The Uberlander Chronicles

2009 - The Year of Gratitude

2009-02-02T10:22:00.000-08:00

I always thought it was funny how some of our friends would have a theme for the year. They would announce it at their birthday parties, then reminisce about past themes. "Remember '02 is was the year of You" etc. Well this year so far I seem to really be dwelling on Gratitude, so why not make it a year of Gratitude.

What is making me so grateful? Well I realized over Christmas break that we are so "friend-rich". We have great friends. It took awhile to really find our people in Wenatchee. Not that these are new friends, its just seemed to have spend more time with them this year.

We have a very abundant life. We live part of the year here and part of the year on Cape Cod. We seem to have freedom from want, and what we can't get.....well we realize that we don't really need it. It seems that as we try to pair down we recieve more. More of what? Well it is usually the stuff that you can't buy and the stuff that means more. That is to say less stuff, more real life.

We are grateful that we have a happy child who is as funny as we are. She keeps us laughing and amazed daily.

I am grateful for Facebook. It gives me great joy to reconnect with people who have been far from me for so long. Who would have thought that my best friend and fellow Duran Duran lover would find me after all these years.

My husband is grateful for Craiglist. It gives him great joy to reconnect with all those old cars and tools from years past. Who would have thought that those relics would actually end up in our yard. He enjoys nothing better than bringing back to life something that someone threw out as useless.

And I'm sure the list will get longer as we think about it more. So here is to the Year of Gratitude! Cheers!

A Blog Note at the End of 2008

2008-12-29T09:47:00.000-08:00

Gone are the rants about politics or anger at those fearful Jeezy people who stole my religion. Gone are the evenings of pundit watching and political blog scouring. Gone are the poll updates and our big ass Obama sign. Soon GDubya will be gone too. Let's hope Sarah stays in Alaska.

Our brains seemed to be completely consumed in politics this year. Zmo's first steps occured the day of the caucus. Every morning started with Morning Edition and the evenings ended with Countdown. My husband shopped on Craigslist to ease the tension of a possible McCain presidency, while I watched the numbers come in on TV. Zmo chanted Obamaobamaobama as if it were a song.

But now that the ultimate game of Survivor is over.....what else is there to watch on TV? I hope... I hope for a year of Hope. I hope that we Americans are not let off the hook. That we are called to sacrifice and that we rise to the challenge. I hope that politicians will say "enough!" and they sit down and create a budget that works. I hope that people will no longer have their medical tragedies told on collection cans at Starbucks and Grocery stores; people should have the right to health care, good health care, just like our European and Canadian friends. I hope that Education will be a budget priority where people will be paid their worth and testing will become a tool instead of an end goal. I hope that people use less of our world resources so that our children will have a green world to live in. I hope for peace, people have seen enough terror in the 20th century alone, to last us thousands of lifetimes.

So let's all hope for a hopeful 2009.

The Old Grey Mare is What She Used to Be

2008-11-23T19:32:00.001-08:00

Recently we spent a fun filled weekend in our Old Airstream. She hadn't been out in over a year. We loved introducing Zmo to the Airstream Life. And Jim enjoyed pulling Our Lady of Aluminum with his new/old tow vehicle. It was a beautiful fall day up the Entiat River Valley. Hopefully we will have an early spring so we can take her out again soon.

Happy Anniversary to us!

2008-09-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

I can't believe the whole summer went by and I didn't put up any new pictures. We had a wonderful day on our anniversary climbing up to 8 Mile Lake where we got married. Here are a few pics from the day.

Cape Cod Summah!

2008-07-09T09:30:00.000-07:00

We flew safely to our summer nest and are enjoying the weather, scenery, and friends. It has only been a week but it seems like we have been here forever. The whole year went by, but when we return, it feels like we never left. No, I haven't seen Teddy Kennedy anywhere. But Jim and I don't make it out to the compound as much as we used to. Below are a few beach shots of Zmo.

Its Summer? Well not officially

2008-05-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

Apfelblüte! Apple Blossom, duh!

2008-05-10T20:33:00.000-07:00

Here are some great pictures from our week of Apple Blossom festivities. Zmo loved the parades, especially the bands. She rocked out to the cadences and the horns. At one point we thought she was going to take off on her new found legs and jump in line with one of the drill teams. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed some great food and fun with friends. As the Apple Blossom Queen passed by, we couldn't help but think.....Zmo would look good in that crown someday.

Happy Birthday! I'm one!

2008-04-04T15:57:00.000-07:00

Its always good to share the fun. Want some cake Papa?

Baby Guantanamo

2008-02-03T11:05:00.000-08:00

She doesn't know why she's there and she doesn't know when she's gettin' out.

Yes We Can!

2008-02-03T11:04:00.001-08:00

From Barack Obama's truly inspirational speech after the New Hampshire primaries comes a new song.

See and read the speech here.

Good Dental Hygene

2007-12-21T11:42:00.001-08:00

What is a nine month old to do with 7 teeth? Brush and floss, of course.

Dining with Dad

2007-12-09T15:29:00.000-08:00

What do we do on Friday Nights?

2007-11-30T22:21:00.000-08:00

We go to the movies! Nothing like a good action-adventure and a little popcorn.

Our Little Star

2007-11-12T07:42:00.001-08:00

Well Zmo discovered my scarf and now wants to wear it everywhere she goes. She thinks it makes her look glamorous.

Garden Visitor

2007-10-10T21:12:00.001-07:00

While Jim was working hard outside, a little friend decided to join him.

Twice Baked!

2007-10-06T13:38:00.000-07:00

Well now that Zmo has began her love affair with solid food, she enjoys the thrill of sinking her 6 teeth into a delicious Zwieback. Here are some shots and a movie of her doing just that.

Baby Z's Alphabet Adventure

2007-09-19T19:31:00.000-07:00

Sprech Deutch!

2007-08-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Germany was wunderbar! We flew into Frankfurt where we rented our Focus Turbo Diesel wagon and off down the Autobahn we sped. We arrived first in Oberkochen where we stayed with Jim's Tante Eva. We were pleasantly suprised to find his cousins Regina and Deter visiting as well. We hiked around the Schwabische Albe, visited the Roman Kellar, stocked up on Triumph in Aalen, and enjoyed a day in the city of Ulm. Regina understood my need for ice cream, so all of our outings included a stop for my favorite treat

From there we traveled north, taking a few days to explore other parts of Germany. We followed the Romantic Road to Nordlingen. While exploring the city we heard this loud speaker babbling information, then we began to see what the babble was about. European vintage cars and motorcycles began to roll through town. They were a part of a rally called 2000 km of Deutchland. The Opel Blitz was my favorite, talk about cool moho!

Later that afternoon we drove to the Rothenburg; every American and Japanese tourists favorite destination. The shops were full of Christmas wares, American high school students were singing in the town square, and we couldn't get over how we felt that we had flown 3000 miles just to visit Leavenworth. The real reason for stopping here was to walk the Roman walls. According to Rick Steves, this walled city is the best example of Roman walled cities in Germany. We only walked a small portion of the wall, but you could imagine what it must have been like to stand on the wall and defend the city. As you can tell from the picture, the girl found this most interesting.

The next day we visited Goslar which is the gateway to the Harz region. The city is filled with buildings covered in slate: slate roofs, slate siding, slate chimneys. The rain dampened our day a bit, we were completely unprepared for the weather. However we got a kick out of all of the tourists stopping us to tell us how cute the girl was sticking out of Jim's jacket. Here also is the UNESCO site of the Ramelsburg mines. These mines have been in use for over a thousand years. Now you can tour the mines. Unfortunatly a four our hike through damp tunnels didn't seem inviting for the new parents. But this town was so enchanting we vowed to go back to explore it futher. That evening we stopped outside of Bergen in a nice little hotel where we had the most amazing dinner featuring freshly harvested chantrelle mushrooms.

On to Hamburg and the home of Mike and Simone. We were greeted with coffee and cake and much good cheer. We ate well, laughed often, and drank to Oma Erna every evening.

All Packed and Ready to Go!

2007-07-17T12:47:00.000-07:00

They said we get a bag for the baby. I assumed it was for her stuff, not her....but Jim insists we check the baby rather than carry her on.

The Faces of Baby Z

2007-07-14T10:44:00.000-07:00

Oh My!

2007-07-13T09:21:00.000-07:00

Jim is having fun with the new digital camera.

School Starts When????

2007-07-12T04:12:00.000-07:00

I overheard a woman in the grocery store complaining to a friend about her son's teachers, education, schedule, learning style, etc. Ugh.

What time is it?

2007-07-09T10:49:00.000-07:00

Toof Hurty! Baby Z has her first toof.

Husband Wants to Get Rid of Airstream?

2007-07-09T06:24:00.000-07:00

Remedy? Take him camping in someone elses rig.

Is She a Good Baby?

2007-07-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

Lately it seems that those who meet the girl for the first time ask ....."Is she a good baby?" Hmmm. How are you supposed to answer that and what do they mean by the question? Are they wondering if she is cholicy? Are they wondering if she is keeping us up at night? Or are they wondering if she has a gambling or drinking problem?

I'm so tempted to answer with "She is a bad baby.", just to see the reactions on their faces. Jim would like to respond with "she hasn't lit the house on fire yet, if that's what yer askin'."

But seriously, she is a good baby.

We are very lucky that she has a sparkling disposition and always wakes up happy. We also feel very lucky to be surrounded by friends and family who give us so much love and support.

Life's a Beach

2007-06-21T17:21:00.000-07:00

As luck would have it, as we dipped her feet in the water a huge wave hit me in the rear. The beautiful 63 degree water was a bit exhilarating and suprising to both of us. But doesn't she look cute in her suit?

Houston...We Have Rollover!

2007-06-21T17:09:00.000-07:00

Last night, being inspired by the sheer athleticism of those contestants on "So You Think You Can Dance", the girl decided to roll over. She made it half way, then over three quarters of the way with one arm stuck, then she pulled her arm to her side and lifted her head and chest up. She giggled, then screamed with joy, then screamed in horror that she could not roll back. We rolled her back over and, as you would expect, she rolled over again. Today she practiced her new found skill by rolling over on the beach. I guess the book was right when it said by the end of three months, your child should be able to roll over. She beat that by a day. She truely is a gifted young lady.

Happy Father's Day

2007-06-17T17:04:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful first Father's Day. We chatted with our friends at the Stone Store, ate lunch in Wood's Hole, and strolled to the harbor to look at Doreys. Then we sat out front enjoying the cool ocean breeze. The girl was going to make her Papa breakfast, but she just couldn't get out of bed.

I'm Sorry

2007-06-11T16:52:00.000-07:00

I'm usually sooo good at restaurants but today I was upset and I just couldn't keep my feelings pent up any longer. I'm sorry for making my mother crazy in Pho Pasteur; her favorite restaurant in Chinatown. She was bouncing me, rocking me, she even tried to feed me and I was still inconsolable. I'm sorry for making my father look like a baby killer. He took me outside the restaurant to the loud busy street thinking it would calm me down. Instead I screamed louder. Those little old asian ladies with their shopping bags gave my father a stern look as they passed. Then they turned around and sneered at him again once they were a few yards ahead. My mother, unable to eat her lunch until my father took me outside, gulped down her food. The waiter went AWOL and she sat there trying to get a box for her uneaten food and bill because my father had now had enough of me. She also realized she couldn't pay for the food because when my father took me outside, he had her wallet.

For the first time my parents learned what it must have been like for our friends when they picked up their second daughter in China. Kevin was trying to give his wife some needed nap time by taking their screeching new daughter for a walk, away from the hotel. He tried to eat his lunch in an outdoor cafe as the little one continued to scream and cry. He said that everyone looked at him as if they were thinking...."that American must have stolen that baby!"

I eventually cried myself to sleep by the time my mother finally got the waiter's and my father's attention. I guess I was just tired.....that's all.

Duuuuude!

2007-06-10T05:07:00.000-07:00

Why is Chris being taken away under such distress? See it all in next weeks episode of CSI:Cape Cod.

She didn't do that yesterday!

2007-06-05T11:43:00.001-07:00

Well everyday it seems that the girl, which we now refer to as "Bubbles," can do something new and exciting. Jim will yell....Hey! Look at her! She didn't do that yesterday! We are constantly being told to cherish each moment, she will grow up so fast. But she is sooo big already. Hard to imagine that in a few short months we will be chasing her around the house.

So for those interested, here is the current list of things she can do:

Sleep at least 6 hours a night

On tummy can lift up head and shoulders

On back she lifts her head 45 degrees

She tries to roll over from back and only makes it half way

Has rolled over from tummy position 2 times, I think by accident

She can grasp objects even hair which can be painful

She can almost get her whole fist in her mouth just like Auntie Lisa

Screams loudly as well as poops loudly

Makes all kinds of noises from goooo to gah to arrrrrrr, etc

Likes to experience new objects she grasps by putting them in her mouth, even shoulders

She loves to kick and squirm

Sticks tongue out

Favorite past time is blowing bubbles

Baptized in the healing waters of Cape Cod

2007-05-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

Today Simone touched the same waters of the Atlantic as the Pilgrims did. Uncle Chris touched her forhead with a salty drop of the ocean and officially christened her a Cape Codder. She now has the sands of the beach between her toes, which will forever call her back to the east coast.

From Winter to Summer in One Week

2007-05-26T15:16:00.000-07:00

Sunday we ran the dog at Crane in the wind hoping to avoid the inevitable shower. We almost made it to the car, but alas, the rain decided to come. Luckily the girl was bundled up; snug as a bug. As you can see, she didn't mind the weather.

Monday we decided to make a break for Boston, hoping the weather would hold. It did and we enjoyed a great day of walking, eating and shopping. We picked up some great bulks at Whole Foods, ate at Pho Pasteur (our favorite Vietnamese restaurant, and stocked up on summer necessities at Costco.

Days later the sun came out and it became summer. The humidity climbed as well as the temperature. Simone likes her sun dresses but enjoyed being naked more.

She also got to meet Connaught, her surrogate East Coast grandmother. She presented her with her first gift from Tiffany's. I showed the box to Simone and told her "If a boy doesn't give you a present in one of these blue boxes with a white ribbon....he's not worth it." We opened the box to find a silver baby spoon with her name engraved on it. This way she can say she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Thank you YaYa for the perfect present!

Baby's New $1 Bouncy Seat

2007-05-25T14:16:00.000-07:00

In an effort to show that we don't have to be consumers, buying everything in duplicate for both houses, we went to the annual Catholic school yard sale. We got a bouncy seat for a buck and a swing for 3.

Sven & Olly's New Project

2007-05-07T20:19:00.001-07:00

Spring Backyard Birding

2007-05-06T14:09:00.000-07:00

Well you know its spring with the arrival of the Evening Grosbeaks. This year is no exception. The backyard is teaming with all sorts of bird life, including the house sparrows who are taking up residency in the raised ranch bird house.

The following is the current list of what can be seen on any given day.

White Crowned Sparrow

Gold Crowned Sparrow

House Sparrow

Purple Finch

House Finch

Gold Finch

Pine Siskin

Evening Grosbeak

Robin

Stellar Jay

Black Capped Chickadee

Mountain Chickadee

Chestnut Sided Chickedee

Western Tanager

Red Breasted Nuthatch

Varied Thrush

American Crow

Flicker

Yellow Rumped Warbler

Starling

Red Winged Blackbird

Sharp Shinned Hawk

California Quail

Mourning Dove

Ugh! Eliminate them all!

2007-05-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

I quit watching after the abortion portion of the debate. Regardless of your views, for or against, why do these MEN insist they have the right opinion about this. "Let the states' decide." "Let the court decide." I know....here is a novel thought......why not let WOMEN decide!

Our Most Shocking Elimination Yet!

2007-05-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

Well it probably won't be shocking or exciting but the Republican's have their moment in the spotlight tonight. I might watch some of it, but I'm sure I will just get overly frustrated with their rhetoric. Or I might be pleasantly surprised. As Joan Bahar said this morning on The View... "I can't wait until they ask Giuliani about family values." True, there are a great deal of contradictions in this group of candidates. I love McCain but not sure if he is president material. And then there's Mitt. Now that guy can talk! He always impresses me when he speaks; he is a great orator and very charismatic. Too bad I disagree with almost everything he stands for. But you know I'm a sucker for reality television. I will not be able to resist tuning in to see who will get eliminated.

Our Favorite Scenes from "Talledega Nights"

2007-04-27T11:22:00.000-07:00

Anytime the kids pronounce Chip with two syllables, my heart melts.

Then there is Formula Uuh.

Who is Mike Gravel?

2007-04-27T11:01:00.000-07:00

He's coo-koo, that's for sure. See his rant here by clicking on his picture on the "Rate the Candidates" page. Wow! The country or press decided that Howard Dean's little scream rally was detrimental to his race; I thought it was cute. Who doesn't want a guy to scream with passion about what he's doing to better America? But Mike was a little over the edge. Sure, I can understand his frustration in being rarely asked to speak, but do you have to flip out like that? I felt like I was watching the debate in "Man of the Year" where Robin William's character hi-jacks the debate. But Robin Williams was funny, inspiring even. Senator Gravel just made me feel uncomfortable. You know that kind of uncomfortable when a person reveals way too much information during party chit chat. They spill their gut then start laughing and try to act like they didn't just go too far. Eeeek! You then have to excuse yourself with something like..."Have you seen my husband anywhere?" or "Do you think there is any Cabernet left? I'm running a bit low here."

Who will get voted off next?

2007-04-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the big debate for our Democratic hopefuls running in this year's presidential election. Jim thinks that the only reason I like politics is because in a campaign, someone gets voted off the island. "Kusinich....the tribe has spoken."

I love the intrigue, the banter, the badmouthing. Their discussions make me angry, laugh, and sometimes inspired. It is much like my classroom of teenagers. So we will see who shines tonight, who bombs, who gets overly agitated at the pointed questions, and who inspires us.

Peace Out!

2007-04-24T07:11:00.000-07:00

She must be a Quaker if she is already showing signs of campaigning for Peace. She is starting small, bringing her message to the backyard. But someday her audience will be much larger. Remember to pray for peace for our World.

Dreaming of Summer

2007-04-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

Not that we don't love it here on the Westside in the Spring. Its so green, watching thunderstorms role in from East to West, and the Balsam flowers kiss the hillsides with a glow of the sun. But there is something about this time of year that also makes us long for the Eastside. We dream of days spent on Sandy Neck, Pie in the Sky lunches on the lawn in Woods Hole, Canolies in the North End and lazy Sundays in Falmouth. Oh we love our Sundays. A walk at Crane with Cady is followed by a Quaker meeting which is followed by a chat with our friends at the Stone Store. Then we go to the farm to pick the veggies we need for the day and maybe have a little lunch.

What about mid-week jaunts to the Outer Cape? We visit Chris in Eastham, buy lunch at the Superette and bust up to P-town for an afternoon at Herring Cove. If we walk out far enough we can let Cady off leash and view some really nice men (60-somethings) in their thongs or nothing at all. When Jim has had enough sun and surf, we go for a little window shopping in town and coffee at Wired Puppy. If we have Cady with us we usually have to stop a billion times to let vacationers pet her. They then share their story of how they once had a GSP...."the best dog I ever had, but we had to put her on Prozac because she was so high strung"... or something of that sort. Of course it gets too late to go home and cook so we why not stop at the Friendly Fisherman for a lobster roll?

Love the high desert spring but we can't wait for sun and surf summer.

Morning Routine Stays Alive

2007-04-11T09:09:00.000-07:00

Well the morning routine has stayed the same. Sometimes the girl sleeps through coffee, sometimes she wakes up the minute I put the mug to my lips. But we have discovered there is room enough for four on the bed. And today Jim decided "Baby, Baby" by Mac Davis should be the the tune of choice. For some reason "Babe" by Styx was stuck in my head. So on to Rhapsody we went in order to clear our brains of such aweful ear worms. We ended up with "Thank Heaven for Little Girls"; unfortunately the Maurice Chevalier version from the movie rendition of Gigi is unavailable or at least they only give you 30 seconds of it. Funny how the one song you remember by a random artist is always the song you have to pay for. Sorry Maurice, you had to be replaced by Liberace! Yikes!

Eat, Sleep, Poop, Eat, Sleep, Poop.....

2007-04-08T14:49:00.000-07:00

Its amazing how life changes with a baby. Before baby: How was your day today honey? Oh I heard this amazing interview on NPR. They said that ....blah blah blah. After baby: How was your day today honey? Well...she seemed to have a little discomfort while pooping today. Then she projectile pooped onto the wall and all over the stuffed animals in the window sill. I swear I had to feed her every half hour and finally at 12:00 pm she fell asleep. How was your day?

She's Here!

2007-03-22T14:04:00.000-07:00

Simone is 7 lbs 4 oz and 21 inches long; born at 12:13 am Wednesday. She was the first baby of Spring!

Bill and Jim's Excellent Adventure

2007-03-13T19:37:00.001-07:00

Morning Routine with Soundtrack

2007-02-18T09:52:00.000-08:00

We know our lives will change drastically in the next few months with the coming of Baby Ralf, but we hope that some routines will stay the same. Every morning we wake up in the dark and have coffee by candlelight in bed. I take a shower, Jim takes the dog out for her morning download, and the coffee is ready to go when we are done. Jim lights the candle, arranges the pillows, and I grab the coffee. This is Cady's signal that it is her only opportunity during the day to hop up and join the us on the bed.

After about an half hour we shift into "get to work" gear. Jim starts to make breakfast and I make the lunches. As we eat and get ready for our day Jim selects something from Rhapsody to get us reved up for the day. Sometimes we need the easy listening of Singer/Songwriter radio, sometimes we need a taste of the Cape and listen to WMVY, and other days we need a specific tune to get us going.

This morning it was Car Wash by Rose Royce. It is important for proper blood flow to the brain and heart to make washing movements with your arms as you dance around the house. Am I Sexy? by the Lords of Acid requires a more technical dance. You must do a little bit of a "boody shake" due to the theme of the song. This allows happy endorphines to make dendritic connections in the brain that will drown out the dreary gloomy thoughts of upcoming daily tasks. And then if you need a little more angst in your morning The Distance by Cake is sure to fire you up to get you down the long road of your day.