Wednesday, December 31, 2008

What a year this has been

Goodbye, 2008!

I can't believe this year is coming to a close in mere hours! It has been quite an amazing year for us. These are some of the highlights:

- New Years in London.

-Istanbul in the snow.

- Azerbaijan and all that that has meant to us. Host family, PCV friends, Azeri friends. Quite incredible!

- Mom and Steve coming to visit us in Azerbaijan.

- Learning I had a tumor in my spinal column.

- Saying goodbye to Azerbaijan.

- The wonderfulness of Washington DC, Peace Corps HQ staff and potable water.

- My incredible surgeon, Dr. Art Kobrine.

- Mom coming to be with Jesse during my 7 hour surgery/ night in the ICU.

- Surprising Dad and Deena at the Reagan airport a week later!

- Surprising Kenton, Katrina and Finn when we were back in Eugene.

- A great summer of catching up with friends, family and meeting new nephews.

- Ben and Devon's wonderful wedding!

- Going back to work for EEP was a great experience. It's a great program.

- Jesse going back to work for Siuslaw Bank.

- Olympic Track trials.

- Thanksgiving in Sunriver with Dad, Deena and the Ambroses.

- Year end snow.

- Christmas celebrations in the good old US of A. Can't beat that!

We have been to 4 countries, 3 continents, spoken 2 languages, all in 1 year. And what a wonderful, crazy, scary, fulfilling year it has been!

We are looking forward to next year and all the challenges and excitements it will be bringing!


Bring it on, 2009!


Tuesday, December 30, 2008

birthday(s)

happy birthday, jesse. you're finally as old as i.

we celebrated jesse's 27th birthday (on the 27th!) by going to sushi at one of our favorite restaurants. jesse's wish was to be able to order whatever he wanted, no matter the cost. so, this is what he got...
man, can that boy eat some sushi!
yum!
i got to put my new kitchenaid to work. it was fun, but i think i need some practice.
i could only find 24 candles...
luckily deena had 3 more the next night!
tonight kenton and katrina took us out to celebrate jesse's big golden birthday. they took us to happy hour at el torito (an old pre-baby favorite of ours) and to australia (the movie, not the country, although it would be fun to go visit my brother!). it was a great night out with our favorite friends! thanks, guys!

Sunday, December 28, 2008

CHRISTMAS!!!

We had such a great Christmas season this year! Boy is it great to be in a country that has Christmas! Don't get me wrong, I loved last Christmas - singing carols with friends in Baku is a memory I will always love. :) I miss all my Peace Corps friends, for sure!!This Christmas I felt so blessed.
Jesse and I went to The Nutcracker done by the Eugene Ballet. It is a childhood tradition I always adored. It was fun to share it with Jesse!

We went to Albany to spend time with Jesse's parents and grandparents.

The day before Christmas Eve, I had my Grandma over to make her famous sugar cookies. It was great to have her over to my house to do this- when we were little my brother and I always went to her house to help her.

We had a wonderful time at Dad and Deena's house for Christmas Eve with Grandma, Adam, Trisha, Brady and Nicole. Dad and Deena gave us a fantastic new laptop- it should help with grad school next month (ack!!). My lovely husband surprised me with a KitchenAid! Like I said, I was blessed.

On Christmas we went up to Willamette Pass with Mom and Steve.
It was one of the best days I've ever seen at Willamette. There was about 8 inches of fresh power, clear skies, no crowds and not a breath of wind. It was a great way to spend Christmas (and burn off some of the cookies!).

We also sneaked in time with Kenton, Katrina and Finn, went to a Christmas Eve service at our church, a couple movies with friends, and lots of fun times together.

I hope your Christmas was filled with many blessings!

Monday, December 15, 2008

SNOW!!





Thursday, December 11, 2008

Thanksgiving!

For Thanksgiving we went to Sunriver with Carolyn's dad and Deena and we met Deena's relatives there who came up from California! Unfortunately there wasn't any snow for skiing but we found many other ways to keep ourselves occupied.

The whole gang!

This is in the lodge, it's a lovely building.



There are many things to be thankful for in life...including Tiger Woods Golf on Wii...Which I rock at!


We went on a 5 mile bike ride around the resort one sunny day...no skiing, but it was amazing weather, that's for sure!


The night before we left Carolyn and I went ice skating. It was the first time she'd been in years and only my second time ever! Despite this picture, neither of us fell!

It was an amazing time and we had lots of fun hanging out with the fam, we can't wait for next time!!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

The Beach!

For our anniversary we went to the coast (Yachats) and stayed the weekend. It was stormy, it was sunny, it was wonderful.


The misses got some new rain boots and I busted out the AZ shoes.


It was exactly the kind of weather we were hoping for. Carolyn put her new boots to the test.


The wind was blowing the sand like crazy and I just couldn't resist.


We had lunch at a lovely new place in Newport...Local Ocean Seafoods


Carolyn had the fish and chips and I had steamer clams and oyster shooters. Oh my, what a wonderful lunch. It was great to get away from the city. I read an entire book (albeit it was only 175 pages long) and Carolyn got lots of studying done. Fun!

Spokane!

In October we went up to Spokane to visit Jen and Kyle's new baby, Logan.


Here I am, trying to establish early in Logan's life that I am the cool/magical uncle.

There was a lot of free time for us to keep ourselves entertained...


He's really a lot smarter than you'd think...and then there's Steve.
(with baby Antonio, Heather and Erik came up as well!)


We stayed at George and Debbie Grabel's house, it was amazing the whole time we were there. The leaves were just beginning to turn and it was so quiet!


Carolyn's long lost high school senior photo...


I should probably not post this picture online for fear that Nigerian scammers will think I'm hunky and steal it to use in their scams.

One of the only pictures of Carolyn with her siblings...Jen. I don't know how it happened, but Jen, Kyle, Heather and Erik were there too and we didn't get any pictures of them. I guess Jen is the lucky one.

He actually really loved this, despite what the picture looks like
...until she dropped him...
then he wasn't so amused.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008


PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA: If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

Its the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

Its the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

Its the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

Its been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and hes fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nations promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nations next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy thats coming with us to the White House. And while shes no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics - you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what youve sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to - it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didnt start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington - it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generations apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

I know you didnt do this just to win an election and I know you didnt do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how theyll make the mortgage, or pay their doctors bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who wont agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government cant solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way its been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, its that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, We are not enemies, but friends; though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you. And to all those who have wondered if Americas beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one thats on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. Shes a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldnt vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that shes seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we cant, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when womens voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that We Shall Overcome. Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we cant, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

A Month of Photo Updates

It's been a LONG time since I've blogged. It's been so long that I figured it would be better to just to a photo journal type thing. Here goes:


Here's the local Peace Corps group at the Eugene Celebration Parade... no Azeri flag yet.. maybe we'll be with them next year!

Me and Finn watching the parade with my Dad in the background. We had a huge group this year! Dad, Deena, Kenton, Katrina and most of Katrina's extended family! It's always a fun parade full of funky people, even better when shared with friends and family!

2006 with Finn in Katrina's belly and 2008 with Finn almost 2 years old!

We got to see N.E.R.D and Common in concert with my old Wells Fargo friends Rick and John.

N.E.R.D.

Common pulled my old friend Echo on stage with him for almost his whole set. Crazy!
We drove up to Albany to have dinner with Jesse's grandparents and this was on the drive home.

So was this.

We have a new nephew!!! What a sweet little guy! We are going to Spokane this weekend to meet him and to spend time with our other two nephews! Can't WAIT!!

Mom and I had tea and talked about all the baby boys in our lives.

We took the annual Fall trip out to Deterings for pumpkins and cider. This year with took the Henrys along with us and lucked out - Deterings was offering wagon rides through their orchards! Fun stuff!

I love this picture of the little Henry family. I love the looks on all three of their faces.

The horses worked hard in the rain and mud.

Last week we went to see Cara Luft and Bill Staines. We got to have dinner with them before the concert and they are awesome people!


Here's a video of Bill singing my favorite song of his, "River."


And a video of my music club back in Azerbaijan singing "River." I love, LOVE, LOVE these girls!