Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Lee, Mom, Dad, Kevin and Nancy

The Woes of the Computer World and The Female Condition

So, I hate my computer. It's official. The new thing is pretending that it doesn't have any power. It just keeps saying, "Battery Critical - Plug in to avoid losing all your work." The only catch . . . the computer is plugged in! Yes, I hate my computer. My sister is going to fix it for me over Thanksgiving - if that doesn't work, I'm trashing it and buying a new one. On top of that, work has totally cracked down on cyber security and they are monitoring our computers 24 hours a day and we can't even check our personal email (Gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc.) on our lunch hour anymore. So, for blogging, I'm forced to attempt to capture the complexities of my life in between plug in issues.

That being said, it's been an eventful week. My grandmother's funeral was Saturday and I spent 4 days in Portland to help my Aunt prep and attend the funeral. Our sadness was sweetened by the arrival of my cousin's first baby the day before the funeral. It was really awesome to see the power of God in this completed circle - the death of one and the birth of another. ***Pictures to come soon!***

This brings me to the question of the hour - or really the eternal question of the female condition. I have a fabulous job, I own my own home, I'm self sufficient and have a great life. So, why is it all I can think about is finding that special someone and settling down to start my own family? Then I visit with my friends who have families and they always say that I'm so professional, or I have such an exciting life. The truth is that it's great but it's also a little lonely. I was at a baby shower recently and I overheard one woman wishing she had a little boy in addition to her little girl. Another girl wishing she owned her home so that she could paint her child's bedroom. And another girl wishing she could pull off the tights and boots look. Why do we always want whats on the other side? Why do I long for a family despite my great situation, while others envy my Mary Tyler Moore-esk existence? What should we want?

I recently heard an eye-opening story about a man who was a missionary in the deepest depths of Africa. The tribes he ministered to where the poorest of the poor, living in huts often without enough food. The missionary asked the head of the tribe what the biggest challenge was for his people. He responded without even thinking . . . materialism. Even with so little, his people had a distinct desire for what they perceived to be better - a straw and mud roof rather than a roof made of leaves. Two goats rather than one. The income to support two wives rather than one. ;)

The desire to have what you perceive to be better is innate in our sinful nature regardless of our circumstances. I haven't had much interaction with the filthy rich but in TV and movies, they are often portrayed to be the most jealous with a distinct desire to "keep up with the Joneses" and then some. All of this begs the bigger question for Christians, how do we know whether or not our wants are the God given "desires of our hearts" or our sinful nature getting the best of us? My gut reaction is that covet-ness is defined by your relationship to people who have what you desire. Do you resent them for their position in life or are you truly happy for them and their situation? Or do you allow resentment to grow and define your relationship . . . become the elephant in the room so to speak. What are your thoughts?

To cover or not to cover . . .

First off, I would like thank all of you for your condolences regarding my grandmother. I am feeling much better.


Now, I have a pressing matter to discuss. My coworker came charging into my office early this week to vent about her big pet peeve. "While I was in the bathroom, two women came in and used the bathroom and they didn't use toilet seat covers! How gross is that?!!!" Well, I had to admit that I was not a toilet seat cover user - never have been. I just don't see it to be necessary.

Sure, if I'm at a truck stop or a particularly gross bathroom, I'll use one. I've even been known to lay out toilet paper on the seat if no toilet seat covers are provided and the bathroom warrants some extra protection. But, at work or a restaurant, I never use them. It seems pointless. How much can this little piece of tissue paper really protect you from? Lets be honest, I interact a whole lot more with the toilet seat when using a seat cover than I do when I just plop down.

Not to mention the hassle of the seat cover. At work, we have automatic flushing toilets. Half the time, it flushes while I'm positioning the seat cover and I have to start all over with a new cover. Or when I do flush, I have to flush two or three times to get it to go down properly. And, for those environmentalists out there, think of all the trees we are killing to give us the piece of mind that toilet seat covers provide. So what are your thoughts? To cover or not to cover?

Grandma Betty

My Grandma Betty passed away today at the ripe old age of 90 something. As I mentioned in a previous post, this was very much anticipated but it still is sad to see her coming to an end. This last season of her life has not had the quality of life I would have wanted for her but she had a wonderful life for her first 80 years. Here are some photos of my grandma and somethings I will always remember about her.

Here's my Grandma on her wedding day. My grandparents managed to celebrate over 65 years together before she passed:

Here's one of my favorite pictures of my grandparents. I snapped it as they were leaving my Uncle Ron's wedding. I remember my mom and my aunt saying "Hurry, hurry, get that shot, we'll probably never get her in a dress again."

Here is a lovely needlework she did for my when I was very small. It looks like one of those little wooden boxes you can hang on the wall with all sorts of little nooks to set your knick-knacks. It also includes a great picture of my grandpa out in their cherry orchard in Cove, OR.

Some things I'll always remember:

- Grandma was born on the "Ides of March." She used to always say that's why you need to beware of them!

- Grandma LOVED Lawrence Welk, I bet I could recite every episode just from watching it with her on Saturday evenings growing up.

- Grandma made great pickles! Unfortunately, we didn't get all the details of the recipe before her mind started to slip. My cousin Jana and my Aunt Carol have spent countless hours trying to recreate "Grandma's Pickles".

- Grandma loved musicals! I think she owned everyone ever made.

My Aunt Carol has been living with my Grandma fulltime since I graduated from college and moved away . . . almost 4 years, now! It's been such a blessing that she was willing to take on that challenge. I know this transition will be the most difficult for her. As I was thinking of my Grandma and my Aunt Carol, a song from My Fair Lady came to mind. I think this is a very fitting tribute to my grandma who loved music and my aunt who cared for her for so long.

I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face

I've grown accustomed to her face,

She almost makes the day begin.

I've grown accustomed to the tune she whistles night and noon.

Her smiles, her frowns, her ups, her downs

Are second nature to me now;

Like breathing out and breathing in.

I was serenely independent and content before we met;

Surely I could always be that way again and yet -

I've grown accustomed to her looks,

Accustomed to her voice,

Accustomed to her face.

I've grown accustomed to her face,

She almost makes the day begin.

I've gotten used to hear her say "Good Morning" everyday.

Her joys, her woes, her highs, her lows

Are second nature to me now.

Like breathing out and breathing in.

I'm very glad that she's a woman and so easy to forget,

Rather like a habit one can always break and yet -

I've grown accustomed to the trace of something in the air -

Accustomed to her face.

The House

So, I started a blog about my house a few days ago but managed to finish it last night. Blogger still posted it under the date I started it, so you will have to scroll back before the blog about my weekend to see the new blog entry and the tour.

Photos from this Weekend

Here are some fun photos from this weekend!

My dad hard at work or hardly working!:

My grandma pretending to party it up with a glass of wine . . . don't worry, she actually didn't have anything to drink! ;)

My mom was so excited about her birthday present! She has been using the same crockpot that she received as a wedding present and is always complaining that the crock doesn't come out. So, I got her a new one and she was so confused she wore it as a hat. Well, I guess it's multifunctional.

A Fabulous Weekend!!!

I'm back from a little sojourn over to Walla Walla for the weekend! Have I mentioned yet how much I LOVE being this close to my home town!!! The only thing better would be to actually live there but, alas, that is not my lot in life yet. This was quite a "happening" weekend with bunches of people in town and lots of visiting.

THE SOCCER GAME

My first stop for the weekend was the George Fox girl's soccer game against Whitman College. Now, I know that some of you are completely flabbergasted and have fallen off the chair. It's true, voluntary attendance of a sporting match is usually unheard of in the life of Jessica. But, if you are going to find me at one, it will probably be GFU soccer. My good friend Andrew is now the assistant coach for the girls team. Andrew and I went to high school and college together so we have a lot of history and I attended many a men's soccer game in college when Andrew was playing for the Bruins.

Here are some pics of Andrew and I through the years:

Here's a picture of Andrew eating a chandelier - yeah, he's a little strange. (Don't hate me for posting this picture!!!)

It was an unfortunate game, the girls lost by one goal mainly due to a terrible ref! The really sad part is that they will now be fifth in the league rather than forth, at least that's what Andrew's dad, Ken says. Don't be too shocked - it's pretty impressive that I was able to determine who won the game on my own, don't for a minute think that I understand what that means for the teams rankings on my own!

After the game I helped Andrew's mom, Joyce, put together a delicious meal for the team - soup, chowder, sandwiches, cobbler - she really went all out! My help was minimal and consisted of arranging spoons and napkins on the table but Joyce said it was helpful. It was awfully cold and rainy so the girls were really grateful for some hot food!

THE BROTHER:

After the game, I rushed home to visit with my little brother Kevin who was visiting for the weekend from the University of Idaho. Kevin's studying Political Science and still isn't sure how he feels about being at the same school and in the same program as the one that Sarah Palin graduated from. I think it's cool! We had a great little visit, watched some James Bond - a Nims kids classic activity. Then he rushed off for an engagement party for one of his high school friends . . . lets not delve into Jessica's feelings about another 20 year old beating her down the aisle. Lets just trust that my romance at 30,000 feet with Airplane Man will put all there love stories to shame! Of course, this will only shame them if Airplane Man and I ever manage to reconnect, sigh.

So, the most recent picture I happen to have of Kevin is from the time he was playing Cogsworth the Clock in the high school's presentation of Beauty and the Beast - take a look -

THE GRANDMA:

I am very blessed, I still have all four of my grandparents - although two of them are hanging on by a thread now. This weekend my mom brought my grandma down from Spokane for a visit (this isn't the grandma who is really sick right now). She was sad to leave my grandpa who is too ill to travel but enjoyed her little trip. We had a good visit and she got to swing by and see my house today as my mom drove her back up to Spokane. I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to spend some quality time with all my extended family but especially my Grandparents. This past summer has definitely shown me that no one will be around for forever. I've been watching my parents struggle with their ailing parents and it's made me wonder what it will be like for Nancy, Kevin and I to take care our our folks. Luckily, my parents have announced that they plan to take up hang-gliding, rock climbing and sail around the world when they are 65 so that it will be highly unlikely we will have to take care of them when they are infirm. I don't know if I approve of this method but I do appreciate the intent. ;)

Here are my grandparents a couple of years ago at Bloomsday. This is probably the way I will always remember them:

THE CHURCH:

So, the last stop of the weekend was church this morning. My dad has been on the building committee for a huge remodel of my home church and has been working diligently since summer 2007 on the project - and before that with all the planning, fundraising, etc. Today, I got to see the finished product in action - kids in classrooms, high school kids rocking out in their new auditorium, and a beautiful new office for the administrative team. It's great to see all his hard work paid off! I'm very proud of him and all he's done for this project.

Here's a picture from the ground breaking ceremony:

My House!

A lot of you have been asking about my new house! A big part of the reason I wanted to move here to Eastern Washington is that I would be able to afford my own home. Here's a little tour of my humble abode:

You enter into my little family room:

From the living room you can see all the way through the kitchen into the dining room:

Here is my kitchen. It's a really nice size and I can look out the window from the sink:

Here's the dining room, featuring the bright green table!:

Yes, I do have a life sized cardboard cut out of Elvis in my dining room. Every girl needs a man around the house to take care of the little things too gross for her to do. I grew up on a farm so I have a very limited amount of things I won't do for myself, so a cardboard man is sufficient.

Here's the hall bathroom:

The Office:

My Room and Bathroom:

AND the Guest Room! Always available for weary travelers to visit whenever you are in Eastern Washington:

So that's mi casa! Stop by next time you're in town!

The Past Few Weeks (Part II)

THE PARTY





Okay, so I arrived back from Columbus just in time to throw my first big get together at my new house! Wahoo! I live about 2 miles from a big corn maze/pumpkin patch. So, I invited a bunch of coworkers over for dinner. Those with little ones hit the pumpkin patch before dinner and us twenty and thirty somethings headed over after dinner for the haunted corn maze. The party was a huge success! I had somewhere between 10 and 15 people. I made some very spicy chili, apple pie, pumpkin pie and spiced cider then everyone else supplied the rest.





The Corn Maze was a ton of fun but very scary! They had these guys with either fake chainsaws or chainsaw motors without the blade and they would hop out of the corn and chase you down the aisle. Then another one would hop out and chase you back the other direction. They also had these really creepy tunnels with things hanging from the ceiling and fog and black lights. Its the kind of thing that I'll need to take a year to recover from before I am ready to return.











NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART





Well, the real fun began on Sunday morning. I woke up with my back all tweaked out from running through the corn maze in my cowboy boots. Finally, I felt good enough to get up and out of bed and I had plenty of delicious food to graze upon that was left over from the party. Someone brought this great olive bread which sounded yummy! So I began cutting, I cut one slice . . . two slices . . . then . . . I cut my finger! With this massive serrated bread knife! I attempted to stop the bleeding and bandage appropriately but it just wouldn't stop bleeding! So, one trip to the urgent care and four stitches later, I was on my way to recovery.





Close your eyes if your squeamish . . . here's my stitched up finger:








Well, typing, hairstyling and showering were severely impacted by this injury but a week later I am stitch free and I'm hoping to get a scar!








THE BRIGHT GREEN TABLE:





Thanksgiving is going to be at my house this year . . . that's what I found out a couple of weeks ago. My sister and her husband live in the Seattle area and my folks live about an hour the other direction. So, since B-i-L has to work early on Friday morning, we are having Thanksgiving at my house to shave a couple hours off their trip. Now, most girls would freak out about having to cook a turkey or how to get all the food ready at the same time or how much money is this going to cost . . . I began freaking out about where we were all going to sit and my cute little 4-seater round table was not going to do the trick for my family of six.


Therefore, I am pleased to introduce my totally "Trading Spaces" worthy table!:




$30 bucks off of Craigslist and a couple coats of bright green paint and I have a very cute addition to my dining room! I think it will fit all of us nicely. Now the big question that remains is what to do for two additional chairs . . . the cheaper the better! We have some options - thrift store chairs painted, thrift store chairs stained (as close to the color of the other chairs as possible) or thrift store chairs slip-covered. I'm open to suggestions and opinions!

The Past Few Weeks (Part 1): Including a trip through time, a trip to Ohio and the airplane man

So, already I am a blogger failure! I start up this blog and then don't write anything on it for weeks! Well, my excuse is that I had a lot of things going on. So I'm going to try and hit the highlights of my exciting life for the past few weeks.



TIME TRAVEL:


First, I got the opportunity to take a little trip back to the Portland area to see old friends and visit my family. For those of you who have known me for awhile, you know that I have very elderly grandparents living in Sherwood. I love them dearly but it's been hard to watch them as they slowly decline in health. My grandmother has been especially sick for ages. Well, the doctors tell us that things are truly coming to an end. She stopped eating and rarely gets out of bed. With my move, I haven't had a chance to get over to see her since January. I was glad to get to see her once more and spend a little bit of time with her even though there isn't much of her personality left (she has severe dementia).


On a much happier note, I was able to connect with my old friend/roommate KT. One thing I love about KT is how we are able to just pick up as if no time has past at all! Fifteen minutes into the visit we were thumbing through an IKEA catalogue pointing out the things we loved. KT has an amazingly devoted husband and two beautiful daughters. I love spending time with them and seeing how much the girls have grown.



Here's KT and I at graduation:









COLUMBUS, HERE I COME!

So, after my little nostalgic visit. I took a week long business trip to Columbus, OH to help man a booth and do a little recruiting for the lab at the IEEE Visualization Conference. Many of you have been asking about what exactly my new job is, so here is the run down. I work at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory which is a Department of Energy laboratory as a recruiter. Now, this particular national lab happens to be run by a company called Battelle. Battelle is the largest not for profit research organization in the world and, conveniently, it happens to also be headquartered in Columbus, OH.

Here's a shot of the corporate HQ:

My first day in town, I got a little tour of the corporate office and I also got to pay homage to the first xerox copy machine, developed by Battelle scientists, which is a must for any Battelle employee (http://www.battelle.org/timeline/index.html).

The rest of the week, I learned a lot about visual analytics and the research going on at the lab. It was a very productive week and I made some great connections in and out of the lab. I was actually pleasantly surprised by how much I liked Columbus! Especially the area near Ohio State University was so cute!

The little down town area:

Some cute houses near campus:

Hanging out at the Schmidt's Sausage House - John McCain has eaten here! (This of course would be a lot more significant if he were our future President, sigh.):

So, the only thing I was not so crazy about was the stupid Buckeyes! OMG, I have never see a town so obsessed with a stupid football team. Absolutely every store, every restaurant, every hotel, every gas station had a little shrine to OSU! It was completely ridiculous!

ENTER AIRPLANE MAN - THE MAN OF MY DREAMS? MAYBE

Later that week, I prepared myself for a long flight home full of trashy gossip magazines and Sudoku puzzles. As I was sitting in my seat waiting for the rest of the passengers to load, I began playing that game where you guess who is going to sit next to you. First, a lady with a screaming baby comes down the aisle . . . . whew, she takes a seat a few rows up next to a very nervous looking business man in a nice suit. Second comes the man who should have selected to have two seats, you hope and pray that you are not going to be crowded between him and the lethal drink cart the whole trip but luckily he passes you by. Then the clouds part and a ray of light illuminates potentially the perfect man. He's cute, but not too cute. Definitely around the right age. Blond . . . . always a must. Dressed well, clean cut. Of course, after your moment of awe, you completely disregard him because that sort of guy never actually ends up sitting next to you. Wait a minute! I believe he is the 7A to my 7B! A match made in heaven.

Alas, the tail ends poorly. After an amazing flight, 4 hours of conversation, the realization that he is single, probably a Christian, has strong family values, a good job, hates sports and the Buckeyes . . . I flake out and don't give him my number. I just got so flustered when we deplaned I didn't have the guts to hand him my card and I didn't fully catch his name so I can really hunt him down. So here are the spec of my airplane man:

- Fair hair

- Medium build

- 6'1"

- Works for an architectural firm in Columbus OH that happens to design new GAP stores

- Went to Kent State




- Hates the Buckeyes (potentially his most enduring quality)




If you spot him, please tell him that his destiny is waiting in Pasco WA!






Well, that's Part I, more to come soon!