As always, the sky is always darkest right before the dawn. While we haven't made much progress on our visa situation (yet), something even more significant and wonderful has happened--we've secured an apartment in Lyon!
The entire situation behind this housing is truly an amazing answer to prayers. Our realtor (a distant contact made through the LDS church in Lyon), had been keeping an eye out for us for several months. Unfortunately, every promising place that he'd found was already taken by the time he was able to look at it. A couple days ago, he called us in the United States to explain that he thought it would be best to simply wait and look for something after we arrived. Amazingly, he invited us to live at his home for a short time while we searched. I am amazed, humbled, and inspired by his trusting generosity, opening his home to a family that he's never even met. We awkwardly explained that we're quite a handful with two noisy and rambunctious children, yet he politely insisted, explaining that he'd already gotten his wife's permission.
Wow. I don't think it's possible to ever repay such kindness. One can only hope to some day pay it forward.
Before hanging up, this kind man agreed to look at one more place that Jason had found on a website. Even though he didn't expect it to be a particularly good match for our family, he scheduled an appointment for the next morning.
That evening we received another phone call. He'd visited the place, and it was perfect for us. While the apartment is not large, it's light, spacious enough, and recently remodeled. It's in a great part of town, close to a park, and close to the metro. Perhaps best of all, it comes equipped with an "American" kitchen, meaning that there's a fridge, oven, and cabinets! (Many times you have to move in your own kitchen appliances in France.)
Our realtor/friend explained that he considered it a miracle that the apartment was still on the market. It becomes available the day before we are supposed to arrive. He was so impressed by the place that he wrote out a check immediately to secure it for us, trusting that we would pay him back when we arrived.
You know, someday when we actually get to France, we will smile and laugh about the hurdle of our visas. While we may rip out our fingernails trying to claw our way through the bureaucracy, some day we will pass through. And when we do, we will be oh, so very grateful to have a home to come home too. In the big scheme of things, finding a safe, happy place to live will have the greatest effect on our French experience. Even more, we are already developing deep friendships based on generosity and trust as our gospel "family" in France reaches out to embrace us, even before we arrive.
I'm learning that while Heavenly Father may not answer prayers in the moment we want, he nevertheless answers our prayers--always. In this case, our family had to sink uncomfortably deep into the dark unknown before God yanked us out at the last minute, showing once again that He is truly at the helm. Thanks be to heaven for rainbow skies.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
I'd be jealous if it weren't me...
Yesterday I had a realization. If one of my close friends or family members were taking off to France for the next ten months, I'd feel insanely jealous. The journey sounds so carefree and romantic, adventuresome yet somehow serene. Sidewalk cafes, twisting streets, crepes, and confiture--what isn't to love?
At the moment, however, I feel completely the opposite. I confess that there are often moments when I wish that it were anyone but me. I've been pretty silent in the blogosphere over the past couple of weeks, waiting, hoping, and praying for a ray of sunshine to break through the gloomy, overcast tidings so that I would have something positive to write about.
Well, unfortunately, the clouds keep building, and I've decided that I finally have to get everything off my chest. I suppose that will make the drama much more exciting when the situation finally does resolve itself--let's just pray that it's a happy ending...
So, as you may have guessed, preparations are not going well for France. We have slammed up against an immovable bureaucratic wall when it comes to securing visas. My university in Lyon was supposed to send paperwork to this other French agency, ANAEM, who in turn sends a file all the way back to the French consulate in the United States. The paperwork was extensive (and expensive by the time I paid for certified translations), yet I got it all together in a timely manner and sent everything imaginable to France months ago, not only for myself, but also for my family.
Well, the HR contact at the university in Lyon was confused when it came to the procedure for securing visas for my family members. So, she asked me to contact the French consulate in Chicago for clarification. Seems simple enough, right?
Wrong. I sent an e-mail. No answer. I sent another e-mail. No answer. I politely waited and sent more e-mails. No answer. Why, you are probably asking, did I not simply pick up the darn phone and call? Because, according to the consulate website, they are very busy and cannot answer phone calls. The best way to get a hold of them is via e-mail (NOT!).
In utter desperation, we finally schedule visa appointments for the entire family. (By the way, these appointments must be scheduled three weeks in advance via the internet.) At last the day arrives. I am sick, but I still manage to teach my English class for an hour, find a substitute for the second hour, jump into a car with Jason and the girls, fight downtown traffic, and sprint to their office on the 37th floor of a Michigan avenue skyscraper, arriving on time, albeit slightly out of breath and limping, thanks to a broken shoe.
What, you may ask, was the outcome of all this effort? Well, after three hours of driving and weeks of waiting, we got to to stand at a counter for five minutes and shout to a woman with a thick French accent through a thick pane of glass. It was quite a sight--Jason and I straining for answers, absent-mindedly hushing our cranky children who were doing their best to wreak havoc in the hot, crowded waiting room.
As we walked out, Jason and I paused for a moment and said, "Well, I don't think that could have gone any worse." Since they had not received my paperwork, the consulate was unable to do anything. They gave no helpful advice whatsoever to pass on to the contact in France, except to say that the people overseas should already know what they need to do. Oh, they also said that despite our family relationships, Jason and the girls would not be granted visas in connection with me (even though the consulate had originally said they would.) Rather, they must apply for the extensive (and expensive) visitor visas, which, by the way, can take an entire month to process.
Back to the drawing board, we frantically send a slew of e-mails to everyone we know in France, begging to find out the whereabouts of my paperwork and have it sent on. Unfortunately, by this time it's already the beginning of August. I've been doing a bit of reading about France lately in a book called Paris to the Moon. I've learned that in France, nearly everything closes down in the month of August. The entire country takes four or five weeks of vacation. Well, I think the book is right. It's been weeks now, and we haven't had even a single response. We call regularly--no answer. The silence is deafening, and my anxiety is rising.
In the meantime, we've been struggling to assemble all of the paperwork for the most extensive category of visitor visas. This requires proof of financial support for an entire year, which is kind of a stretch when you consider the dollar to euro exchange rate, but we're working on it. Jason and I have both picked up a couple of odd jobs recently to add a little extra padding to our bank accounts.
And then there's the criminal background check. Honestly, I think they'd be better off just looking Jason in the eye--he's obviously not a hardened criminal--and yet the paperwork must be official. We barked up the wrong tree at the county courthouse for a while before figuring out that it needed to be an FBI background check. Well, when we finally got on the FBI's site, lo and behold, they also require three to four weeks processing time. But wait, you have to get fingerprints first!
Of course, we learn this Friday evening and call the police office Saturday morning about fingerprinting. They tell us to call back on Monday so we can schedule an appointment. Jason calls back first thing on Monday and is told that they can't get him in until Tuesday. However, they also let him know that he could have called the university police who do the fingerprints for free, but they only schedule appointments on Sunday....
I feel my grip on sanity growing warily thin. As an outsider, I'd be jealous, but as an insider, I want out. It feels like we've passed that point of no return. We've acted in faith that this was the right decision and have closed a lot of doors behind us. Jason's turned down his assistantship, we've handed in our 60 day-notice for our townhome, we've even starting packing the house in boxes. Our plane tickets are purchased for September 8th, yet it will take an absolute miracle to get us on those flights. (Not that I'm all that eager to get there, seeing as to how we don't even have a place to live yet...)
I know that in two months I will look back and smile about how everything all worked out for the best, but at the moment the path is awfully dim. So let's pray for clouds with silver linings.
At the moment, however, I feel completely the opposite. I confess that there are often moments when I wish that it were anyone but me. I've been pretty silent in the blogosphere over the past couple of weeks, waiting, hoping, and praying for a ray of sunshine to break through the gloomy, overcast tidings so that I would have something positive to write about.
Well, unfortunately, the clouds keep building, and I've decided that I finally have to get everything off my chest. I suppose that will make the drama much more exciting when the situation finally does resolve itself--let's just pray that it's a happy ending...
So, as you may have guessed, preparations are not going well for France. We have slammed up against an immovable bureaucratic wall when it comes to securing visas. My university in Lyon was supposed to send paperwork to this other French agency, ANAEM, who in turn sends a file all the way back to the French consulate in the United States. The paperwork was extensive (and expensive by the time I paid for certified translations), yet I got it all together in a timely manner and sent everything imaginable to France months ago, not only for myself, but also for my family.
Well, the HR contact at the university in Lyon was confused when it came to the procedure for securing visas for my family members. So, she asked me to contact the French consulate in Chicago for clarification. Seems simple enough, right?
Wrong. I sent an e-mail. No answer. I sent another e-mail. No answer. I politely waited and sent more e-mails. No answer. Why, you are probably asking, did I not simply pick up the darn phone and call? Because, according to the consulate website, they are very busy and cannot answer phone calls. The best way to get a hold of them is via e-mail (NOT!).
In utter desperation, we finally schedule visa appointments for the entire family. (By the way, these appointments must be scheduled three weeks in advance via the internet.) At last the day arrives. I am sick, but I still manage to teach my English class for an hour, find a substitute for the second hour, jump into a car with Jason and the girls, fight downtown traffic, and sprint to their office on the 37th floor of a Michigan avenue skyscraper, arriving on time, albeit slightly out of breath and limping, thanks to a broken shoe.
What, you may ask, was the outcome of all this effort? Well, after three hours of driving and weeks of waiting, we got to to stand at a counter for five minutes and shout to a woman with a thick French accent through a thick pane of glass. It was quite a sight--Jason and I straining for answers, absent-mindedly hushing our cranky children who were doing their best to wreak havoc in the hot, crowded waiting room.
As we walked out, Jason and I paused for a moment and said, "Well, I don't think that could have gone any worse." Since they had not received my paperwork, the consulate was unable to do anything. They gave no helpful advice whatsoever to pass on to the contact in France, except to say that the people overseas should already know what they need to do. Oh, they also said that despite our family relationships, Jason and the girls would not be granted visas in connection with me (even though the consulate had originally said they would.) Rather, they must apply for the extensive (and expensive) visitor visas, which, by the way, can take an entire month to process.
Back to the drawing board, we frantically send a slew of e-mails to everyone we know in France, begging to find out the whereabouts of my paperwork and have it sent on. Unfortunately, by this time it's already the beginning of August. I've been doing a bit of reading about France lately in a book called Paris to the Moon. I've learned that in France, nearly everything closes down in the month of August. The entire country takes four or five weeks of vacation. Well, I think the book is right. It's been weeks now, and we haven't had even a single response. We call regularly--no answer. The silence is deafening, and my anxiety is rising.
In the meantime, we've been struggling to assemble all of the paperwork for the most extensive category of visitor visas. This requires proof of financial support for an entire year, which is kind of a stretch when you consider the dollar to euro exchange rate, but we're working on it. Jason and I have both picked up a couple of odd jobs recently to add a little extra padding to our bank accounts.
And then there's the criminal background check. Honestly, I think they'd be better off just looking Jason in the eye--he's obviously not a hardened criminal--and yet the paperwork must be official. We barked up the wrong tree at the county courthouse for a while before figuring out that it needed to be an FBI background check. Well, when we finally got on the FBI's site, lo and behold, they also require three to four weeks processing time. But wait, you have to get fingerprints first!
Of course, we learn this Friday evening and call the police office Saturday morning about fingerprinting. They tell us to call back on Monday so we can schedule an appointment. Jason calls back first thing on Monday and is told that they can't get him in until Tuesday. However, they also let him know that he could have called the university police who do the fingerprints for free, but they only schedule appointments on Sunday....
I feel my grip on sanity growing warily thin. As an outsider, I'd be jealous, but as an insider, I want out. It feels like we've passed that point of no return. We've acted in faith that this was the right decision and have closed a lot of doors behind us. Jason's turned down his assistantship, we've handed in our 60 day-notice for our townhome, we've even starting packing the house in boxes. Our plane tickets are purchased for September 8th, yet it will take an absolute miracle to get us on those flights. (Not that I'm all that eager to get there, seeing as to how we don't even have a place to live yet...)
I know that in two months I will look back and smile about how everything all worked out for the best, but at the moment the path is awfully dim. So let's pray for clouds with silver linings.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Callie and Adam's Wedding
Saturday July 25th was a truly momentous day as we celebrated the marriage of my younger (and only) sister, Callie Andrus, to the man of her dreams, Adam Wilhoit. They were married at a quiet spot overlooking the ocean in Anacortes, Washington (part of the San Juan islands). The heavens must have been smiling because you couldn't have asked for a more gorgeous day. As you can imagine, Callie was a beautiful, blushing bride and Adam was dashing as always. (If you don't believe me, just check out the pictures.)
Brooklyn and Talia were cute as ever in their fairy-tale dresses. They were so excited to be flower girls--even if they did get somewhat lost and distracted going down the aisle. The guests ended up having to steer Talia most of the way, while Brooklyn turned around and started going back at one point! The real cheers go to my mother who sewed the flower girl dresses, all of the bridesmaid dresses, and even a matching dress for Zoe the pug.
While Washington may not really be on the way to many places, I was amazed to see how much family came to support Callie and Adam as they start their new life together. Much of my mother's family came from New York, as well as five of my father's siblings and their spouses. Callie and Adam, you sure are loved!
From the pictures, it's easy to see why we love them so much. Adam, any man who is willing to invite our two little munchkins to share in the wedding dancing is just the kind of guy we're delighted to have in the family.
While the happy couple is currently honeymooning in Costa Rica, we'll go ahead and send our congratulations to them both.
Brooklyn and Talia were cute as ever in their fairy-tale dresses. They were so excited to be flower girls--even if they did get somewhat lost and distracted going down the aisle. The guests ended up having to steer Talia most of the way, while Brooklyn turned around and started going back at one point! The real cheers go to my mother who sewed the flower girl dresses, all of the bridesmaid dresses, and even a matching dress for Zoe the pug.
While Washington may not really be on the way to many places, I was amazed to see how much family came to support Callie and Adam as they start their new life together. Much of my mother's family came from New York, as well as five of my father's siblings and their spouses. Callie and Adam, you sure are loved!
From the pictures, it's easy to see why we love them so much. Adam, any man who is willing to invite our two little munchkins to share in the wedding dancing is just the kind of guy we're delighted to have in the family.
While the happy couple is currently honeymooning in Costa Rica, we'll go ahead and send our congratulations to them both.
Friday, July 25, 2008
The Degree That Never Ends
After a very busy past couple of weeks, I'm finally coming up for air. I just submitted my final project for my last MATESL course (ESL teaching), which means I should be all done, right?
Wrong. This feels like the degree that never ends. Three years ago I completed a graduate certificate in TESOL at BYU and thought that I was all done. When it came time to actually look for a job, however, I realized that most of the jobs I was interested in required an MA, so it was back to school at UIUC.
When April rolled around, I felt like I was done again when I passed my comprehensive exams. Still, I endured through final course exams in May.
Even though I had mentally checked out by this point and was dreaming of mortar boards, I still had one more elective class. And so, I've endured an intensive month of an online course through Curriculum and Instruction, participated in the virtual classes, and submitted my final project.
It sure feels like I ought to be done! But alas, even though 90% of the course grade has been submitted, there's still a measly reflection paper that can't be completed until I do the thing to be reflected upon--which can't happen until the end of August. Talk about anti-climactic!
Maybe this is what they mean by perpetual education...
Wrong. This feels like the degree that never ends. Three years ago I completed a graduate certificate in TESOL at BYU and thought that I was all done. When it came time to actually look for a job, however, I realized that most of the jobs I was interested in required an MA, so it was back to school at UIUC.
When April rolled around, I felt like I was done again when I passed my comprehensive exams. Still, I endured through final course exams in May.
Even though I had mentally checked out by this point and was dreaming of mortar boards, I still had one more elective class. And so, I've endured an intensive month of an online course through Curriculum and Instruction, participated in the virtual classes, and submitted my final project.
It sure feels like I ought to be done! But alas, even though 90% of the course grade has been submitted, there's still a measly reflection paper that can't be completed until I do the thing to be reflected upon--which can't happen until the end of August. Talk about anti-climactic!
Maybe this is what they mean by perpetual education...
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Brooklyn-isms
Brooklyn: Give me some juice.
Mom: What do you say?
Brooklyn (annoyed): Please.
Mom: Put it in a sentence.
Brooklyn: No, put it in a sippy cup.
Mom: Guess what, Brooklyn?
Brooklyn: What?
Mom: I love you!
Brooklyn: Can we go to McDonalds?
A conversation overheard on the playground between Brooklyn's friend and her Mom:
Friend: Brooklyn's trying to trick me!
Friend's Mom: What happened?
Friend: Brooklyn told me that her tummy's hard, but it's really soft and squishy.
What can I say? She comes by it honestly. :)
Mom: What do you say?
Brooklyn (annoyed): Please.
Mom: Put it in a sentence.
Brooklyn: No, put it in a sippy cup.
Mom: Guess what, Brooklyn?
Brooklyn: What?
Mom: I love you!
Brooklyn: Can we go to McDonalds?
A conversation overheard on the playground between Brooklyn's friend and her Mom:
Friend: Brooklyn's trying to trick me!
Friend's Mom: What happened?
Friend: Brooklyn told me that her tummy's hard, but it's really soft and squishy.
What can I say? She comes by it honestly. :)
Sacrificing for Baguettes and Brie
I thought I'd provide a quick update on our France adventures, in case anyone's interested.
First of all, we bought plane tickets! The date of departure: September 8th, one week after Labor Day. We've handed in our 60-day notice.
Buying the tickets really was an act of faith since we're not certain the visas will come through in time. I've had quite the stymieing introduction to French bureaucracy in getting the paperwork together, including obtaining certified and notarized translations of birth certificates, marriage licenses, diplomas, etc. I've given myself migraines trying to translate phrases such as "I hereunto set my hand affixed seal" and "security features of this document include: intaglio border, V&R images in the top cycloids, ultra violet fibers and hologram image." In the end, we finally ended up hiring a professional translator who edited our feeble attempts and set her own seal of approval upon the documents.
Other news: a real estate agent in Lyon is on the hunt looking for a suitable apartment for us! This may not sound like a big deal, but we've been told by numerous sources that it's virtually impossible to secure housing in France without being there in person. Fortunately, we are incredibly blessed to have a church "family" that is looking out for us. We e-mailed the ecclesiastical leader (stake president) in Lyon, who responded within an hour and told us that he would pass our information along to the three leaders of the local congregations (bishops.) Shortly thereafter we were contacted by this realtor in Lyon who served an LDS mission in the British Isles twenty-five years ago. Leaving behind the comfort of home and family is very scary for me, but I feel peace and comfort knowing that where ever we go, we will have a church family to welcome us.
The sad news: we turned down our first apartment today. Our real estate agent found an apartment that was positively ideal in terms of location--a five minute walk from Lyon's gorgeous central park and a five minute walk to the metro. Unfortunately, it was a bit out of our budget. We're also learning that "unfurnished" in Europe means completely unfurnished--no fridge, no stove, no cupboards--nothing! Considering that the entirety of all our belongings will fit neatly into six suitcases plus a few carry-ons, this next year could be extremely interesting. I've always thought that beds were highly overrated anyway...
In the meantime, I've started an intense crash course in French 102 that meets for four hours a day, four days a week for the next three weeks. We've got quite the family juggling act going since I'm in class from 8-12, Jason has studio class from 1-5, plus I've got an online elective class that meets from 5-7 on the one day I don't take French. I keep reminding myself that it will all be worth it when we're chewing on baguettes and brie a couple months from now.
If anyone wants to visit, there will be plenty of open floor.
First of all, we bought plane tickets! The date of departure: September 8th, one week after Labor Day. We've handed in our 60-day notice.
Buying the tickets really was an act of faith since we're not certain the visas will come through in time. I've had quite the stymieing introduction to French bureaucracy in getting the paperwork together, including obtaining certified and notarized translations of birth certificates, marriage licenses, diplomas, etc. I've given myself migraines trying to translate phrases such as "I hereunto set my hand affixed seal" and "security features of this document include: intaglio border, V&R images in the top cycloids, ultra violet fibers and hologram image." In the end, we finally ended up hiring a professional translator who edited our feeble attempts and set her own seal of approval upon the documents.
Other news: a real estate agent in Lyon is on the hunt looking for a suitable apartment for us! This may not sound like a big deal, but we've been told by numerous sources that it's virtually impossible to secure housing in France without being there in person. Fortunately, we are incredibly blessed to have a church "family" that is looking out for us. We e-mailed the ecclesiastical leader (stake president) in Lyon, who responded within an hour and told us that he would pass our information along to the three leaders of the local congregations (bishops.) Shortly thereafter we were contacted by this realtor in Lyon who served an LDS mission in the British Isles twenty-five years ago. Leaving behind the comfort of home and family is very scary for me, but I feel peace and comfort knowing that where ever we go, we will have a church family to welcome us.
The sad news: we turned down our first apartment today. Our real estate agent found an apartment that was positively ideal in terms of location--a five minute walk from Lyon's gorgeous central park and a five minute walk to the metro. Unfortunately, it was a bit out of our budget. We're also learning that "unfurnished" in Europe means completely unfurnished--no fridge, no stove, no cupboards--nothing! Considering that the entirety of all our belongings will fit neatly into six suitcases plus a few carry-ons, this next year could be extremely interesting. I've always thought that beds were highly overrated anyway...
In the meantime, I've started an intense crash course in French 102 that meets for four hours a day, four days a week for the next three weeks. We've got quite the family juggling act going since I'm in class from 8-12, Jason has studio class from 1-5, plus I've got an online elective class that meets from 5-7 on the one day I don't take French. I keep reminding myself that it will all be worth it when we're chewing on baguettes and brie a couple months from now.
If anyone wants to visit, there will be plenty of open floor.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Jiving in June
It's been a while since we've blogged so I thought I'd catch everyone up with a photo journey of the past few weeks.
Shady Camping
First of all, camping! Despite mighty rainfall and rampant flooding in the midwest, we gathered up enough courage to go camping at Indiana's Shades State Park, close to Turkey Run. The park was beautiful--we highly recommend it to anyone looking for a new spot to explore. We had tons of fun with Jason's siblings, and felt fortunate to draw upon Justin's brilliance when he used the battery powered mattress pump to blow air on the fire when the dry wood wouldn't light. Med school must be paying off!
As far as the wildlife goes, we were glad to avert any additional battles with the ticks. Even so, we did have some more interesting experiences with a brazen raccoon that had the audacity to literally hang around the campsite in broad daylight. It was hard to get mad at the little bugger because it was so darn little and cute. I guess that's how my own kids must get away with so much!
Jason's Adventures in Modeling
For Jason, the laid-back, relaxed pace of camping quickly gave way to super-intense days of architectural design and modeling when he began his summer studio class. The following pictures show one of the latest concept models his group has designed. As you can see, when it comes to architecture, he eats it up...
Fat Man's Squeeze
Later in June, we were really fortunate to have both my sister and father come visit. It was fabulous to see Callie before she takes the big plunge on July 19th and gets married to the man of her dreams, Adam Wilhoit. Thanks Adam, for sharing her!
We used the daddy-daughter time to revisit some family haunts from our growing up childhood years in southern Illinois. The most hilarious venture was trying to work our way through "Fat Man's Squeeze"--an eighteen-inch crack that ascends up a rock cliff for about two hundred feet in Giant City State Park. As young girls, we used to shimmy our way through Fat Man's Squeeze with no trouble at all. I have vivid elementary-school memories of snickering at all of the adults who got stuck, with oversized adventurers occasionally having to be rescued by the fire department. Well, this latest revisiting of Fat Man's Squeeze definitely offered a different perspective. Let's just say that my 4'10" ninety-something pound sister really had to suck it in to make her way through. I survived the ordeal, but barely! In our supersize society, you don't have to be very hefty to get trapped by Fat Man's Squeeze!
Here are a couple pictures of us in Giant City State Park. In one of them, Papa Kay is helping Brooklyn with a makeshift potty. Grandfatherly love is defined by the moments where you hunch over for ten minutes, waiting for your granddaughter to relax enough to relieve herself...
Our trip to Southern Illinois would not have been complete without a trip to the Dairy Queen that we regularly frequented in Carterville, Illinois. It's still there and looks remarkably unchanged from the first time I visited it 25 years ago. The Dilly Bars are still in a freezer at the front, you still order fries to the side, and the saloon style swinging doors into the bathroom corridor seem to still have the same stick that I left on them two decades ago...
And of course, my sister is still as annoying and obnoxious as ever. Isn't it nice to know that some things never change? :)
Shady Camping
First of all, camping! Despite mighty rainfall and rampant flooding in the midwest, we gathered up enough courage to go camping at Indiana's Shades State Park, close to Turkey Run. The park was beautiful--we highly recommend it to anyone looking for a new spot to explore. We had tons of fun with Jason's siblings, and felt fortunate to draw upon Justin's brilliance when he used the battery powered mattress pump to blow air on the fire when the dry wood wouldn't light. Med school must be paying off!
As far as the wildlife goes, we were glad to avert any additional battles with the ticks. Even so, we did have some more interesting experiences with a brazen raccoon that had the audacity to literally hang around the campsite in broad daylight. It was hard to get mad at the little bugger because it was so darn little and cute. I guess that's how my own kids must get away with so much!
Jason's Adventures in Modeling
For Jason, the laid-back, relaxed pace of camping quickly gave way to super-intense days of architectural design and modeling when he began his summer studio class. The following pictures show one of the latest concept models his group has designed. As you can see, when it comes to architecture, he eats it up...
Fat Man's Squeeze
Later in June, we were really fortunate to have both my sister and father come visit. It was fabulous to see Callie before she takes the big plunge on July 19th and gets married to the man of her dreams, Adam Wilhoit. Thanks Adam, for sharing her!
We used the daddy-daughter time to revisit some family haunts from our growing up childhood years in southern Illinois. The most hilarious venture was trying to work our way through "Fat Man's Squeeze"--an eighteen-inch crack that ascends up a rock cliff for about two hundred feet in Giant City State Park. As young girls, we used to shimmy our way through Fat Man's Squeeze with no trouble at all. I have vivid elementary-school memories of snickering at all of the adults who got stuck, with oversized adventurers occasionally having to be rescued by the fire department. Well, this latest revisiting of Fat Man's Squeeze definitely offered a different perspective. Let's just say that my 4'10" ninety-something pound sister really had to suck it in to make her way through. I survived the ordeal, but barely! In our supersize society, you don't have to be very hefty to get trapped by Fat Man's Squeeze!
Here are a couple pictures of us in Giant City State Park. In one of them, Papa Kay is helping Brooklyn with a makeshift potty. Grandfatherly love is defined by the moments where you hunch over for ten minutes, waiting for your granddaughter to relax enough to relieve herself...
Our trip to Southern Illinois would not have been complete without a trip to the Dairy Queen that we regularly frequented in Carterville, Illinois. It's still there and looks remarkably unchanged from the first time I visited it 25 years ago. The Dilly Bars are still in a freezer at the front, you still order fries to the side, and the saloon style swinging doors into the bathroom corridor seem to still have the same stick that I left on them two decades ago...
And of course, my sister is still as annoying and obnoxious as ever. Isn't it nice to know that some things never change? :)
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