One Giant Leap

This is a really busy time of year.  It seems like I have been running at rocket speed since the school year started.  This is our third week of school and I finally feel like things are starting to settle down a little bit.  Our routine is coming together as is the schedule of weekly events.  The leap to Middle School at our house has been a big one.  My daughter is now the very proud owner of a locker at school.  She has figured out how much time she has between her classes to visit her favorite part of school and still get to her next class on time.  She told me today that she has it all organized so that everything fits.  I've decided that organization is a big part of being in 6th grade.  On the very first day of school they are handed a student planner and told to use it.  They write down their homework assignments and when they are due.  My daughter's school uses "block" scheduling so they don't have the same classes everyday.  So something that is assigned in Spanish on Tuesday probably isn't due until Thursday when the class meets again.  She made the Cross Country team this fall and she's had to be at practice until 5.  When she comes home she works on her homework until its done and then she might have a little relaxing time.  There's also band and learning a new instrument (the clarinet) thrown in there for good measure.  She's still managing to make it to two martial arts classes + sparring every week.  Yes, we are very busy at our house.
I have to say that I am very proud of the way my darling girl has landed on her feet throughout this big transition.  We've had a few organizational hiccups these last few weeks but we have learned from them and I have tried to provide a few suggestions to help her manage her needs.  She decided she needed a magnetic tablet inside her locker so that she can quickly write down things she needs to bring home for homework.  She's also using her running to decompress so that she can have a relaxing evening and her martial arts classes are a much needed break from the hectic pace of the week.  She decided that a class on Wednesday evening would help her focus for the end of the week.
Every parent hopes that their children get to this point sometime in their life.  This time next year, or even in 3 months, the situation could be drastically different.  I know she is capable of rising to the challenge of a new school and a new schedule, and I have to say that I am quite proud of her.  It's delightful to see her in this new environment and to "re-live" all of these "firsts" with her.  Even when my job gets stressful I know that when I get home there will be a run down of the day at the dinner table, and we'll both enjoy hearing the news and events that have recently come to pass.
It all has happened so fast.  I just want to savor every detail!
To Middle School and the "Giant Leap" from Elementary!  Cheers!

9-11 Ten Years Later

Tomorrow our country remembers the attacks of 9-11-01 on the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, DC and the failed hijacking that went down over Shanksville, PA.  It was a dark day in our nation's history for sure.  Everyone knows where they were ten years ago at 8:46am, 9:03am and times about an hour and a half later.  I was a brand new mother.  Just home from China with my daughter.  We were visiting family and friends on the East Coast.  I couldn't believe my eyes as I watched the second plane smash into the south tower.  It was a sight I'll never ever forget.  The day just got worse.  As the news kept coming it made me weak in the knees.  I was scared, sad and felt very stranded. It was a very odd set of emotions to feel all at one time.  The attack on the Pentagon just about put me over the edge.  I had lived and worked in Washington, DC before my nursing career got going and I knew how tight airspace security was.  Planes had to follow a certain path to land at Regan National Airport and Dulles.  There was no deviation...ever.  That day was horrific.  After the fact we learned that planes at Andrews AFB couldn't scramble fast enough to intercept that flight that had just left Dulles.
As the day wore on we learned of the crash in Pennsylvania.  Weeks later we learned that the passengers on that flight fought back against the hijackers, and even though they went down and perished they gave us strength because they had fought back.  That plane was meant for the White House.  It took all I had to get back on an airplane and come back to Portland.  My mom and my daughter were with me and I just figured if we went down, I'd be with the people I loved and cared about the most.  The only person missing from that flight was my dad.

By the evening time on the news people were getting camera time to ask if anyone had seen their loved ones.  They had fliers and pictures and descriptions.  It was awful.  You just had this sinking feeling that they were underneath all that rubble in New York and Washington.  A makeshift wall went up almost overnight.  On that wall were flyers and pictures with phone numbers.  If you've seen this person please call her husband, mother, father, brother...Our nation had begun to grieve.  Then we learned about the fire fighters and police officers who had responded to the initial emergency calls for help.  There were stories of emergency personnel, climbing the staircases, helping the injured to safety only to go right back in there and start all over again, that is until the towers collapsed.  Then silence.  They pulled 14 or so people out of that wreckage still alive.  The others weren't so lucky.  They were regular people going about their everyday business that we call making a living.  The attacks came out of the blue.  They were horrifying, and devastating, not just for the families immediately involved, but for our nation.  At first it seemed that the terrorists won.  They accomplished what they set out to do.  However, being American meant more than that.  It meant that we would certainly grieve for those that were killed, but it also meant that we would stand up again and fight back.

Now here we stand, still, ten years later.  The terrorists didn't win.  They didn't win because we got up and dusted ourselves off and kept on living.  There were babies born that day, and more over the next year who would never know their fathers.  They have grown up over the last ten years as my daughter has, in the shadow of that awful day, but also in spite of it.  They are a shining light of this generation.  Their father's spirits shine brightly through their eyes and their hearts, and they will go on to be doctors and lawyers, and fire fighters and police officers.  Those children, especially, will never forget, as most of us never will.  We will continue to live our lives to the highest extent, in spite of the evil and horror that occurred that day.  We might never understand why we were so brutally attacked, but as Americans will go on.  That is our way, and truly a glass half full outlook.  To those children who will never know their dad's I dedicate today's blog.  Even though I didn't know your dads, I will never forget that day.  It has been burned in my memory forever.  Live your lives as your fathers did, as fully as humanly possible.

The First Day of School

The first day of school for my daughter is tomorrow and I am reminded of those days some thirty odd years ago.  Not much has changed.  The much anticipated supply list arrives and it is poured over and studied.  The back pack and lunch box are inspected meticulously to see if they might survive another year.  This year the verdict was yes.   The 1st day outfit is considered over the long weekend and arrived at by Saturday - (this year it's white capri's and a butterfly graphic T, with new Nike sneakers).  The supplies are packed up in the backpack and organized so it all fits and doesn't weigh 10,000 pounds.  We've practiced with a combination lock all summer long so that the locker won't be too much of an issue.  So now here we are...flipping and flopping and trying to get to sleep.  There were many "I love you mom's" spoken tonight.  There was also a little confession of nerves, but in the end it is an adventure. I remember my first day of Middle School.  It was a little different situation.  A strange school in another town.  All my friends were going to a school only 7 miles away in a cool town.  I was being bused 22 miles away to a town with mostly farm kids.  I didn't really know anyone there and I had never ridden the bus before.  I was a townie so I walked to school.  The bus was horrible, the ride was long, and that was a hard year socially.  I missed my friends.  Thank goodness it was only for a year.  Whew.  At least my daughter knows that all of her friends with the exception of two will be there with her tomorrow.  She won't be a lone on her big adventure.  For that I'm grateful.  It will be a hard day for me tomorrow too.  My baby is growing up.  She's earned the right to ride her bike to school by proving herself responsible.  We've ridden over there a few times this last week and she knows the way and every crack in the sidewalk.  It makes me nervous, but I know that I have to let go a little bit.  It's just hard when you're the mom and watching her go off on her own.  I'll probably follow her over there for the first few days and then she's on her own.  Maybe this will make it a little easier when she takes off in the car for the first time and by the time she leaves for college I'll be an old pro.  No matter how old she gets though, she'll always be my little baby girl with the sticking up hair that I traveled 1/2 way around the world for, that much will never change.
Cheers!

Labor Day Weekend

Here we are at Labor Day Weekend, and my comment to that is "already?!  Really?!"  Our summer is just getting going and already I can sense fall in the air.  The other night I had to get up and get an extra blanket from the linen stash in the laundry room.  My little dog was socked in to my side searching for warmth as much as I was.  I checked on my daughter and she too was hunkered down under her covers.  While usually I am excited by the first chilly nights signaling the change in the seasons, this time I was just like a little kid - "it can't be over yet!  I want a little more time! I wan't a few more warm days and time for the pool and the bar-b-que!"  There was more evidence this morning.  As I headed east on Scholl's Ferry Road the sun was just coming up over the horizon and it wasn't the beautiful yellow of summer,  it was the golden hue of autumn.  It's so evident the way it shines on the top of the trees.  In the summer, it is bright yellow and full of the heat of the season, but in the autumn the sun is different.   The yellow has phased into gold, gentle and warm - the strength and heat zapped.  I love the change of the seasons, but from summer to autumn is the hardest for me.  I am a child of summer.  I love the heat, swimming in our pool, cooking and eating outside, and enjoying the beautiful weather in the Great State of Oregon.  As a child I grew up at the beach and summer seemed so much longer.  Probably because I wasn't sitting in an office, but playing outside all day, swimming in the bay, eating Lance crackers on the beach, building sand castles, climbing trees, riding bikes, and catching "lightning bugs" in the evening time.  Once it starts, the fall comes quickly.  By the first day of Autumn the trees have begun to change colors, the evenings are cool and the days are only warm.  There might be one hot day thrown in there, but not many.  In October the skies begin to gray and by Columbus Day the chilly weather turns wet.  By Halloween the rains have come in earnest.  With the occasional sun break comes the colors of autumn.  The striking contrast of the changing trees against the grey skies.  It is truly a photographer's paradise - stunning!
There a couple of things that are changing besides the seasons.  My daughter is entering Middle School this year.  A big change.  She's going from the second smallest school in the district to one of the largest.  She is anxious for the school year to start, although I sense some hesitation.  It's a confusing feeling to be excited and terrified at the same time.  We have changed our "ride" going from a mid-size SUV to a more fuel efficient smaller model.  I have mourned my 2007 Sportage.  I loved that car.  One of the best I've ever owned.  My new little Soul is great though.  It's starting to really grow on me.  I love feeling like I'm playing a live game of Mario Kart, plus it has all the bells and whistles.  The ultimate in gadgets.
I suspect that the chores will get done a little faster this weekend.  Afterall, we are on a schedule!  These last few days of summer won't last long, so we need to get to it!  Have a good weekend everyone!
Cheers!

PBJ Gets a Make-Over and Cinetopia

Today was the first day of my 9 day break from everyday life.  It was supposed to be a much more elaborate affair, however, the universe had other plans and I decided that simpler was better.  So "Stay-cation" it is.  I've been working hard this summer learning my new job and a brain-break was in order.  For the next 9 days I get a break from everything and a chance to enjoy some Crazy Fun with my best girl.  Today's adventure was pretty low key.  There were some things I wanted to get done around our apartment and then I thought a trip to the new movie theater would be fun.
First on the to-do list this morning was the farmer's market.  Beaverton, OR has one of the best farmer's markets in the country.  Lots of fresh produce, entertainment and some of Portland's best food carts.  I had been up a while and by the time I arrived I was hungry.  Usually, I'm rushed through and not really able to browse or sample some of the fine food.  Today that was not the case.  I decided to try something I had been looking at longingly these last couple of months and I was really excited.  PBJ's is a food cart from NW Portland that sells different varieties of grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Let me tell you something, PBJ has ALWAYS been a favorite of mine and these fine folks have taken the humble childhood favorite to a whole new level!  I had the Oregonian, a delectable treat made on fresh Callah bread with Marionberry jam, Rouge River Blue Cheese and Hazelnut butter.  The whole thing grilled to perfection so that the ingredients blend together in a tasty treat that sends your taste buds to the heavens.   I'll be visiting these fine folks at least weekly as they are located on NW 23rd between Lovejoy and Kearny within walking distance of Good Sam.  They are also very reasonably priced.  My sandwich checked in at $5.50.  For what it was, it was well worth every single penny.  The owner and I joked that a nice pinot would be very tasty with this sandwich and it had to be 5:00 someplace right?
Our other adventure was to Cinnetopia to see Cowboys and Aliens.  The theater is very nice and offers dining options but those are limited for the under 21 crowd.  We ended up in the large screen theater for our movie and it was so loud that we ended up bailing for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2.  I'm sure that Cowboys and Aliens is a fun flick, but honestly we would have been hard of hearing by the end and it also seemed a little on the violent side for a PG 13 movie.  Really?  Not a good choice for those under 15.  Harry Potter was much better and even thought the theater was smaller the seats were comfy and of course it's a great movie!!  However, if given the choice again, I'd probably go back to Bridgeport to the Regal Cinema.  Better seating  options and cheaper.  No offense to Cinetopia they were so nice to let us switch theaters, just seemed a little spendy for a movie theater.
Tomorrow we are off to OMSI for $2 Sunday and a few more chores around the house!  Cheers everyone!

Summertime and and Old Pot

Summertime has FINALLY arrived in the Pacific Northwest.  The last time I posted, I was beginning to wonder if it would ever get here.  The rain and chilly weather just seemed to drag on, and then just shortly after the 4th of July it began to warm up.  Our trips to the pool began to increase and before I knew it, the beautiful blue sky of the Oregon summer was showing up on a daily basis.  You have to have visited this wonderful state in the summertime to be able to visualize the cerulean shade I'm talking about.  Take the Cerulean Crayola Crayon to white paper and you will see what I see everyday.  It's amazing.  We have no humidity so the sky is this color from early morning until the sun begins to set in the evening.  It's one of the best parts of our summers here.  Our winters are not for the "seasonally disaffected".  It usually rains from Halloween  until the 4th of July.  It's maddening sometimes.   I often have to seek sunshine in February or March so that I can last until summer.  The beautiful blue sky that signals summer is here is a welcomed sight.   Our temps have been lovely as well.  Ninety is a long shot at this point and  I am very grateful for that as we do not have AC.

Besides the weather, the other part of Summertime in Oregon that is absolutely wonderful are the berries.  This is berry heaven.  Every variety you can ever imagine is grown in this great state.  Because summer arrived so late  means that the berry crop will not peter out anytime soon.  Strawberries are just finishing up.  The "seascape" variety is at the height of its season and they are really tasty.  The "queen" of the strawberry set are the "Hood" variety originally grown on the slopes of our very own Mt. Hood in the Hood River Valley.  These little berries are just as sweet as can be and are much anticipated.  Then come the Willamette Red Raspberries which to me taste like pure sunshine.  If the sun had a taste it would be these little gems.  Then my favorite the Marion Blackberry.  God's reward for living in the Great State of Oregon.  This is my reward for surviving the yucko wet winter.  There are of course other varieties of blackberries, but none of them are as sweet and wonderful as the Marionberry.  There are also Loganberries, and Boysenberries and black raspberries as well.  August brings us the hearty Blue Berry which lasts until almost September.  Then alas, berry season is done and the long days of summer are not  to last much longer.  Seems a shame. :(   My daughter and I discovered the joy of berry picking this year and as it turns out, $1.25 per pound was a wonderful surprise in these tough economic times.

This year our berry season will go on and on.  Last winter my mother sent me a pot.  As soon as I saw the pot I remembered it.  This was one of the many pots that my dear little Meem Mom used to cook her fabulous mashed potatoes and other delights of my childhood.  I'm sure she used it to make her famous Beach Plum Jelly and this year we have made jam in it.  My Aunt Candy sent me a wonderful cook book for my birthday last year.  In it, is a marvelous recipe for homemade jam.  There are only natural ingredients in this jam.  The fruit pectin comes from a shredded green apple, skin and all.  It cooks down with the fruit and jells it naturally.  My daughter and I dubbed July "July Jam Month."  The first batch was strawberry and the event was "The First Annual 4th of July Jam  - Star Spangled Strawberry".  This was followed by "July Jam's  Razzle Dazzle Raspberry" and ending with "July Jam's  Ma-velous Marionberry."   August will find us ankle deep in blueberry syrup  for our winter pancakes and waffles and Bread and Butter Pickles.  All of these lovely treats to be whipped up in "The Pot".   Our garage shelves will be full of goodies from the summer when the rains come and the cold winds blow.  We'll open up those jars and just for a little while we will remember the beautiful blue sky, berry picking on a warm sunny summer day,  evening kickball games, swimming in the pool, and all the wonderful things that remind us of Summertime in Oregon and we will look forward to next summer!
Cheers!

The Dragon's Way

Today, I had a proud mother moment.  For the last year my daughter has been studying Chung Kuo Chuan, an ancient Chinese martial art.  It is older than Kung Fu which is the form that most people are the most familiar.  Chung Kuo Chuan means "Chinese Boxing Form, and both of us have learned so much.  My daughter has studied and practiced and sparred.  It has been a big commitment on her part, and she has embraced it whole heartedly.  My daughter was born in Northern China in the provincial capital of Liaoning - Shenyang.  Just about a year ago she was searching for something that could provide a connection to her heritage.  She wanted something Chinese that could be all hers.  Something she could study and practice and would provide a bridge to her homeland.  That first day she tried it out was amazing.  She was a totally different person.  The "dragon" inside my daughter leaped out and neither of us have been the same since.  It seems to have become an extension of her person.  

Her sifu or teacher is Master Clark, a 6th degree Chung Kuo Chuan Black Belt.  He is patient, encouraging and totally great with his students.  He helps his students to become not only disciplined martial artists, but also the best people that they can be.  My daughter has always been on the shy side, but this last year has been amazing.  I have watched her confidence grow by leaps and bounds.  She speaks up and looks you in the eye and the shyness is just a mere memory.  When she walks into the Dragon's Way Kwoon or school she becomes a martial artist.  She is all business and trains hard.  There aren't many nights that she isn't soaked in perspiration.  It's a tough workout, but it has done so much.  

Today she took her third test and at the end received her Orange belt. (Every time she takes a "belt" test she starts all the way back to her White belt and moves through the information in each one.) The easy stuff is behind her.  Now the real training starts.  She gets her hands on her first weapon in this belt - the bow staff.  Everything is kicked up a notch, but I know she's ready.  This tiny girl from Shenyang defies gravity when she leaps in the air.  Her grace and ability are a thing of beauty.  I'm so excited and proud of her and I know Master Clark is too.