AWOL Update

email update this morning from my AWOL son. He's in Siem Reap "exploring 1400 year old ruins...This city is amazing, and you can feel the energy when you walk through the temples."

I like it when I hear him speak like that. I like it that he appears to be trying to see more with his being than with his eyes. But then, maybe that's just me.

I love you Honey.

Michigan Winter Poem

This was sent to me by a friend who doesn't happen to like the snow. I, on the other hand, looooove the snow.

Michigan Winter Poem

It's winter here in Michigan
And the gentle breezes blow,

Seventy miles an hour,
At twenty five below.

Oh, how I love ole Michigan
When the snow's up to your butt.

You take a breath of winter
And your nose freezes shut.

Yes, the weather here is wonderful
So I guess I'll hang around.

I could never leave my Michigan
Cause I'm frozen to the ground!

And then they say we can tell that Spring is coming because we can finally see the deer again. ahaha Rain, rain stay away! Please bring me another snow day.....

Make mine a snow day.

Living across the street from a park has it's definite advantages. There's a huge hill that most people sled down, but we've found that the little hill behind the tennis courts is just the right size when we've got so many little ones sledding with us. This day found 13 of my family members out for some winter fun.

There is nonstop screeching and laughter as we come bumping and barreling down the hill, everyone blind from the flying snow as most of the time there is so much powder we have to close our eyes. The little ones have learned the joy of goggles to see what's coming - we adults would do well to learn that too.


It doesn't take long before the big people start to wander higher up the trail and into the trees....and the little ones, of course, follow. Perhaps it's our sense of immortality as humans, but careening down the trail through the trees with your eyes closed is a popular pasttime for more than just my family. I hear people screeching and laughing out there in the middle of the night all the time.

And every once in a while someone gets wounded. D-I-L got it the worst this time when she stuck her foot out to keep herself and Miss M from running into a tree, but ended up spinning around with her leg stuck between two saplings. Scuffed up her shin pretty bad, but nothing was broken. Oh, and to top it off, as F.O.S. was inspecting her leg to make sure she would be ok, Sir S came barreling down the trail on his sled and wiped out both F.O.S. and D-I-L like so many bowling pins. I know she was hurt, but it was impossible not to laugh. All that was missing was the sound of the bowling ball hitting the pins. Those of us watching from down the hill tried really hard to cover our mouths and stifle our laughs until we heard F.O.S. laughing up the hill. Then we all burst out laughing. And I still laugh when I visualize it.

AWOL

Taiwan Son sent me this email from Taiwan:

Mom and Dad,

I'm leaving for Cambodia tomorrow at 7:00 AM. I will be back on February 14th. Nothing regarding the trip is determined besides the information I've just provided you. I intend to read the guide book while in flight tomorrow and that should help me figure out the details for my trip. Once I get back I will send you an e-mail informing that I am safe and well, I wouldn't expect anything until then.

Love,
Alex

Can I just say that I really don't like it when he does that? He left with his backpack and his camera for 3 weeks of hiking by himself. Last time he did that he and a buddy were on the Great Wall of China in an area that wasn't open to tourists, let alone anyone hiking and camping. They bribed a guard to get on the wall and were told in no uncertain terms that they were NOT allowed to return the way they came from. Yeah, and he found out why the area wasn't open - IT WAS BARELY NAVIGABLE! Like, scaling walls with nothing more than his hiking stick wedged between rocks to move along sections of the wall and if the rocks gave way he would tumble to his death. However, he speaks of that trip and his "brush with death" as one of the more memorable highlights of his life thus far. He speaks with reverence of waking in the early dawn to stand on the wall just as the sun comes up - the whole world laid out before him bathed in golden light and he feeling like he owned the world. He faced an incredible challenge and he learned to trust himself. Thus begins a lifetime journey of learning that he is capable of accomplishing great things. I can't fault him for wanting to learn more.

Ugh! It's going to be a long 3 weeks.

Just a tiny headstart.

Once I get in the routine of doing something it's really hard to stop, which is how I ended up with NEXT year's Christmas Eve presents completed for the little girls. It just sort of happened that I was in Pier I and saw these great linen napkins on sale for .48. How could I resist them when I couldn't buy material for that price. As soon as I saw them I knew they would make great aprons for the young ladies. And, since the sewing machine was already set up.....

From this:


To this:

The placemats with the bamboo dowels in the first picture are being turned into fabric baskets to hold all the treasures that accumulate in my craft room. The placemats were .48 as well. Come on! How could I not? The dowels? Hmmm, Lummi Sticks?

History in the making?

I was there! My city had it's first ever ball drop on New Years Eve. No one could (or dared to) predict how it would turn out, but it was beyond imagination for this little ole' city. K and I were actually on one of the inner rings at Rosa Parks Circle for the drop and it was packed. A light guestimate is 20,000 people. Once it was over we turned to leave and were shocked to see how many people were behind us. We knew the park was full because we could see all the people in front of us, but on turning we realized that people were shoulder to shoulder all the way back to the buildings across the street and the surrounding streets and parking lots. Cars were at a complete standstill because of the pedestrians. Wow! It was crispy cold, but full of energy and excitement. I'm so happy I was there to see it. Welcome 2009. I hope you are at least as good to me as 2008.