Dad's Ornament

Day 1 of 16: Dad’s Ornament

This ornament is one of the most important to me. As a kid I could not have cared less. My Dad fussed about this, always making sure it had a safe place on the tree. As a teenager I finally asked, what’s the story with those beads? My Dad being the locked vault he usually was, did not tell me right away. Eventually I discovered they were an ornament he grew up with on their meager Christmas tree as a kid. The story, as it was conveyed to me, was someone in the family, or friends with the family made these. They were one of the very few things to survive from his childhood. Every year I make sure they get a safe and visible place on the tree. It’s amazing they’ve survived this long considering how delicate the beads are, […]

Christmas Tree

16 Days of Ornaments

As we decorated our Christmas tree this year, I realized we don’t have a theme. While we both like design and could do one in a certain style, our ornaments are not about that, each one has a story. When I pull them out of the boxes they are stored in and hang them on the tree, I am reminded of a moment, a person or a place. It’s where we’ve been, where we are, and where we are going. I haven’t blogged in quite a while and thought it might be a good time to start again, sharing the stories behind the ornaments.

2013: A Belated Year In Review

2013 can be summed up for us in one word: Change. I intended to write a summary of what was possibly one of our craziest years to date back in December. I had the silly notion that 2014 would be a slightly slower pace than it’s predecessor. As I write this now at the end of April going into May, that has not been the case. 2013 will go down in the record books for me and Craig. We were finally settled, with good routines in place at our home in Sherman, until a freak violent thunderstorm came through on January 31st at 3:00am  One of the large pine trees in the yard, that should have been taken down, came through the house. We are very grateful for its location as 4-6 feet to the right and I wouldn’t be writing […]

It’s Raining in Our Kitchen

At 3am we were abruptly awoken to the house shake and a massive crash. I heard the wood cracking sound and knew it was a tree in or on our home. The storm hit our little area hard, up and down the main route we saw big pines down. We are very, very lucky to be alive and well. Kitties are ok too. We’re spending the next few days moving out, setting up a new home base, and sleeping (we haven’t yet). We are renters, so our renters insurance covers any damages to our personal items which gratefully it is like 0.01 percent of our stuff. The landlord’s home owners will be dealing with how to repair this. There’s stress fractures through out the house. Rippling walls. Insulation everywhere. When a tree that size hits your home it is a […]

Day 2: Corn, Crosses and the Arch

We got a late start again but was optimistic about the day. The truck was handling much better. I started off the driving and later in the morning Craig and I swapped. We finally made it to Indiana and trying to make as good of time as possible. Indiana greeted us with a massive metal cross on the border, and then fields and fields of corn. The biggest cross I’ve ever seen was still to come. Craig and I couldn’t remember which state it was in when we drove through in 2004. It’s certainly unforgettable. We made it through Indianapolis and with the time crunch I was only able to send a virtual beep beep to my friend Kevin who lives there. Next up was Illinois; more corn. Lots and lots of corn. Based on the amount of corn being […]

On The Road Again

Well it’s that time again, not exactly our plan but we’re going along for the ride. My Mom is relocating from Connecticut to Arizona. I admire her for deciding to move across the country to an area that has always intrigued her. Politics with standing I hope she has a wonderful new life in Arizona. We are helping them move their items, in particular their Honda Civic and 2 cats. Below is the itinerary per say in Google Maps form. Wish us luck please!

Happy Father’s Day

Happy Father’s Day, originally uploaded by criana. Happy Father’s Day Dad. I miss you greatly. I know you’d be amazed at how technology has advanced. SpaceX and Virgin Galactic would make you so happy. MAKE magazine would be in our house and the advent of arduino kits would make you giddy. Love you.

A real-life Robinson Crusoe

Incredibly cool. I could certainly go for his life path. A real-life Robinson Crusoe:   86-year-old Brendon Grimshaw has lived alone on a tiny island in the Seychelles since 1962. He bought it for £8000 and has spent those years introducing trees and 120 giant tortoises back to the island. (via ?interesting-links) Tags: video   (Via kottke.org)