AJ's First Day of School!

In keeping with tradition, I just had to take AJ's 'First Day of School' photo! Poor guy! I doubt he'll be free of this custom until he retires, since he plans to be in a school setting for years to come!

So here's AJ on the first day of his 23rd year of school!!

Andie's 31st Birthday!

Hello Everyone!

A massive THANK YOU to so many friends and family who thought of me on my birthday! I received several lovely cards in the mail, countless emails, phone calls, and over 35 Facebook messages (you gotta love technology!). Thank you so much! I felt so loved!

My actual birthday was so nice! It started off with an early morning long run, followed by a trip to the doggie pound (I'm in doggie withdrawl!) where we got to walk a big, slobbery dog named Sylvester. His massive features make him look a bit scary, but he really was a (slimy) teddy bear! Hopefully the poor guy gets adopted soon. After the pound, AJ and I joined up with some friends for an authentic lunch at a lovely pub in Bristol, called the 'Dove Cote Inn'. We were amazed that it was built in the 16th century, which appeared to boast the same features of yesterday (low ceilings, old fireplaces, wooden beams). Can't wait to take family and friends there someday!

After a lovely afternoon walk, we headed to our friends Dave & Emma's house for a birthday celebration! I was greeted with a balloon tierra and butterfly (fairy?) wings, which Dave instructed me to wear the rest of the evening! Emma knows that I've been missing my recipe books, so she purchased several great cookbooks for me to use...I was thrilled! One of them is full of traditional (English) 'pudding' (a.k.a. desserts) recipes, which we've come to love!

Here's Emma and I (note I'm still wearing my crown)!

After pouring into my new books, I fluttered into the kitchen to find AJ secretly cooking my favorite meal, SPAGHETTI! Yum! Doesn't AJ look thrilled?! Ha.Ha.

To make my birthday complete, Emma baked an enormous, rich 'Mississippi Pie' in honor of our homeland (note the wings)! Ha.Ha. It was fabulous! I think we walked away 5lbs. heavier that night.

Thanks for the great birthday everyone!

12 Hours in Dublin!

It's been such a joy working for an international company! Although our project managers are often the ones called upon to travel (Maldives, South Africa, Dubai, Romania, Turkey, Libya...yes, even Libya!), sometimes we little engineers get to go places, too! In mid-September my company sent me to Dublin for a project meeting, which I so calmly agreed to (I WAS JUMPING FOR JOY!)...so off I went! Unfortunately the journey was just 12 hours long, but I made the most of it and crammed in as much sight-seeing as possible on foot. Below are just a few things I encountered on my journey.

I couldn't resist taking a photo with a lepruchan!

My co-worker Allison and I followed the music down the cobblestone streets to find this fun Irish band. I loved the classical Irish tunes!

I was amazed that Trinity College was within walking distance!

Here's a photo of the original door at the entry of the College.

After power walking the streets of Dublin, we returned to the Dublin airport to find over 100 screaming school children with banners and balloons. The Irish para-Olympic team was just returning home from Beijing! I tried blending in with the crowd & joined in on the cheering games, waiting in anticipation for a glimpse of some pretty neat celebrities...but unfortunately their plane was a bit delayed, so I had to settle for a jog to get to my gate on time!

We Passed!

AJ and I are pleased to announce that we are now holders of official U.K. Drivers Licenses! Hooray! (If you look closely, you will see that they're pink...AJ's favorite color!). So now, brave friends & family members can enjoy a delightful drive with us in the British countryside without the fear of running into hedge rows, a herd of sheep, or 3-wheeled milk trucks.

Dr. Quinn!

Was anyone else enamoured with the series Dr. Quinn - Medicine Woman? I remember looking forward to experiencing the next adventure with Sully & Dr. Quinn! Well, my co-workers just informed me that THE Dr. Quinn (Jane Seymour) lives just 10 minutes east of here in a town called Bath. Now I can't wait to peruse the city streets looking for my childhood hero! (anyone want an autograph?!)

Exmouth

Okay, so it's been a while. We know this and we repent. With that said, though, we're still going to keep this one ever so short. Sorry, but it's a taster.

This past Saturday we went to Exmouth. It's right below us as the crow flies, though it's also on the bottom coast of the island. The reason for our going is because, frankly, I wanted to fish for sea bass, which we can't do by Bristol (the wretched Severn river dumps too much mud in the water). So we went south. It's our new playground, as Exmouth offers a cute little sea town, trails, and fishing. You'll notice Andie's not in any of the pictures. This is because she was busy working on engineering stuff. She said she'd rather come along and work outside. So work she did while I brought home the bacon, or sea bass as it were.

Exmouth coast.

More coast.

Also coast.

My first sea bass! I got the little bugger out on a rocky finger at low tide. He was in shallow water feeding on crabs. After looking thoroughly professional and untangling an enormous line-mess made by the wind, I cast one of my new sea flies and--wham! Sea bass are supposed to be really good eating, so we're excited to try!

Camping in Wales!

Hello Everyone! It's been ages since we've last updated the Blog...thank you for checking in!

AJ and I are BIG fans of our close neighbor Wales. It is a BEAUTIFUL country, and we're thankful for the opportunity to see some of its hidden treasures!

In early June, we set off on our first group camping trip to the Gower Peninsula with some lovely Trinity College friends. This area is absolutely stunning, and it's just a short 1.5 hours' drive from Bristol. :)

Here's a photo of some of our friends (we like to think we have friends). If you check our Blog on occasion, you may have become familiar with 'Big Dave' in the car. Such a jokester!

AJ and I on the beach, just before the tide rolled in. As you can see, AJ took advantage of the moment to fish!

A view of Rhossili beach from above. I was almost overwhelmed by the beauty!

Another view of Rhossili.

Ladies in blue! Here's Lauren and Emma, loving our weekend adventure!

After visiting the beach, we ventured out and walked along the rugged coastline. Here's a photo of the group having a picnic on the edge!

Here's another shot of the sea, looking west. Can you tell we're enamoured with the ocean?

I couldn't resist snapping a photo of the setting sun near our campsite.

If you're able, please come visit! We'd love to return to the Gower!

Speaking Horse to a Pony

It seems the animals here don't like me. Normally, I'd think it was just a misunderstanding, but Andie's noticed it too. It began early in our time here, when on a hike I tried speaking Horse to a pony. 'Neehehe' I said to the little fellow. He ignored me, so I said it again a little louder. 'Neehehe.' Well, that little pony let out a slew of profanity like you've never heard. I'd rather not repeat it here, but it was to the effect of 'Don't you come talkin' your Horse-talk to me, boy. I ain't no horse, and I'm not having you talk to me like I was. Do it again and I'll come stamp on your face.' 'Alright, buddy,' I said, and we walked away to his cursing. Terrible little creature.


It wasn't long after that we met another pair of ponies. They were in a pasture we needed to cross to get to my trout stream and to continue to Andie's trail. Well, as you can see Andie was loving up on them. She kissed and petted their soft little muzzles, and they followed her around like ducklings. At one point I came up to Andie to give her the camera. The boy pony must've taken offense to me moving in on his women, so he bit me. Fast and sharp on the back of my arm, he nailed me. When I wheeled to see what the heck had just attacked me, he trotted away snorting. Evil beast.


Every now and again we babysit our housemates' ferret. His name is Koo-koo, and probably not by accident. Typically, we have the little weasel up to our flat and try to keep him from doing too much damage in the requisite exercise time. During this time, he runs around trying to pull over, pry open, and fit into everything that either contains food or stinks. Here read laundry basket, fridge, and garbage cans. He's usually successful. Sometimes he even leaves us a little poop-present in the corner. Well, this past weekend he was doing his thing but, for some reason, kept trying to climb up to our open windows. Being that we live on the fourth floor, I didn't think dear Koo-koo would survive the educational experience. So I kept shoeing him away from the windows. Eventually, I just closed the windows and locked him out of that room. Well, he was none too happy and showed it by raring up on his hind legs and hissing at me. I just ignored him and kept reading. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the demon ferret came flying from the side and attacked my leg. He bit me and ran off. Koo-koo and I have filed for separation on grounds of irreconcilable differences.

Doing What I Do

People again have been asking what it is that I do on a daily basis. It's a fair enough question, considering UK PhD's look very different than US ones and, further, that nobody seems to know what a US PhD looks like anyway! So, upon the request of inquiring minds and of my wifey, I here divulge the mysterious and enthralling details of my daily life. Buckle up, it's going to get wild.


Observe me in my habitat. We PhD's are a rare and illusive species, as you can see by the picture. This is the library, where I do my work. It's empty, quiet, and cold, and probably the reason I got pneumonia. If you're looking for the training vicars, who make up the bulk of the college, you'll find them in the common room drinking tea. Perhaps I chose the wrong field.


Ah, how beautifully this passage speaks. Don't you think? Well, it actually says something like 'and these are the names of the sons of Israel...' The title of Exodus in Hebrew is 'And these are the names', which follows the protocol of naming books by their first two Hebrew words. Not too exciting. Of course, when it comes to Leviticus and Numbers, I think the Hebrew titles are a steep improvement: 'And he called to Moses' and 'In the wilderness'. You win some, you lose some. Either way, the point here is that this is the Hebrew text, which I read for an hour to begin each day (to keep my Hebrew-brain muscles big and strong).


And another fickle language: German. I'm currently spending a good deal of time learning German. After the hour of Hebrew, I spend a couple in basic German grammar. So why learn German? Good question, one that I ask myself at least two hours a day. If you ask my sister Summer, she'll tell you it's because I need to read ancient German manuscripts of the Old Testament. I like this explanation because it's mysterious and exciting. The problem is that it's entirely untrue. I actually have to learn German because a vast amount of scholarly material has been written in German. But why not read those things that are translated? Because only an itsy bit has been translated, most of which is not helpful for research. Those are the cold, boring facts about German.

Okay, so we're now 3 hours into my day and all we've done is study languages. Apparently this is normal. The rest of my workday is spent in reading and writing. I don't have a picture of my recent reading, so please imagine a few books on the psychology of memory. Yep, that's my most recent endeavor. Basically, my advisor Gordon has me do readings and then essays on particular areas, in hopes of turning some new stones. The reason I'm now reading in psychology of memory is because it might help frame my particular interest in memory and community formation. I really do think it's going to be valuable. Thus far it has been incredibly interesting as to how our memories work. Let's do an experiment: imagine two things, the first your most recent trip in the car and the second your earliest childhood memory. Searching, searching, searching...Got 'em? Okay. If you think about how you view those memories, you probably see the recent one through your own eyes and the older one from a bird's-eye persective (that is, you see yourself in the memory). Is this true? This is the tendency of remembering: we see old memories through an observer perspective and new ones through our own eyes. Interesting, isn't it?

At the end of the workday I go home and prepare dinner for my lovely wife. After that, I work on a whole variety of things, including preparing talks, completing job applications (for CCU!), or composing articles for either outdoors our academic journals. Anywho, I know this isn't nearly as exciting as our other posts, but felt it'd be good to do nonetheless. I promise more exciting posts are coming soon!

The Contest: Part II

The contest officially ended yesterday, May 27. It was a long road, one full of blood, sweat, tears, and heartache. Memories were realized, memories were shattered. Lives were changed.


This is Jimmy, or at least it should've been. He failed to show for the judging. We do, however, have confirmation from an unnamed witness that as of Sunday, May 25 Jimmy was clean-shaven and defiant. He purportedly justified his actions saying, 'My wife was ashamed and we had dinner plans with friends. At least the other guys look like they actually have facial hair!' Very sad, Jimmy. Wide is the path to destruction, but narrow is the path to righteousness. Jimmy will soon be donning a new pair of skin patches where his eyebrows used to be.


Mr Cei, the Welshman, after a few days' growth. You'll remember that he shaved for his hot date and, according to sources, it went quite well. Cei is quoted as saying it was the most nerve-racking thing he's ever done. This is really saying something, considering he has run for parliment and had a kidney transplant! Also, it is widely agreed that he was right in thinking he could grow more in a week than Jimmy did in the month. Cei's penalty for shaving early is a full leg-waxing. It should be a real treat seeing those smooth and white Welsh legs.


Jon Swales, the northerner. Jon did quite well with his beardage, though you'll remember he was penalized for leaving his sideburns for the contest. His penalty has just been decided, and it's a good one. Firstly, though, we should consider some breaking news. Jon is a New Testament research student studying the ideas of N.T. Wright, a world renown scholar. Ironically, just yesterday at the contest's close he got word he'd been accepted to an elite gathering at Oxford this weekend, at which Dr Wright will be speaking. Now, we figure the gathering should be especially interesting considering Jon's contest penalty: perfectly shaving half his beard. That's right, directly below the nose a line will be drawn down his chin to his neck. From that line over his beard will be shaved, leaving him with one half of a beard. He and his half beard will be meeting Dr Wright this weekend. We've suggested Jon meet Dr Wright from the side.


Big Dave Brae. Dave also did well, though not well enough. He lost out at the end because nothing but his neck would grow hair. And a neck beard is no beard at all. Of course, there's been some controversy over the judging. Mr Daniel Lowery, the judge who is also an American, granted me the victory but Dave declared it was an unfair ruling due to Dan's 'obvious bias for Americans'. Dave suggested instead that we ask Vanessa Parr, a Brit. Ironic. All this said, though, nobody seems to be convinced by Mr Brae's appeal, and it's beginning to feel a little like Al Gore's litigation against the Florida voting system. Dave will be sporting a new pair of handlebar staches for the end of year celebration.


Ladies and gentlemen, your winner. Yes, I won the contest, a true milestone in my life and academic career. I'll be updating my resume soon with this new achievement. I'm expecting the book and made-for-T.V.-movie deals to start coming in soon. Of course, it's all overshadowed by the small fact that by the age of 20 my dad could grow a lumberjack beard.

The Contest!

For reasons now lost in the past, several of us from Trinity College are in the midst of a beard-growing contest. It seems to me the contest arose from ongoing banter as to which of us, due to poor facial hair, would have the worst beard. Men being men, it wasn't enough to know we couldn't grow a beard; we had to show everybody it was true. And here we are: two weeks into a four-week contest.


Me, post shave.


Me at two weeks. Yes, the hair is ginger (as they say here), which apparently is a big insult. It cuts deep.


Jimmy our housemate at two weeks. Unfortunately, it's universally recognised that Jimmy is in last place. The price of losing is to shave the hair into a foo mustache and attend the end of year celebration. Now, some have suggested an ammendment because Jimmy has such little facial hair as to nullify the shame of the foo-stache. The ammendment would be shaving an eyebrow.


Cei, the Welsh Wonder, at two weeks. Cei has an interesting situation. After a long dating drought (28 years to be exact), he's landed one next week. The problem, of course, is the beardish growth on his face. As of today, he's leaning toward shaving and incurring the penalty of leg waxing. He figures he can still avoid losing the contest by growing more in the last week than Jimmy has in the month. It looks like it's getting ugly, people.


Dave at two weeks. Dave is currently one of the contest frontrunners, though he's also been oppressed because of his ginger hair.


Jon at two weeks. Jon currently has charges pending over alleged cheating for not shaving his sideburns for the contest. The penalty would be loss of an eyebrow in addition to the foo-stache.


Me at two weeks. Though the picture doesn't show it well, I've actually had relative success with the beard. In fact, I might be disqualified if proven I had full knowledge prior the contest of beard-growing capability (which is the chief contest rule).

Please Spread the Word!

A woman named Erin has a large & beautiful transracial family that now includes two preschoolers from Ethiopia who are HIV+. Below is a recent post on her blog. Please help spread the modern facts about HIV+ children. Things have drastically changed from what our generation was taught in sex eduation. Thank You!

Thanks to Janee for finding this!

******

Today I have heard from several different parents of HIV+ children who are facing negative reactions to their adoptions based on the stigma and ignorance surrounding HIV. It is extremely frustrating to me that in 2008 there is still so much unfounded fear caused by a lack of education, that results in nasty, ugly and mean treatment of people who are HIV+ and their families.

The reason people in the U.S. are not educated about HIV is that most people don't care, because most people in this country are not affected by it. People still see it as the problem of homosexuals, drug users and people in Africa. The reality is, HIV/AIDS is everyone's problem. It is a devastating problem in Africa and many countries, but there are many, many Americans living with this disease as well. In fact, new cases of HIV in the U.S. are now being seen in the largest numbers in heterosexual women. HIV/AIDS is a HUMAN problem.

Living with this nasty disease is hard enough, but compounding that with the misguided fear and judgment of society is beyond tragic, and as the mom of two HIV+ children, it is sad and frustrating.

So, if you are one of the many who check in to this blog every day, I am asking you to do me a favor. I want you to tell at least two people about HIV. Spread the word that...

- HIV can NOT be spread through causal/household contact. HIV is not spread through hugging, kissing, shaking hands, sharing toys, sneezing, coughing, sharing food, sharing drinks, bathing, swimming or any other causal way. It has been proven that HIV and AIDS can only be spread through sexual contact, birth, breastfeeding and blood to blood contact (such as sharing needles).

- HIV is now considered a chronic but manageable disease. With treatment, people who are HIV+ can live indefinitely without developing AIDS and can live long and full lives.

- People who are HIV+ deserve to be treated with love, respect, support and acceptance as all people do.

If anyone wants more info on transmission, there is great info on the Center for Disease Control website at http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/transmission.htm

Help me spread the truth about HIV, and take a tiny stab at the stigma against HIV. Tell your friend when you talk on the phone. Tell your spouse. Tell your parents. Post it on your blog and ask other people to tell their readers. Ask them to pass it on as well. I would love to see this spread beyond the adoption blogs.

Even if you have no real interest in HIV/AIDS, even if you are not involved in adoption, even if you don't think you know anyone who is HIV+... education and knowledge are always a good thing. It is so easy to say to someone, "hey, guess what I learned today?" and it is even easier to put it on a blog or in an email.

Do it for me. Do it for the other adoptive families and the HIV+ orphans that are waiting for homes. Do it for Belane and Solomon. Do it for all of the other people on this planet living with HIV. If everyone that reads this blog tells at least two people, that is a whole bunch of people we can reach and a little bit of difference we can make.

Easter in Cornwall!

A view over the lake on Bodmin Moor. We'd planned to camp here, but the wind and rain convinced us to keep going south. We later learned that this moor has played host to settlements of people throughout time, beginning back in the Stone Age and serving as a center for trade of stone axe heads! Also interesting is that near this lake is The Jamaica Inn, a famous establishment which featured in Daphne du Maurier's classic book by the same name. Entirely by coincedence, of course, this Jamaica Inn is where fishing licenses are sold for the moor.



This here is Land's End, literally. It's the furthest most point of England in the south west. Above are the eateries and other things that we humans clutter across special places. The first picture was taken, I think, because Land's End clothing is a company from Andie's home area. Some of her family has worked in the one there, but not in the one pictured here.

We appreciated the sign. Without it we may have been caught unaware that these towering jagged cliffs were dangerous.


More cliffs. These too are dangerous, we were told, though there was no sign.


Andie talking to Momma Honsch, whose family originated in Cornwall. We don't know for sure, but rumor has it that they immigrated to escape the dangerous cliffs.


Notice my shadow in the lower right corner. This is the second time I've seen it here in England.


As the sign says, this young lad is soon celebrating his 1500th birthday. Please send letters, he doesn't use the internet.

Since most of our trip was spent driving, this is the only thing that kept us sane: BBC Cornwall Radio.


Yep, that's where we were: Falmouth.


Me.


Truro, the capital of Cornwall, and its towering cathederal. We went to Easter service there.


Andie as a Cornish lady. Rather full in figure, don't you think?

Me as a Cornish lady, trying to put out the vibe for a strapping miner man.


Me, the solemn miner man.


Just short of heaven: scones, cream, and tea.


A treat: Looking out the window of the B&B our last night in Cornwall.


Andie celebrating the end of her Lenten fast from chocolate.


An Exmoor pony. This is a native breed of pony that has lived wild on Exmoor for a very long time. Exmoor, by the way, is a national park just an hour or so from us. It's incredible.