Reflections

I always thought it was simple. When a child gets engaged, there is a celebration, a wedding is planned, a family is started. The parents? Well, the parents celebrate a milestone for their child and continue on. Now, though... Now, I'm the parent. Now I realize how much more it means.

I've been thinking about the four of us and how the addition of one more adds a new layer of complexity as we shift to a family of five. I've been thinking about having a daughter for the first time, about what it means to me, to Eric, to our future daughter and to both our sons.

It is as simple as setting another place at the table and as complex as learning to love another person. Like having a new baby, there was a moment of wondering if I had room in my heart for one more, followed by the moment I realized the answer was yes, yes I do. I look at this young woman and realize she holds our son's heart in the palm of her hand, and he, hers. And with that sharing of hearts there is a centering in my heart, a gathering of love, an acknowledgment that our family is growing.

There is a dichotomy of fragility and strength found in sharing love and with that dichotomy, many challenges for love to overcome. This thought sweeps me back to our beginnings so many years ago, to those fresh feelings, and the excitement of life unfolding. I contemplate the richness of our marriage and the family we've built together, the life we have shared and the life that lies ahead. I think of my parents, entering their 57th year of marriage, my brothers and sisters, the foundation Mom and Dad gave us. I remember how they folded Eric into our family, how they gathered in each new husband and wife and I only hope that I can do as well.

I look at our new daughter and I think... we will share moments of joy... and we will share moments of sorrow, as life is certain to offer both. There may be moments of anger, though I hope they are few and far between, and are followed by forgiveness. We will turn to each other for strength, for solace, for laughter. I hope some day I will celebrate with her as I hold their babies and watch them grow. There may come a time in my future when this woman, my new daughter, will have to care for me, nurse me, offer me comfort. As Riley places his trust in her, so do we. As she places her trust in Riley, she places her trust in us. With this marriage our son offers us a daughter, a relationship to last our remaining years. It is so much more than I thought it would be, already offering richness and love. To our new daughter, Emily, we open our arms, our hearts, our family, and our lives to you.

Still Here...

I'm still here!

I enjoyed the time off over the holidays - ran a couple half marathons with good friends, spent time with family, acquired a future daughter-in-law, hung out with Eric. For those of you who've been reading a long time, Riley got engaged! He's still in school and will be through August (in the Navy) so I don't anticipate the wedding will be anytime soon.






















Emily and Riley

We were only one week into the new quarter at work when we got hit by a snowstorm and ended up missing almost a full week of classes. I took advantage of the time off to settle into my NEU classes. Plus, I got to run on the cart paths of the golf course - a perfect five mile loop - in about three inches of snow one day and about eight inches the next day. After another full day of snow, I didn't even try for the third day! I went back out on the paths once the rain cleared some of the snow away, but before the course reopened. I'll be looking for opportunities to sneak back out there when possible. It's a pretty busy course, so frosty days and early dark mornings will be my only chance.

As I mentioned in my last post (a long time ago) I'm taking two classes right now, and registered for my last one for spring quarter. I can't believe I'm at the end. I'm in the second research class now and getting focused in on my dissertation topic. I've heard that students often change their topic in the last few months. I don't think I'll do that, but who knows? I'm really, really excited to only have one class next quarter and even more excited to be done with classes!

I ran the Orcas 25K last weekend - it was cold, it hailed, snowed and rained, and we had about five miles of snow on the course. No matter though, it's still my favorite race. I'm signed up for the Yakima River Canyon Marathon at the end of March - it will be my first one in 13 months. I'm not quite sure why I signed up as I have no time to train. I'll try to squeeze in a couple more half marathons and call it good. I sure hope I can pull it off.

I also met Lizzie at a January race. It turns out that we only live three miles apart, so today we met up for an early morning run. Looks like it's going to be a regular thing! I've missed having a running buddy and am looking forward to lots of runs together.

I'll leave you with a couple of pictures:






















Then (September 1979)...
And now (December 2011)

A Month Long Break...sort of

Whew! Fall quarter is over. All assignments are in and I am waiting to see my grades (life as student). I've graded everything and posted final grades for work (life as professor). Both NEU and teaching start up again on January 9th. In the meantime, I've got a month-long break.

Well, sort of. I need to develop the coursework for the class I'll be teaching in winter - such is the life of the new instructor. I also need to make some modifications to my Doctoral Problem Statement per my professor. I need to do that right away and submit it with my application for an advisor. Delaying would cause a delay in advisor assignment, which would trickle outward, causing a delay in beginning my dissertation. Needless to say, that is NOT going to happen! I will make the modifications tomorrow and get it submitted. Next quarter I am taking my final elective and the second of the three research classes. Spring quarter will bring the final research class, followed by the dissertation. I can't believe I'm so close! From what I hear and read, the dissertation requires a lot of self discipline - sitting down to work on it daily is a must. I must be a geek because I'm actually anxious to get going on it.

In other news, I ran another half marathon over Thanksgiving weekend (Seattle Ghost) and just ran a 25K yesterday. The race was at Deception Pass - an amazingly beautiful spot close to where I grew up. The views were simply stunning. Most of the trails were single track, though there were some that were wide and clear. We had some tough climbs and fast descents, lots of rooty, rocky, technical sections, and some soft, pine-needle cushioned clear trails. We also ran across the beach a couple times through deep sand and over seaweed crusted logs. All in all a wonderful, wonderful course. The highlight of the race was getting to run over the bridges twice. I've visited Deception Pass many times in my life - in fact I broke my arm on a camping trip there when I was in Kindergarten - and I've always wanted to run the bridges. I'll go back for this race again.

Let's see...what else? Web was home for Thanksgiving and Riley will be home for Christmas. Starting with this weekend, we have house guests for four weekends in a row. I'm excited and looking forward to all the visits. Life is good in Mukilteo!