, nice pun. I’m so glad that he’s teaching his son these life lessons. I’m sure he’s also the type of father who blows cigarette smoke daily in his kids’ faces and then rants to the paper that HIS family has no need for silly healthcare.

The knots are tied

Congratulations to my Dad and Sallie Anderson on their recent marriage. The wedding was beautiful and these two make a great match.


The groom with me and my superstar sisters

The bride and her sons, Grant and Eric

Sorry Dad, but you came in second for the best looking guy there. Whoa baby! Ladies, he's mine.

I know that Dad and Sallie have many happy years ahead. You guys can get married any day, just so I can have more of these....

Officially Shunned!

It's amazing how karma works itself into your life; as quiet as a mouse, yet as painful as a slap in the face. I will explain my karmatic sting...

For years I have been a Chevrolet fanatic, boosting the Camaro's brute power over any other model from the "big 3" or any other import ricer. I still am a bit nutso, except for the fact that I now have found interest in older Volkswagens. Currently, I am in dire need of some help in finishing a welding project on the old Volks. I have sent numerous emails and left several voice messages with many seemingly skilled welders in the valley. I have received some response, nothing promising, the worst being an answer to an email I sent off a few days ago.

I sent my inquiry to a local classic car body shop asking for a quote on the welding job I needed. I noted the year, type of car and added that though it may not be one of the classic muscle cars they so haphazardly plastered across their terribly designed website, it is a classic nonetheless.
An email flashed in my inbox yesterday; I opened it and was stunned and a little taken aback to find their simple response. "We only work on American cars here."

Speechless, flabbergasted, shocked, stunned, astounded! It immediately reminded me of the old Star Wars scene when R2D2 and C3Po tried to enter the cantina in Mos Eisley when they were confronted by the slob of a bartender: "we don't serve your kind here.."

I did not know what to say. But after mulling it over for a few days, I figured hey, karma sucks, times change, muscle car rednecks do not, and life goes on as I continue my new found hobby, officially shunned from the world of American muscle cars.

"Don't call me a mindless philosopher, you overweight glob of grease!"

What's YOUR aroma?

“Maybe if I had more money, I would embrace nirvana, but I doubt it. Money can mask your smell, but it can’t change it. Underneath, it’s always the same stink coming from your pores.”
--Karen Mockler, HCN

Blog Shmog

When Jon mentioned that he had created a blog for our family, I admit I did a bit of a mental eye-roll. I’ve always thought that personal blogs have the tendency to be self-seeking (and therefore inherently dull) and I don’t want to join that crowd. Nor do I want open myself up to all kinds of criticism.

Then I realized that hey, we could make our blog whatever we want, right? So here’s our effort to document our family without being boring or pretentious -- so that you get a sense of who we are and why we love living on this green Earth. I like the idea of Jon documenting his bus restoration project here. Also, as much as I’d like to keep Ava for us, I realize that she is a member of a larger family and community and she is too fantastic not to share. It just wouldn’t be fair. And of course, I will probably end up using this page as my personal soapbox from time to time. I am apt to get on a roll with my rants about various aspects of life. I will try my hardest to avoid offending anyone that I care about so you’re not allowed to take my opinions personally.

Well, it will be what it will be. With any luck, you won’t be too bored or insulted to share your comments. So don’t just read and run!

New Door Locks on the Bus

So, first things first. The bus had some issues with security when I bought her. The key would not move the lock on the driver's side door; it would only lock using the inside latch. The passenger side door didn't even have a lock cylinder at all, but could also lock from the inside. So, I ordered two new shiny door handles and locks from Wolfsburg West.

As I waited for the new handles to arrive, I tore into the door panels. After removing all the hardware, I carefully pried the aged and brittle door panels off to reveal the nastiest mess. Dirt, leaves, dust, old foam, liquor receipts from a previous owner, and even a couple of hornets nests! The factory plastic sheeting and foam insulation just fell apart in my hands, so that will have to be replaced. But once I got the door locks removed via a couple of screws it turned out that all the mechanisms were so full of crud none of it worked, thus the reason the locks wouldn't work. After hours of scrubbing and soaking the entire units in good ol' WD-40, I finally got them working. I replaced all the hardware and snapped the door panel back on.

When the handles arrived, I fitted them into the door and screwed them in. After a few test runs the interior door locks loosened up and now we can leave our junk in the bus and head out for a hike! Next on the security list is Ava's seat belt install!

It Has Begun!

There are times in your life when serenity prevails. For some it comes during a sunset while in the solitude of mother nature, for others maybe from a drunken stupor. But in my case, by the good nature of my patient wife, serenity is working on a classic car. For years, thanks to my great grandpa's jalopy genes, I have nursed a love/hate relationship with cars. When the accumulated grime and general funk caked on an engine mix with a potpourri exhaust and carb cleaner, oh man, I am in my element. Give me a wrench and I will gladly bust my knuckles till dawn (ask Marianne). Alternatively, nothing infuriates me more than watching car after car go to one destination with only a single driver behind the wheel. Our American passion with cars has also become the catalyst of our environmental deterioration. Driving a car is a privilege, granted by both government and environment. But, I digress...

After semi-restoring two other cars, a third project has found its way onto my driveway. After having the above-mentioned epiphany, I no longer desire the chest pounding power of a muscle car. A two-seat coupe definitely will not accommodate Ava's car seat, nor will it take us and all our gear to our off-road destinations while keeping fuel economy in mind. Yes, after a few years of searching I have my quintessential family car:

From what information I can gather, we are the fourth owners of "Daisy", a 1969 VW Westfalia Camper. She came to Utah from So Cal and she is clean for her age; low on the rust scale, and high on originality. She is approximately the 175 thousandth 1969 bus to come from Deutschland.

Since this bus is nearly 40 years old, the first step is ensure she lasts another 40+ years and make her safe for the whole family. But aside from some general mechanical, engine, and aesthetic work, she is good to go! Nicholas would be proud.

In the Beginning...

We have officially grown up.

Now, this isn't to say that it's all over. Life is still unfurling its twists and turns for our family. For example, Ava added a whole new chapter to our lives. No longer are we carefree and determined to spend our lives living from a tent. Our little girl is fast approaching 15 months and is growing as fast as she can. Any day now we will be racing to child proof the whole house. She has graduated from relying on two hands in order to walk her cute stiff-legged Frankenstein walk to only needing one of our fingers to tread up and down the trails....mayhem is upon us and she has her mom's big sparkling eyes.

Therefore, it's time to document, record, and archive our life as we go along. Since we are living in an increasingly digital age, so must be the record of the fam. Here you will find accounts of our crazy lives and trips, recent photos, and a place to share your thoughts with us. So add those comments!!!! Let's keep in touch.