2009...a final look back

As the year wound down, we naturally talked about the year that was...2009. We talked about a year full of high point and low points that were documented on our blog, including:

Dylan's baptism (January 3): A day he got to share with his best friend, Katie, who was baptized right after him. A great way to start the year.

Simplot Games weekend (March 7): Always one of our favorite weekends; Carson missed it so he could play in Clark County's flag football championship with his school...and they won!

The Clark County Fair (April 14): a cold, rainy morning didn't prevent a day for the ages with friends at Valley of Fire.

Over-the-fence home runs (May 3 for Colin; June 18 for Mel): after all the days and nights and weekends spent at ballparks over the years, our two oldest "went yard" for the first times. Great nights. Plus Carson had a solid year, and Dylan's team won a championship.

Big Daddy's Barbecue in Amarillo, Texas (August 5): We could have picked highlights from every day of our trip East. This was a great meal, with a great hostess named "Kay" who learned of our move and proceeded to treat us like rock stars. Between the "marj-a-reen", Dylan's new nickname (Big-Un), and free brownies for the road, it was our best meal on the trip.

Watching Albert Pujols in person (August 10): Sitting in St. Louis's Busch Stadium, we felt the surge of electricity swell through the stadium as 40,000 people stood to watch the greatest hitter on Earth, Albert Pujols, walk to the plate with the bases loaded, hear ZZ Top's "Got Me Under Pressure" blare on the loudspeaker, and witness a pitcher who wished he played football for a living. (Pujols lined out to left, but no one cared?)

First day in our house in Maryland (September 14): After all the nights in hotels, all the restaurant meals, and all the fits-and-starts that delayed our home purchase, finally having a place to call home was a sweet day, indeed.


BUT, after a hectic, crazy, too-full year, we found we missed writing about some great moments. There were five favorites that didn't make the blog, because we were busy...we were getting ready to move...we were unloading boxes...there was an earthquake, a terrible flood, locusts!!! Well, you get the idea:

Family dinner at Rubio's
Jason's travel schedule called for a lot of time away from home, so we tended to value the time we had together. After weeks of non-stop travel, he finally had a few days at home in early June just as the kids' school year was done.

For a treat, we went to one of our favorite restaurants: Rubio's, home of the world's best fish tacos, plus shrimp tacos, salmon tacos, mahi mahi tacos, etc.

It was a regular stop for Jason and Yvonne on the way home from the airport. As a family we grabbed a table outside and enjoyed a relaxing dinner of tacos and chips and guacamole in the hot, sunny Las Vegas weather (boy do we miss that now). Fresh warm churros were an exclamation mark on a great night.

San Clemente
It's no secret that our family developed a special bond with the Piets. As individuals, as couples, and as families, we just jelled. Over the years we've shared many experiences together, mostly small things that reinforced how much we trusted and cared for each other. Then we got to spend a lot of time together before we moved, and it was all great. While it made leaving more painful, it allowed us to bring even more great memories with us.

We could have picked several things to highlight over our last several months in Las Vegas, but a true high point of our time together was our trip to San Clemente, Calif., in mid-July, just before we moved. We got a great deal on a great rental house overlooking the ocean. It was four days of sun, sand, and surf. It was great food and great fun with great friends. It was...perfect.

We didn't want it to end. In our memories, it never will.


Photos and Iceberg
Before we headed East, we wanted to make sure we had a good family photo in the West. So we called Jason's cousin Hope, made the arrangements, and travelled to St. George to get some pictures taken in the land of red rocks and blue skies just a week before we left (and, if you notice the tans, a few days after the beach). The wind blew too much, and we had to stop taking photos when it started raining, but we had a great time.

It got even better when Hope's husband, Randy, and three children joined us for dinner at the Iceberg Drive-In in St. George. Jason and Randy shared a lot of experiences growing up, and as two families we all had a blast together sharing a big spread of hamburgers, french fries, and thick milkshakes.

Oh yeah, and we got some great family photos.

Dinner at Dutch's Daughter
You'll note that a lot of our posts have to do with eating somewhere. We have always made a point of having dinner together, and sharing meals is often some of our best quality time as a family. While we enjoyed a lot of restaurant meals, we also found that we got tired of eating out...but we didn't have a choice during our two months in hotels.

An exception came on the last Sunday in August. After church, not looking forward to another round of sandwiches in the room or being in a crowded restaurant, we drove to Dutch's Daughter, a "fancy" sit-down restaurant in Frederick. Our timing was perfect: about 2 p.m., after the lunch rush, before the dinner rush. There couldn't have been more than a dozen other people in the entire restaurant.

We asked for a table downstairs and ended up being seated around a large square table where we could all see and interact with each other -- and we were the only people in that area of the restaurant. We were all still dressed up from church (except that the boys had removed their ties). Despite the formality of the restaurant, it was easily the most relaxed our family had been in weeks. We talked and laughed and enjoyed each others' company. It was the first time since we left Las Vegas that we felt like "home."

Our waiter was excellent, and funny, and patient (and generous -- both Levi and Melissa got free desserts, because they're both cute, we believe). We milked the meal for almost two hours -- from appetizers through dessert. Great food, and great company. It was expensive, but the time together was priceless.

Breakfast at the Residence Inn
Living in a hotel has certain advantages. Fresh linens every day, on-call maid service, and no lawn care or building maintenance. But the best perk was the hot breakfast. While Embassy Suites have the best breakfasts, we grew especially fond of the breakfast at the Frederick Residence Inn during our two and a half weeks there. Eggs, toast, juice, and waffles (mmmmm, waffles) every day.

The staff there got to know us, and once school started they knew the kids' schedules. Melissa got breakfast really early, then left for high school. Colin and Carson were the next shift, then off for middle school. Finally, as Yvonne was shuttling the older kids to school and Jason was making sure everyone (including he) was getting ready, the two youngest would head to the breakfast area, get some help from the staff, and then sidle up to the snack bar for a hot meal. Breakfast hasn't been the same since.

So that's it. 2009 is done, and documented. It was a challenging year, full of change and stress and tears, but also full of hope and excitement and memories that will last a lifetime. Bring on 2010. We're ready...

Festival of Lights

The weather has been dreary (and well documented), but sometimes you just gotta get out.

We found a reason last night, going to the Washington, D.C., temple for its annual Festival of Lights. It was cold (around 25 degrees), damp, and windy. So we bundled up and headed out. We picked up burgers and fries for the drive (to stay warm, of course) and headed the 35 miles south.

It was well worth it. The temple grounds were a gorgeous mix of colors from all the lights. We enjoyed the life-sized nativity scene (as Levi put it, "Look, there's Mary and Jesus...and all that other stuff!" -- we were happy he recognized the important ones). And the temple...well, the temple is always an impressive site. We love being there.



To get out of the cold, we went inside the visitors center and saw a variety of Nativity scenes collected from around the world -- pottery from Peru, stone carvings from Kenya, textiles from Cambodia. One of our favorites was from Mongolia -- a small metal-carved Nativity, housed in the starry crystals of a geode.



Despite the weather, it was a great night together, and a good way to wrap up the holiday season and start the new year. While it was cold outside, we were all warm inside...

The Great Blizzard of 2009: Maryland is closed

After eight and a half years in southeast Idaho -- and annual winter trips to Idaho during our eight and a half years in Las Vegas -- it takes a pretty hefty storm to impress us.



The weather this weekend gave it a good try, dumping more than two feet of snow in 24 hours in the Frederick area, and basically paralyzing the entire D.C. region. It snowed and snowed, from light flurries to large, heavy flakes. In some places it simply stacked up, inch upon inch. In other places it drifted, up to three feet deep against the house and shrubs.

Jason and Yvonne showed their concern by...going Christmas shopping. It was a great day, the Saturday before Christmas, to clear the snow off the Suburban, put it into four-wheel-drive, and head for the mall.



We knew we were in for a good day, because no one -- we mean no one -- was on the road.



Once we got to the mall, we were one of about 25 non-employees in the entire mall.



Santa was lonely and bored. It was sad.



Some stores were closed, but the ones we wanted to visit were ok, and we got great service and some deals there and other stores in the area before they closed for the day.



The kids, meanwhile, holed up in the house, nice and warm, and entertained themselves by making cookies, watching movies, and just hanging out.



They also found time to...dance (they may wish this video didn't exist -- but it was one of several they shot during the day).



The kids also got in a first round of snow-shoveling. When Jason and Yvonne got home, it was time for round two -- a heavy, heavy round of shoveling the driveway that looked so sweeping and grand in the summer and fall, but is entirely too large to shovel in the winter.



We thought it was a good storm, but after years in Idaho and travelling through Utah, we thought it looked more like an April squall. We were surprised to learn that Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia all declared emergency situations because of the storm that was called "massive," "historic," and "apocalyptic" (we made that last one up). But that's how we roll here in the East.

As a family, we finished the day with hot chocolate, popcorn, and the movie "Elf." Maybe a reason to stay inside was good after all.

A great, too short, weekend

Last July 29, we celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary.

Well, “celebrated” might be a little strong. Our family was between houses (i.e. homeless) and less than a week away from moving across the country. So we had dinner and a movie, and we agreed on a mutual I.O.U. for a weekend getaway to mark the big day.

We thought about many places we could go – we’re close to New York City and Boston and many other great places we’ve never been. We’ve always wanted to go to Nashville or Austin or New Orleans together, or go back to Chicago or to the beach in Delaware.

After some of the most stressful months of our marriage (a new job, new relocation, and everything else that comes with it will do that), we were finally able to get away. But rather than go to one of those locations, we went to one of our very favorite places in the world: the Piets' house.

As far as friends go, they don’t come any better than the Piets. Our families have grown so close over the years, and we’ve always appreciated the memories and experiences we've shared.

After four months away, it was great, even for a too short weekend, to be together again. We snuck into town for fish tacos at Rubios, a hilarious show, a movie with the kids, In-N-Out Burger, seeing old friends at church, and lots of time with just the four adults catching up and scheming for the future. We didn’t sleep much (it was a short weekend), but we laughed a lot – easily the most laughter we’ve had since the last time we were at their house…in August.

While life goes on, it’s a great reminder that great friendships do, too, despite the distance.

Winter arrives

When we moved, everyone told us we would enjoy the four seasons, after living in the desert for so many years and basically experienced two or three seasons (and in some years, one and a half seasons).

The season we haven't experienced a lot of recently (except on trips to Idaho) arrived on Saturday, as a wet snow fell for most of the day and the temperature dropped into the mid-twenties. The low temps had been building and we knew snow was coming, so we were kind of prepared (the kids have received pre-Christmas presents of coats and gloves in an effort to catch up a little). We enjoyed seeing the white stuff fall from the sky anyway.

(The photos are our yard on Thanksgiving Day, then during and after the storm.)




As you can see, the snow didn't intimidate the boys; they couldn't wait to get out and into it.


We are hearing "ice storm" in the forecast for today...

A picture from Thanksgiving...

Jason writes:

I love this photo -- it summed up Yvonne's Thanksgiving day morning very well. She worked very hard (as she always does) to make sure we had a good meal...and we did. This brief and quiet respite was well deserved, even though it wasn't far from the site of her labors. It was just us this year, as family is a long, long ways away, but the seven of us ate well and enjoyed the day .

Melissa and the shotgun

On Thanksgiving Day, the kids (Melissa, Colin, Carson, and Dylan) went to a local park to play in our ward’s annual “Turkey Bowl” football game.

It was a great day for football – cool, damp, with a dense fog sitting up in the hills. The kids had a great time together and with those who came to play. When they got home, we heard about the game, and Melissa told us that she got to play quarterback for her team. That was the end of it…until Sunday.

A quick back story: on our first Sunday at church in Maryland, Jason was asked to introduce himself in priesthood meeting. He said that he had four boys, including Colin and Carson, who were in the room. Then, in a room full of men and 12-years-old-and-up boys, he said he also had a 17-year-old daughter…and a shotgun. The men laughed – and the 12-and-up boys tried to determine whether or not he was joking.

So back to last Sunday. In priesthood meeting, the bishop’s counselor talked briefly about the Turkey Bowl and how they all had fun. Then he said:

“I remember when the Bohnes first moved into the ward, and Brother Bohne said that he had a 17-year-old daughter AND a shotgun. He didn’t tell us they were the SAME THING.”

He then told the men and the boys in the room how their team went through three quarterbacks – including him – who couldn’t get it done. And then they let Melissa do it, and they finally had a quarterback who could make the tough throws and move them up and down the field. His words: “let me tell you, Melissa can throw.”

Jason, ever the proud dad, chimed in: “Aw, she throws like a girl” (which, in our house, is a high compliment). Melissa has walked a little taller this week after hearing that all the men and boys are talking about her throwing arm.