LOTR Marathon
So, here it is, finally, the third, and last, installment of Staycation.
Did any of you figure out the meaning of LOTR?
Consider the suspense ended...
it means "Lord of the Rings".
As in the movies.
All three of them.
Extended versions.
Yup, all 11+ hours.
The seed idea of an LOTR Marathon was planted through a conversation with our nephew, Jess, during Christmas break, and finally came to fruition during the summer staycation.
(Wouldn't want to rush anything, you know.)
We're not crazy enough to do this marathon all in one day/night, however.
I do think I would've lost my sanity,
not to mention that I probably would've slept through
nine of the eleven hours.
My techie husband took charge of the techie details:
procuring a projector, purchasing a $6 white sheet from Wal-Mart
and installing it as a big screen on the wall of our family room,
rearranging the surround sound,
albeit originally mistaking the right and left speakers
(which we discovered when one character galloped off the right-hand side of the screen while his voice traveled left),
adjusting the furniture and making a pretty darn good home theater (or theatre for our northward-leaning relatives).
I took charge of the domestic preparations:
food...yeah, that was pretty much it...that, and making sure the bathroom was clean.
We invited Jess and our other nieces and nephews, as well as Cami's BF, Jacob.
Night One:
Discs One and Two of "The Fellowship of the Ring",
plus Disc One of "The Two Towers".
Menu: Sloppy Joes, chips, pop, and 4 kinds of candy.
Attendance:10.
Wakefulness: I made it through all 5 hours, only dozing ever so slightly during the final 2 minutes.
Night Two:
Disc Two of "The Two Towers"
plus Disc One of "The Return of the King".
Menu: Leftover Sloppy Joes, leftover chips, pop, 2 kinds of candy.
Attendance: 6 and 2 halves. (Cami and Jacob only came for the last half).
Wakefulness: 20 minutes sleep, 4 hours awake.
Night Three:
Disc Two of "The Return of the King".
Menu: Water bottles, chip dust, Otter Pops.
Attendance: 8.
Wakefulness: 100% - barely - even though it was only 2 hours and 20 minutes of viewing.
Jim, Sean, Nate, nephews Jess and Derek, and I watched
the WHOLE THING.
We were joined at various times by Caitlin, Alicia, Cami and Jacob.
I thought the whole experience was great fun.
I LOVED spending time with my nieces and nephews, not to mention my immediate fam,
and I LOVED finally understanding this movie series that my boys enjoy so much.
I can only hope that the next time I take them on in our LOTR Trivial Pursuit DVD game, I'll achieve more than my usual one "pie piece" (to their 6). I must admit that, to this end, I attempted to sponge every bit of info I could as I watched...Theoden, Mines of Moria, Ents, Grima Wormtongue, et al. I'll let you know how this works out for me. :)
Our summer has been sprinkled with visits from faraway friends,
afternoons at my parents' pool (although with the casino newly opened down the road, the privacy level is SURE NOT the same as it used to be),
lots of reading,
some special birthday parties (a first and a fortieth),
and a fun and beautiful weekend camping with friends.
A few more adventures still await!
Hope your summer has been as enjoyable as ours.
Meg
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Staycation - Part Two
The day after returning from Harrison Hot Springs, we headed out bright and early to hit the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle and then the Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum. So if you want to put that in terms of acronyms, we had a WPZ/EMP/SFM day.
On our way, we picked up JK (Jacob Knibbe), Cami's cool BF (boyfriend).
We made our way down I-5 toward the WPZ.
Of course, along the way, we HAD to do a couple of crossword puzzles.
In Seattle, we inadvertently turned into Woodland PARK, instead of into the ZOO, but Jacob spotted a bird there, so we didn't miss out on the animals altogether.
Once situated at the WPZ, we traipsed all over, taking turns navigating
from the zoo's map (FYI - the map doesn't show ALL the paths, needless
to say, we got confused. Sometimes. Mostly when I was navigating.
The boys were better at it, and everything turned out OK).
We saw:
Gorillas,
Giraffes,
Hippos,
Monkeys (the screaming variety, oh joy),
A mountain goat,
Gigantic brown bears,
Flamingoes,
A Komodo dragon,
Brazilian cockroaches,
and much, much more.
The weather was pleasant and the kids were a hoot;
they made us LOL (laugh out loud) all day.
On to the EMP/SFM.
You just can't go wrong in a place with a 35 foot tall tower covered
with guitars of every shape, size, age, color, and manufacturer.
This piece of art is very cool.
We all jammed and learned on various drums, guitars and basses
and in sound-proof (thank goodness) rooms,
learned about Jimi Hendrix,
and checked out lots of memorablilia from movies and shows like
Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, etc.
Why Jim and I and the boys enjoy these slightly nerdy space shows, IDK (I don't know), but we do, and it was fun to see actual props and costumes. My favorite, without doubt, was the "tricorder" from the old Star Trek. Too cool!
The boys were dying to stop at Alderwood Mall to visit a Games Workshop store and check out Warhammer merchandise.
For the uninitiated, Warhammer is a miniatures game that's also a hobby.
Figures come in pieces, and it's up to the purchaser to cut, assemble and paint them. The figures are then used to play a battle/strategy game.
The boys love it!
Both found and purchased some desired items at the store
and were sincerely saying TYVM (thank you very much) for stopping there.
No trip south is complete without a stop in Burlington at KK.
You guessed it, Krispy Kreme.
We made it JUST before closing time. Whew - close one!
What a good day this was!
It was long and tiring, but lots of fun.
Those kids, I tell you, they keep it entertaining! :)
PLZ stay tuned for "Staycation - Part Three: LOTR Marathon".
On our way, we picked up JK (Jacob Knibbe), Cami's cool BF (boyfriend).
We made our way down I-5 toward the WPZ.
Of course, along the way, we HAD to do a couple of crossword puzzles.
In Seattle, we inadvertently turned into Woodland PARK, instead of into the ZOO, but Jacob spotted a bird there, so we didn't miss out on the animals altogether.
Once situated at the WPZ, we traipsed all over, taking turns navigating
from the zoo's map (FYI - the map doesn't show ALL the paths, needless
to say, we got confused. Sometimes. Mostly when I was navigating.
The boys were better at it, and everything turned out OK).
We saw:
Gorillas,
Giraffes,
Hippos,
Monkeys (the screaming variety, oh joy),
A mountain goat,
Gigantic brown bears,
Flamingoes,
A Komodo dragon,
Brazilian cockroaches,
and much, much more.
The weather was pleasant and the kids were a hoot;
they made us LOL (laugh out loud) all day.
On to the EMP/SFM.
You just can't go wrong in a place with a 35 foot tall tower covered
with guitars of every shape, size, age, color, and manufacturer.
This piece of art is very cool.
We all jammed and learned on various drums, guitars and basses
and in sound-proof (thank goodness) rooms,
learned about Jimi Hendrix,
and checked out lots of memorablilia from movies and shows like
Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, etc.
Why Jim and I and the boys enjoy these slightly nerdy space shows, IDK (I don't know), but we do, and it was fun to see actual props and costumes. My favorite, without doubt, was the "tricorder" from the old Star Trek. Too cool!
The boys were dying to stop at Alderwood Mall to visit a Games Workshop store and check out Warhammer merchandise.
For the uninitiated, Warhammer is a miniatures game that's also a hobby.
Figures come in pieces, and it's up to the purchaser to cut, assemble and paint them. The figures are then used to play a battle/strategy game.
The boys love it!
Both found and purchased some desired items at the store
and were sincerely saying TYVM (thank you very much) for stopping there.
No trip south is complete without a stop in Burlington at KK.
You guessed it, Krispy Kreme.
We made it JUST before closing time. Whew - close one!
What a good day this was!
It was long and tiring, but lots of fun.
Those kids, I tell you, they keep it entertaining! :)
PLZ stay tuned for "Staycation - Part Three: LOTR Marathon".
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Staycation - Part One
So I guess we're doing something that's trendy this year:
The "STAY-CATION".
For those of you who are unaware of this gas-price-induced phenomenon,
it means STAYing at home during your vaCATION
and having adventures from there.
Since when have the Clays been so happenin'? :)
We'll just pretend we were being "in" rather than the reality
of vacation for us being
"With-five-adult-sized-bodies-appetites-and-personalities-it-
wouldn't-be-a-good-idea-for-us-to-stay-somewhere-all-together-
for-any-length-of-time".
We all really like each other and want to keep it that way.
So here's how our stay-cation has looked.
Sunday morning:
Get packed up. Make a family trip to the grocery store for snacks.
Drive to Canada (about an hour total). Nice meal at White Spot.
Check in at Harrison Hot Springs Resort.
Sun conveniently comes out upon our arrival.
Lounge in pools. Late dinner. Ice cream at Baskin-Robbins.
Jim and the older two explore.
Nate plays in sand at the lake-beach until sundown.
I don't have a book along and am not dressed for the sand, so I sit.
I DO nothing.
I watch Nate build what's in his mind.
I look at the ridges and ridges of hills running down to the lake -
layer upon layer of blue-shadowed-evergreened ridges.
Water, sand, sky, clouds.
I watch a spunky two-year-old beach neighbor chase her siblings
and eat her sand-covered ice cream cone.
I laugh at a smart-aleck Jack Russell Terrier playing fetch with his owner.
I watch the created things and think of the Creator.
I am always close to Him here..."here" being "out in His handiwork".
I watch the sun set and walk with my son back to the hotel.
THIS is glorious. THIS is vacation.
We all watch TV together until midnight.
Sleep - sort-of - between rounds of the duvet
getting snatched by my 12 year-old.
(Sidebar: Sleeping arrangements in hotels or the trailer are always...ummm...challenging.
"X breathes too loud. Y steals the blankets. Z snores. Etc." Mom rolls her eyes and fits
the pieces together like a puzzle until everyone stands a reasonable chance of sleeping. Now that all my children can swallow pills, I resort to a half-dose of Nyquil for all willing participants in order to aid the sleeping process. It works.)
Monday:
Get up and out for breakfast around 10 AM. Sean has vowed to eat as much bacon as is humanly possible on this trip (since mom doesn't make it often enough at home). So as a follow-up to his BACON burger at White Spot and his BACON club sandwich for Sunday dinner, he eats another dozen slices from the breakfast buffet.
All-you-can-eat is a good thing for 14 year-old boys.
More pool time for the boys. Reading time outdoors for mom.
Reading/alone time indoors for Cami.
I join Jim and the boys in the pool eventually.
47 minutes after the breakfast buffet, give-or-take a few minutes,
Sean begins asking what's for dinner and when. Oh boy.
Dinner at the hole-in-the-wall pizza place we always visit when we're at Harrison.
Delicious food. The owner is a sassy East Indian
who keeps a running conversation with us
and gives Cami "the business".
He knows who the sassy one is in the family.
She dishes as much as she takes.
Stop at the mini-mart for treats.
Tennis...more laughing than actual playing, although we improved.
Watch the Bachelorette and other TV. Swim until late.
Rearrange sleeping assignments. Read. Sleep.
My 16 year-old did NOT steal the duvet.
Tuesday:
Cereal from home for breakfast (much cheaper than a restaurant).
Showers and packing up.
More time at the pool. Best weather of the trip. Bright sun. Beautiful.
63 minutes after entrance to the pool,
Sean is asking what's for lunch and when. Surprise, surprise.
The kids decide that the Taco Bell/KFC they discovered next
to White Spot would be just the thing.
Get dried and dressed. Load in the car and bid farewell to the hotel.
Good times. Two nights is just right.
We get our Taco Bell/KFC fix,
although Sean cannot seem to locate a dish with bacon.
We go back to the place where we can sleep in our own beds, check e-mail,
and be in cell phone range again sans roaming charges
(three guesses who that was important to!).
We go where we can spread out and love each other at arms length again.
This may sound mercenary, but it works for us.
And we love each other very, very much.
We've had a good time together.
Good laughing and wrestling
and Mad-Libbing and reading
and swimming and sunning and eating.
Good memories.
Good vacation.
To be continued...
The "STAY-CATION".
For those of you who are unaware of this gas-price-induced phenomenon,
it means STAYing at home during your vaCATION
and having adventures from there.
Since when have the Clays been so happenin'? :)
We'll just pretend we were being "in" rather than the reality
of vacation for us being
"With-five-adult-sized-bodies-appetites-and-personalities-it-
wouldn't-be-a-good-idea-for-us-to-stay-somewhere-all-together-
for-any-length-of-time".
We all really like each other and want to keep it that way.
So here's how our stay-cation has looked.
Sunday morning:
Get packed up. Make a family trip to the grocery store for snacks.
Drive to Canada (about an hour total). Nice meal at White Spot.
Check in at Harrison Hot Springs Resort.
Sun conveniently comes out upon our arrival.
Lounge in pools. Late dinner. Ice cream at Baskin-Robbins.
Jim and the older two explore.
Nate plays in sand at the lake-beach until sundown.
I don't have a book along and am not dressed for the sand, so I sit.
I DO nothing.
I watch Nate build what's in his mind.
I look at the ridges and ridges of hills running down to the lake -
layer upon layer of blue-shadowed-evergreened ridges.
Water, sand, sky, clouds.
I watch a spunky two-year-old beach neighbor chase her siblings
and eat her sand-covered ice cream cone.
I laugh at a smart-aleck Jack Russell Terrier playing fetch with his owner.
I watch the created things and think of the Creator.
I am always close to Him here..."here" being "out in His handiwork".
I watch the sun set and walk with my son back to the hotel.
THIS is glorious. THIS is vacation.
We all watch TV together until midnight.
Sleep - sort-of - between rounds of the duvet
getting snatched by my 12 year-old.
(Sidebar: Sleeping arrangements in hotels or the trailer are always...ummm...challenging.
"X breathes too loud. Y steals the blankets. Z snores. Etc." Mom rolls her eyes and fits
the pieces together like a puzzle until everyone stands a reasonable chance of sleeping. Now that all my children can swallow pills, I resort to a half-dose of Nyquil for all willing participants in order to aid the sleeping process. It works.)
Monday:
Get up and out for breakfast around 10 AM. Sean has vowed to eat as much bacon as is humanly possible on this trip (since mom doesn't make it often enough at home). So as a follow-up to his BACON burger at White Spot and his BACON club sandwich for Sunday dinner, he eats another dozen slices from the breakfast buffet.
All-you-can-eat is a good thing for 14 year-old boys.
More pool time for the boys. Reading time outdoors for mom.
Reading/alone time indoors for Cami.
I join Jim and the boys in the pool eventually.
47 minutes after the breakfast buffet, give-or-take a few minutes,
Sean begins asking what's for dinner and when. Oh boy.
Dinner at the hole-in-the-wall pizza place we always visit when we're at Harrison.
Delicious food. The owner is a sassy East Indian
who keeps a running conversation with us
and gives Cami "the business".
He knows who the sassy one is in the family.
She dishes as much as she takes.
Stop at the mini-mart for treats.
Tennis...more laughing than actual playing, although we improved.
Watch the Bachelorette and other TV. Swim until late.
Rearrange sleeping assignments. Read. Sleep.
My 16 year-old did NOT steal the duvet.
Tuesday:
Cereal from home for breakfast (much cheaper than a restaurant).
Showers and packing up.
More time at the pool. Best weather of the trip. Bright sun. Beautiful.
63 minutes after entrance to the pool,
Sean is asking what's for lunch and when. Surprise, surprise.
The kids decide that the Taco Bell/KFC they discovered next
to White Spot would be just the thing.
Get dried and dressed. Load in the car and bid farewell to the hotel.
Good times. Two nights is just right.
We get our Taco Bell/KFC fix,
although Sean cannot seem to locate a dish with bacon.
We go back to the place where we can sleep in our own beds, check e-mail,
and be in cell phone range again sans roaming charges
(three guesses who that was important to!).
We go where we can spread out and love each other at arms length again.
This may sound mercenary, but it works for us.
And we love each other very, very much.
We've had a good time together.
Good laughing and wrestling
and Mad-Libbing and reading
and swimming and sunning and eating.
Good memories.
Good vacation.
To be continued...
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
The Graduate
Last night Sean, my second-born, graduated from 8th grade.
The boy looked pretty spiffy in his black pants and red button-front shirt.
He looked...grown-up, sort-of...
A man-child.
Although he didn't come right out and say it,
I think he actually liked how it looked and felt to dress up.
But you DIDN'T hear that from me. Silencio, por favor. :)
It seems that with Sean's mild-mannered ways,
he usually gets paired, in every school event,
with the more difficult kids.
So I was glad for him that graduation proved to be
a diversion from that long-standing pattern.
He walked in with one of his good friends
and sat by another of his good friends during the ceremony.
Nice.
After the requisite post-grad picture-taking,
Sean re-outfitted muy rapido...
Shorts and a t-shirt, of course.
The after-party was shared with Sean's cousin and best friend, Derek.
In vintage Sean fashion, while everyone else was chatting and eating maple bar cake
in the family room, Sean was to be found in the quiet of the kitchen, conversing just with Derek.
The boys made such a haul of cash that it made me think I should find something to graduate from. Hmmmmm......
Needless to say, with the loot burning a hole in the grad's pocket and no school to attend or homework to do, today we started scoping out new guitars.
Grad night was a good night.
At the beginning of eighth grade, I couldn't imagine how Sean would be ready for this moment,
but he is.
It's time to move on.
High school. Wow.
These milestones are always good times to reflect
on the fascinating creations that God allows us access to.
On the faithfulness of His care all along the way.
Some of the future things that will happen in the next four to ten years
of Sean's life are admittedly intimidating.
But I see the faithfulness and power of my God so far.
I see the limited nature of my ability to affect the outcome.
I know that the ONE who loves Sean best and knows him most intimately
Is also the Only One who does have the ability to affect the outcome.
We're truly blessed to be called children of this One.
We're truly blessed to be His partners in the journey of
The Graduate.
Yeah, Sean. You made it!!!
We love and enjoy you LOTS. :)
The boy looked pretty spiffy in his black pants and red button-front shirt.
He looked...grown-up, sort-of...
A man-child.
Although he didn't come right out and say it,
I think he actually liked how it looked and felt to dress up.
But you DIDN'T hear that from me. Silencio, por favor. :)
It seems that with Sean's mild-mannered ways,
he usually gets paired, in every school event,
with the more difficult kids.
So I was glad for him that graduation proved to be
a diversion from that long-standing pattern.
He walked in with one of his good friends
and sat by another of his good friends during the ceremony.
Nice.
After the requisite post-grad picture-taking,
Sean re-outfitted muy rapido...
Shorts and a t-shirt, of course.
The after-party was shared with Sean's cousin and best friend, Derek.
In vintage Sean fashion, while everyone else was chatting and eating maple bar cake
in the family room, Sean was to be found in the quiet of the kitchen, conversing just with Derek.
The boys made such a haul of cash that it made me think I should find something to graduate from. Hmmmmm......
Needless to say, with the loot burning a hole in the grad's pocket and no school to attend or homework to do, today we started scoping out new guitars.
Grad night was a good night.
At the beginning of eighth grade, I couldn't imagine how Sean would be ready for this moment,
but he is.
It's time to move on.
High school. Wow.
These milestones are always good times to reflect
on the fascinating creations that God allows us access to.
On the faithfulness of His care all along the way.
Some of the future things that will happen in the next four to ten years
of Sean's life are admittedly intimidating.
But I see the faithfulness and power of my God so far.
I see the limited nature of my ability to affect the outcome.
I know that the ONE who loves Sean best and knows him most intimately
Is also the Only One who does have the ability to affect the outcome.
We're truly blessed to be called children of this One.
We're truly blessed to be His partners in the journey of
The Graduate.
Yeah, Sean. You made it!!!
We love and enjoy you LOTS. :)
Friday, May 30, 2008
Forty
Two hours and nine minutes ago, I turned 40.
I feel like I should be waxing philosophical
and reflecting on life...
But IT'S MY BIRTHDAY.
I just finished my "employed-outside-the-home"
work for the week,
my house is relatively clean,
I have some new books from Barnes and Noble,
and I reallly have no desire to be sitting in front of the computer.
I will tell you about being forty...later.
Seriously...
there's partying to do! :)
I feel like I should be waxing philosophical
and reflecting on life...
But IT'S MY BIRTHDAY.
I just finished my "employed-outside-the-home"
work for the week,
my house is relatively clean,
I have some new books from Barnes and Noble,
and I reallly have no desire to be sitting in front of the computer.
I will tell you about being forty...later.
Seriously...
there's partying to do! :)
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