My Favorite Dad

It's Dad's birthday!  Yippee!!!










Last tribute for a while.  (Most of my family is born in January!)

Dad, I can't make a walleye out of frosting that looks this realistic, but if I could, I would.
(But I can Photoshop the words to make it say what I want.)

And since I did not inherit Dad's math skills, I had to ask Jesse Massard for help with this:

And here are three things I love and admire about my dad:

(I put all the photos together because it was too hard to decide which category to put them in.  Thanks to Rachel for sending a lot of these for both Mom and Dad's blogs.)

1. He is fun, creative, and a good sport.

Whether it was flapping his arms and pecking at the birdfeeder for us when we were small, or writing poems for us, or making cool stuff in his shop, or trying out a new recipe for guests, Dad is always up to something exciting.  I guess that's why I'm such a planner and project addict myself, and why I have a thing for performers.

2. He loves nature and doing things outdoors.

Dad's a real outdoors-man and many of our best times were had out in nature.  Beyond just enjoying the beauty of the wilderness, I think it's a very spiritual experience for him, and for me as well.  Even though I live in a city now, I still greatly value my appreciation of nature and enjoy it whenever I can.

3. He's always been very respectful and encouraging toward us.

 I know plenty of fathers who said things like "Don't throw like a girl" or who wouldn't dream of having their daughters help with projects around the house.  My dad was never like that and I have a tremendous amount of respect for him.  We got to help with building projects, we watched sports together, learned how to fish - and we're all very independent DIY girls as a result.  Yes, I carry a leatherman in my purse and I'm proud of it.  Thanks Dad!

 Snowman building at Cotton Lake.

Learning all the skills of camping.  I think this is a lesson in how to get comfy in a lawn chair after the hard work is done.

 

 More summer travel adventures - here we are exploring Glacier National Park.

Rachel, Becky and Dad, building the shop - as you can see, we all know how to use tools!

Here Dad supervises while Becky and I try to duplicate one of his projects - making whistles out of antlers.  Thanks to all my project experience with Dad, I had no trouble using the power tools in my sculpture classes in college.  (Or fixing stuff around the house in my 100+ year-old apartment in Berkeley.)

Dad likes to make people laugh and has a natural talent for it.  Whenever we have a big family party he plans some type of entertainment.  He planned several big musical numbers for my relatives at my Grandparents' anniversary party, and my little cousins liked it so well that they asked him to sing parts of it again with them springing out from behind like the Von Trapps in the Sound of Music.  So cute!

Dad started tracking wild asparagus a few summers ago.  Here he is last June with some of his "crop".  It's delicious!

Dad coached our basketball and softball teams in high school, and so we had some great talks and life lessons together through sports.  Here he is with Rachel's softball team.

Dad carved this pipe for my grandparents out of pipestone and diamond willow.  Then he held a little ceremony with it and all my relatives participated.  Here my uncle Michael shows it off.  Awesome, huh?

Quiet evening on the dock.  I really like spending one-on-one time with Dad, so I always try to get in at least one fishing trip when I'm at home.  It's very serene.

Thanks for being such a great role model, Dad.  I really appreciate you and I hope you have a fun and creative year ahead.  I can't wait for you to check out all there is to see and do when you get to Macau!  Love you!  xo

Terri Honey

It's Mom's birthday!  Woohoo!!!
(At least it is in Macau.)











Time for another tribute.

Mom, if I could make you an enormous birthday cupcake, I would have this guy deliver it:
(In the course of finding this image I learned that you and Godzilla are the same age!
No wonder you're such a fan!)

And, here's a creepy rendition of "Happy Birthday", compliments of the Twilight Zone:

And here are three things I love and admire about my mom:

1. She is always learning, exploring and creating:

Here's Mom trying out her star pointer a few Christmases ago.  Mom really loves astronomy and gives us star talks on clear nights.  I totally enjoy nerding out with her about language, and although I've never been great at science, I still think it's interesting and enjoy listening to all the stories she reads about in Discover magazine.

I may not be a great cook, but I can bake like a champ.  Most of this was learned from and encouraged by Mom, since she loves homemade baked things even more than I do.  A few years ago we decided to celebrate our Norwegian roots by learning how to make lefse together.  It's fun!

She's crafty too.  Both my parents are extremely creative.  (Is it any wonder that I became first an art major and then an educator?  Creative planning is in my genes, yo!)  Here I'm modeling a pair of slippers that mom knitted and felted for me.  Love 'em!


2. She really goes out of her way to make things special for us:

 Whether it's helping Santa to get us just the perfect gifts...

or making us the custom birthday cakes of our choice, year after year...

or sending us beautifully wrapped packages weeks in advance all the way to Macau, Mom always knocks our socks off.  (Isn't it obvious why I'm such a perfectionist?)


3. She's always encouraged us to be adventurous:

For instance, when I decided to get a motorcycle a few years ago, many people reacted negatively when I told them about it and said things like "What does your mother think about that?"  Luckily I was able to respond "Actually, she (and my dad) helped me finance it."  Thanks for always encouraging our wild and crazy individuality Mom!

 Our adventures began with family camping trips which we were fortunately able to take every summer.  Mom has neat and tidy camping down to a science.  I'm sure it was tough keeping us all in line when we were on the road - thanks for all your hard work Mom!

And finally, when I was old enough to start making my own crazy-elaborate plans, my parents were cool enough to go along with them.  When I was 16, I planned an epic road trip out to California for us, stopping at every major landmark the West had to offer.  It was a very memorable adventure and their willingness to encourage me to pursue great things really made an impression.  There's rarely a time when I feel unable to follow my dreams and I'm really thankful for that gift of confidence. 
(p.s. Notice anything familiar about my bangs?)


Thanks for helping me become the person I am, Mom.  I really appreciate you and I hope you and Godzilla both have an outstanding year.  I can't wait for our adventures to continue when you come to visit in Macau!
Love you!  xo

My favorite Supermarket

Today is my sister Rachel's 32nd birthday!  Huzzah!!!













(And since I liked how Becky's tribute turned out, I will follow a similar format today.)

Rach, if I could bake some birthday cupcakes for you, they would look like this:

And, I do apologize, but when I asked Jerry if he would sing "Happy Birthday" for you, he just went off on this grim soliloquy instead:

And if I were gonna list three things that make you a wonderful sister, they'd be:

1. You've got great style: 
I was always a little jealous of Rachel's sense of self when we were young.  Whether it was fashion, music, hobbies, dance moves, etc., she always did her own thing - and did it confidently.  It took me until college to find my groove, but she had it from the get-go.  She was cool.  (And of course, still is.)

For a number of years she had very short hair with a little ducktail in the back.  I don't think I've ever seen that cut on any other kid her age.  Not sure where she got the idea from, but it fit.  (Thanks, Mom and Dad for sending me these old photos.)

She also went through a period where she was really into hats.  

I'm guessing you don't know anyone else who made & wore a camouflage dress to prom? 

Super cool!

2. You've got great kids:
And as we all know, good children are not born, they are made with great patience and care.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, you are an excellent mother and I'm always impressed when observing you in action.  You should be very proud of yourself and your little pumpkins.

The fam: Rachel, Jacob, Oscar and Elloise

So...many...cute...photos...to...choose...from...can't...decide.......

3. We've got great history:
Whether it was searching for pirate treasure at Cotton Lake, spending countless hours swimming away from the Horned King on our inner tubes, or fighting over the blankets at Grandma & Grandpa's house, we've been through a lot together.  It's hard to put into words, but when you've been having adventures as long as we have, it really makes a deep connection.  Thanks for being my playmate all those years - someday I'll forgive you for chasing me with frogs.

 Our old house at Cotton Lake

(Can you tell we're wearing leftover singlets from the boys' wrestling team for swimsuits?)

 Fishing on Moose Lake, where we moved to in the mid-80s.  (Yes, I already had glasses.)

Moose Lake again, trying not to break anything

An evening walk in Moorhead, last summer

Wishing you all good things this year Rachy - Becky and I will be thinking of you this week.  Too bad you can't magically join us and show the Chinese what a truly tall American woman looks like.  :)  Love you lots! xo

What's new

Here's what's new around #12A since the start of 2012:

1. My attitude: My New Year's resolution was to try to have a less stressful approach to work, and so far it's been a piece of cake.  Totally weird.  I was incredibly nervous/excited before my first day of fall semester.  This semester - nothing.  I mean, I was happy to meet my new students and reconnect with the ones I'd had before, but it was just like any other day.  I haven't had a lot of prep work to do yet and what I am doing I just do when I feel like it.  I'm slightly afraid I'll jinx it by writing it here, but I hope not because it's great!  Angie says it's just experience, but after only one semester it seems like a disproportionately large change.  Maybe it's also because I'm getting older and my body realizes I can't afford to spend that much energy on anything without taking years off my life.  Whatever the reason, I'm totally chill so far.

2. My hair: As I mentioned in early December, I am trying a new hairstyle after six years of the same thing and many more years of parting down the middle.  I like to be symmetrical - otherwise it looks creepy when you see yourself in photos.  The squinty eye is bad enough.  But drastic times call for drastic measures and since my hair is not getting any thicker, I needed to change something.  So I have been parting it on the side throughout my vacation and it's finally starting to cooperate.  Kind of.  My front cowlicks have a mind of their own and so trying to get the right one to suddenly go left is a major battle.  Many days of our vacation I had it lashed down with a bobby pin, but now that school's back in session, I have to rely on styling gel and good will.  It was actually behaving pretty well on Friday, so I took this picture to demonstrate (and to show Olivia, who keeps asking to see it).  Unfortunately, I photographed too soon.  Right after taking this I put on my hat (because it's really cold now), and by the time I got to school it was a disaster.  Mutiny had occurred in those snugly wool depths and it was chaos!  As I began damage control, Angie looks over and says "Hey, you look like that guy - Alfalfa!"  Always knows the right thing to say, that one.  The worst part is that it really reminds me of the way I did my hair in junior high.  Not.  Good.  But I have no other solutions, so I'm hoping by the time I get back to the States and actually have to face the people I care about it will be under control.  (sigh)

3. The last of the Christmas presents: Becky's package arrived and was well worth the wait.  She sent me DVDs of two of my favorite celebrity crushes: Jimmy Fallon and Pearl Jam (Eddie Vedder).  Nice work Becky!!!  Can't wait to watch them!  Maybe when you're here!

4. Baby Bobby: or Madison Samin Farboud as she is now known.  My friend Bobby finally got around to telling me that his wife, Shirley, delivered a lovely baby girl on the 23rd.  He said he sent me a text right away and it didn't go through, which I suppose I will choose to believe since fatherhood is a big deal and can rattle even the most responsible of friends.  And because I'm such a good friend I didn't even mention to him the fact that I've been checking my email expectantly ever since the 14th (due date) and more recently was actually quite concerned that something was wrong. (ahem)  Needless to say, I'm glad she made it alright and that they're all well and happy.  Pretty cute, huh?

5. It's cold:  I mean, cold for Macau.  It's been in the 11-13 degree range (low 50s Fahrenheit) and raining.  Yuck.  Not only is it unpleasant to be out in this weather, and cold in both our homes and offices, but it also makes the buses really insane.  This is not what you want to see pulling up in front of you after a long day at work.  (Walking back from dinner in our neighborhood tonight I was making noises of displeasure at the cold and Beth said "Wow, you must have really been miserable in Minnesota."  Yes ma'am - that's why I left.)

6. I'm no longer tormented by Blade Runner: It really is easier to understand after you've read the book.  Still doesn't explain the ending, but I guess that was the intention of the director.  It was nice to finally watch it again though, and I can appreciate the visuals more now that I don't have to think so hard about it.

Alaina Rose Amara Luke

Six years ago today, my fantastic goddaughter Alaina made her debut in Alameda, CA.  Alison chose to have her at home, and I was one of the few people invited to take part.  It was an amazing experience for which I will ever be grateful.  I was a little worried about it going in, because I'm usually really sensitive about blood, medical procedures, seeing people in pain, etc.  (I'm that person the nurses are always telling to lie on the floor with my knees elevated.  The first few times I gave blood were totally embarrassing.)  However my fears were unwarranted, it was beautiful and not at all scary.  If you ever have a friend who's generous enough to share this miracle with you, I suggest you take the opportunity.  Thanks Alison!

2006 - a few months later

2007 - already a force to be reckoned with

2008 - Easter, hence the bunny nose sucker

2009 - Finally, she's old enough to have a sleepover.  We'd no sooner sat down at this Indian restaurant with our drinks, when she folded her hands in front of her, looked me right in the eye and said "So, what should we talk about?"  After I stopped laughing I asked what she thought we should discuss and she suggested something about boys.  Eating Indian food and talking about guys, just like going out with her mother.  :)

2009 - It may not be totally appropriate to call a little girl a badass, but really, nothing else will do.  She loves "riding" my bike whenever she gets the chance.  Can't wait until she's old enough to go with me for a real ride.

2010 - For this birthday outing, we went on a visit to the SF Museum of Modern Art to check out the children's area.  It was underwhelming, so we headed up to the rooftop cafe for a treat.  Lains chose both hot and cold chocolate - the perfect combination.

2011 - Alaina really wanted to see snow for her birthday wish last year, so for her party she requested everyone wear white.  Many people did, but not with such a degree of flair.
(She got to go see the real deal in Tahoe with her family later on.)

2011 - making a bedtime treat during last year's birthday sleepover

2011 - Her mother sent this to me in May and it's been my phone background ever since.  I can't decide which I love most - the freckles or the dimples or the gap teeth.

2011 - Lains started taking martial arts classes last year - here she shows me how to punch.  It's kind of dark, but I love it anyway.  That loud noise in the background is a dog sneezing.

2011 - Our last big adventure together was a camping trip I took with Alaina and her mom and sisters in July.  It was great.  This girl loves to swim!

Have a wonderful birthday, sweetheart!  

I love you and hope you have a great year of being 6!  

We'll have a belated sleepover when I get back this summer!