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Washington

Happy Lady

 Happy husband

Happy Girls

Happy Boys

Happy Nina

Happy Lake

Good night :)

What Are You Doing New Years Eve?

I know I'm posting this a month after it happened, but we really did have a fabulous, low-key, enjoyable New Years Eve with T's family.  I think we slept in (always a treat) and we took a walk in the afternoon.  That evening, Brother Corwin (good family friend who's a Dominican monk in CA) came over for a visit, and it was great to see him!  

We went downtown to hear some fun music and watch awesomely-costumed students walk around in stilts playing tambourines ("play a little song for me").  It was really cool! We heard awesome songs and the whole family was dancing. Anselm and Lydia even got to play a tambourine for a little while. Such great energy :) I love communal music.

From Jump, Jive, January

After Celebration Lane, we came back to the house for dessert and wiled away the evening until that magical hour when the New Year begins.  Honestly, I can't remember if any of us made it.  I know we got to 11 pm, for sure. But the kids were petering out and conversation was lagging. Despite our best attempts at playing the didgeridoo... (this is what it's really supposed to sound like).  I'm sure the men-folk howled at the moon before they went to bed :) 

But it was a great evening, and I couldn't have asked for a better way to ring in the new year, than surrounded by good friends and sweet family.  So, a month into it, here's to 2010! 

Missing You

north cascades
Originally uploaded by Seattle Miles

Dear Pacific Northwest:

I miss you and you're beautiful! I hope to see you soon...

We Took A Walk

While T and I were in Seattle for New Years, the whole family (remarkable, isn't it? The WHOLE family was home) went for a walk in the park near a lake. It was drizzly, a little windy, and rather chilly--a perfect Seattle winter day :)

Lydia and the three younger boys brought their scooters. Caellainne brought her pink umbrella.  As you can see from the pictures, we had a lot of fun!

A Walk in the Park

Weekend in WA

Yes, we had another weekend in Washington with the fam. It was fabulous! T's parents have a cabin on Lake Chelan and (because it's very cozy with (almost) the whole family there) they rented us our own little cabin a few docks down. I don't have a whole lot of time to post right this minute, but I wanted to let you all know I posted the pictures of our trip. What a fun weekend (we got tan, too!)

Wild Waves

Travel on New Years Day...

We arrived safe and sound in Seattle yesterday. In the evening we opened Christmas presents (so much fun!) and had a nice dinner. Today we're visiting with Brother Corwin, a family friend of many years. He is a Dominican in northern CA now, enjoying the life of a monastic. It was a lovely relaxed day. We went for a walk around the lake, had nice meals together, and got to chat quite a bit. It's nice to be on this half of our vacation--though of course it means we're that much closer to going back to Boston :( which means we'll be missing family again.

But, in the mean time, we're happy to be home in WA. (And just in case you're wondering, yes, we did miss all the snow. We're going to Spokane tomorrow, though, so we'll see what we get there!)

See Taylor Run. Run, Taylor!

Seattle Marathon

Taylor successfully (and (relatively) painlessly) completed his first marathon! ) 

Dad and I dropped him off at the starting area at 7:30 this morning and waited in the misty-moistness for his group to start. The Marathon Walkers started before we got there (I think) and the Half Marathon group started at 7:30, just as we arrived.  T's group was slated for 8:15 and they started right on time (see the video in the picasa album above). 

After seeing him off, Dad and I headed to church to pick up Nina (who wasn't in the St. Nicholas Play practice group) and we meandered to Mile 15 for another look at T. He was goin' strong! Even gave me a kiss as he breezed by (maybe the kiss was for the energy bloks I  handed him)! ;)

Here is a picture near the park T ran around--the mist gave quite a dramatic effect of "into nothingness" :) 

After Mile 15, we met up with Mum and the other younger kids (and Aunt Wendy and Uncle Brooks) and saw T again at Mile 18. He still looked pretty good :) (there's another video of Mile 18 on the picasa album). Aunt Wendy made a sign (which was a good thing--since the rest of his cheering squad didn't have time to make one before we left) and we all congregated to wait for Our Marathon Man. Apparently, T got lots of compliments on his well-organized cheering section. I know he appreciated us coming out and supporting him, too :) It makes all the difference in the world, sometimes... or anytime, really :)

Next stop for us was Mile 21, the end of the first long hill of the course! We all piled back into the cars and hoped and groped our way through traffic. And we made it in time! Nina and I ran up the hill with T (who had an amazing pace--we were so impressed!), and he told us later that it helped a lot. From Mile 21, for Taylor, it was "just like a jaunt into downtown Boston."  'Course, he'd never done said "jaunt" after 21 miles of running, but he was still looking pretty good. I talked to him a bit, as I ran up the hill with him, and he said he wasn't hurting at all.  Good for you, My Love :)

As Mum, Dad, the 6 younger kids, and I all headed for Mile 23, the older kids (Elliott, Abby, her boyfriend Chris, and Garrett) were ready to meet T at Mile 22, just before another big hill, harder than the first. By the time we saw him at Mile 23, at the end of that hill, he was still goin' strong, but we could tell he was getting tired. I ran with him a bit more, and I think that was another time when our cheering was very important. Mum and I both got a little chocked up, seeing T work so hard. 

Finally, a mad dash to the car to head toward the finish line. We just barely made it in time to see T head in--look at that nice strong finish! He passed 6 or 7 people as he charged in. I'm so glad we were able to be there for him :) 

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Our friend Erik, after his first marathon, told us "I finished. I puked. And then I gave a 15 minute meditation on the Passion."  When T was hobbling to the car with us after the race, he said he, too, understood (just a teeny-tiny bit) more about Christ's passion: "It was really hard, but I didn't have to keep going. No one was making me do it." 

Upon reflection, as I write this, I can understand (a very tiny bit) more about how Our Lady must have felt, watching her Son struggle on up the hill to Calvary. Every little bit (of understanding) helps, right? Praise God for His goodness to us in Christ! 

So anyway, I'm very proud of my sweet husband :) He's quite the trooper. 

WE LOVE YOU, TAYLOR!

Pilates (Pi-law-tees)

Tuesday, T and I had our very first pilates mat session. It was lots of fun! We weren't terribly sore after it, either, which is important. I like to feel a little sore, but not so much so that I can't move! We had biked in to work that day, biked to the pilates studio after classes, and then we biked home. And if I didn't already know where I got sore from biking, I'd say that all that biking in one day was more of a workout than the pilates. But, I'm just pleasantly sore in pilates-esque areas (all the tiny muscles in and around my torso, basically). T and I are signed up for 5 weeks of Tuesday classes. Should be great. We'll also do small group classes occasionally, on the pilates equipment. If you want to check out a comprehensive Website on a pilates studio, visit this one, run by T's Korean cousin-by-marriage. (For those of you who read this in the Seattle, WA area--go check it out! She's awesome!) The studio we're going to is awesome, too, but I like Ki Lan's Website better.

Fr. Spitzer--We love you

Fr. Robert J. Spitzer, S.J., the man, the myth, the legend, is resigning from his presidency at Gonzaga University, after a wonderful term of leadership. This is a bit of a tribute to his genius :) If you have any other memorable quotations, please (PLEASE!) add them! "Not only am I getting myself, but I'm getting myself getting myself." "...ultimate Truth, Love, Goodness, Beauty, and Being..." "I have three points." ------ In an essay Spitzer wrote, he quotes Paul Davies' book, God and the New Physics (found here):

If the initial state were chosen at random, it seems exceedingly probable that the big bang would have coughed out black holes rather than dispersed gases. The present arrangement of matter and energy, with matter spread thinly at relatively low density, in the form of stars and gas clouds would, apparently, only result from a very special choice of initial conditions. Roger Penrose has computed the odds against the observed universe appearing by accident, given that a black-hole cosmos is so much more likely on a priori grounds. He estimates a figure of 10^10^30 to one.

To which Spitzer candidly responds:

"I've always admired atheists, they have great faith! Because, the probability of our universe existing by chance is 10^10^30:1. That's a REALLY big number. If you were to write out all the zeros in that number, and all the zeros were the size of a hydrogen atom, our universe would not be BIG enough for that number!"

------ Father Spitzer, we love you!

Apples to Apples

Last night, as T and I were going to bed, we were talking about many varied things and apples came up. Since T's from WA, and I went to school there (I consider myself "from" WA since I got married there), I had a rather amusing thought, which I shared with T: "Wouldn't it be funny if we named all our kids after apples?" We could have: Fuji and Gala Black (twin girls!) MacIntosh (aah, the Scottish side of T's family) Granny Smith Black (sounds like a feminist grandmother from the 60s with a hyphenated last name) Courtland Black (British sounding?) Jonagold Black (German maybe.) 'Course, some names would be too bizarre, even for us: Red Delicious Black (horror movie?) Pink Lady Black (a rock band, maybe? Or, listed alphabetically by last name: Black, Pink Lady) Then I went online today to find some MORE interesting apple names, and some of them aren't too bad: Oliver Baldwin Anna Elstar Franklin Oriol Salome Alexander (A & R, I'll bet you didn't know your son was named after an apple!) Others, though, are not so normal, even for apples! Early Strawberry (This is the name of an apple. Seriously) Winter Banana Ellison's Orange Lemon Pippin (A hobbit apple?) Leather Coat (??) But how 'bout: Black, King Cole Black, Lady in the Snow (sounds like the title of a novel of the dark ages) Black, Merton Beauty Black, Rambo (yes, there's an apple variety called Rambo. It's for manly men only!) And, in honor of my mother-in-law, here are a few alliterative names: Bonnie Best Black Billie Bound Black Beauty of Bath Black Belle de Boskoop Black Black Oxford Black (or Black, Black Oxford) What would YOU name your kid if you had to choose an apple name? :) Just click on the link above and have fun! (Leave comments please, I have a feeling they'd be HILARIOUS!)

"A wedding? I love weddings!"

One of the reasons we went to visit Seattle when we did was because our good friends M and K were getting married (to each other. We weren't going to wedding-hop!). T and M have known each other since they were little boys, and M was one of our groomsmen at our wedding. When M and K started dating and we met K, we knew these two were perfect together. M had asked T to be one of his groomsmen. What a joy it was to share in their wedding day! (Also, they're Byzantine and it was GREAT to attend a Byzantine wedding!) We went to the wedding rehearsal and dinner on Friday, which was quite enjoyable. Fr. Joseph, who officiated at our wedding, also married M and K, and it was very good to see him again. He is such a proficient priest and he's done so many weddings the rehearsal went very smoothly (despite the fact that there was a couple missing from the wedding party). His deacon, Michael, was also there and was a big help (as always!). I wasn't in the wedding (which was fine), so I was just there to take pictures (see album below). It was lots of fun to see a wedding rehearsal from the "outside," as it were. It brought back many memories of my wedding rehearsal, and the few other weddings I've been in. It reminded me of how a bride feels on that beautiful day before the beautiful day. I loved seeing M and K smile at each other. I could see their eyes say, "This is it." There were a few funny moments, too. M and K, for the first part of the rehearsal, were sitting at the end of the front pews across the aisle from one another. After going over the vows, Father told everyone to sit down where they had been before, but K says, "Can't M and I sit together?" I remember asking that SAME question at our wedding rehearsal, and I heard the same pleading meekness in her voice, "Please Father?" Father looked at hear with a twinkle in his eye (after all, he IS a romantic at heart!) and told all six of the groomsmen to move down to make room for the bride on the groom's side. It was cute :) At the rehearsal dinner, there was a good conversation with Fr. Joseph and Deacon Michael about the superiority of Maker's Mark, a very fine bourbon, which is Fr. Joseph's favorite and (after Father's influence) Deacon Michael's favorite too. K's younger cousin, the flower girl, was absolutely enthralled by Father in his impressive black and purple Byzantine regalia. Father loves children, and it was a new experience for me (with no children of my own yet) to see him interact with this sweet little girl. Then, in response to a remark about the weather, Father mentioned he would be rather warm the day of the wedding, what with all the layers he's wearing. K piped up, "Well, I'll be wearing quite a few layers too, Father." But Fr. Joseph put his finger over his lips and said, smiling, "Oh, shhhh. That's supposed to be a surprise." And I could have sworn that he winked at her and M :) On the day of the wedding, although I would be sitting with T's family in the pews (yes, we took up more than one), I got ready early and left with T and his brother E (also in the wedding party). It was a good thing I did, too, because the pianist (who was playing music before the wedding, since Byzantine liturgies have no accompaniment) and I hit it off big time, and she and I were both able to help out with little odd jobs around the church before the big moment. I even helped put pew bows together :) Despite a small problem with the microphones for Fr. Joseph and Deacon Michael (which they discarded half way through the Liturgy), the wedding was simply lovely. A Byzantine Crowning is a beautiful ritual--the bride and groom are crowned King and Queen of their own, newly formed Domestic Church. M and K did get to sit together after the vows (and the six groomsmen were very courteous). Their wedding icons were written by M's mom and were gorgeous. Likewise, the reception was loads of fun. Although I felt a bit lonely at first having to sit without T (I was with the family, though, so really it was ok), I had good conversations with both the pianist (it was GREAT getting to know you, dear!) and one of T's good friends who married one of my good friends last summer. We are struggling with some similar issues and it was very edifying to connect on that particular score. Praise God for such good people :) M and his brother P even did some Irish step dancing, which was a rare treat. Did you know they were international competitors? All in all, a fabulous time of friends, family, love, and laughter. After the newly weds drove off and the reception party dissipated, T and I a several friends went to hang out at Red Robin (yummy!) for a long night of MORE laughter and friends and family. Life is good.

Mike & Kayleen 2008

...I told my cousin the other day that every wedding T and I attend is, in a very small way, "our" wedding, too. It's not possessive or anything, but every time we're blessed by attending the celebration of one couple's union before God, T and I can renew our own commitment to each other and ask God, once again, for the strength to be a good example of His love in the world. It's true that I love weddings (drinks all around!), especially weddings where the couple is so well suited for each other, where the liturgy is beautiful and deeply meaningful, and most especially where it is so clear the Lord is present in all these things.

Somewhere, Beyond the Sea...

...my Lover stands on golden sands, and watches the [ferries] that go chugging. Our trip to the San Juans was fabulous. There were a lot of firsts for me: first ferry ride first time whale watching (but we didn't see any whales) first slice of rubarb pie (actually, I shared with T so it was more like a 1/2 a slice) We left Seattle right after liturgy and headed north to catch the ferry. We were the last two cars on! The ferry ride was great, and I got some fun pictures (see album at the end). After we got on the island, we checked in to our hotel and went in search of a place for dinner. We found a restaurant that worked (kids menu and all!), but they had to seat us in two different booths. Trying to seat a party of 12 + highchair isn't easy at the end of a weekend :) I had an absolutely delicious mojito (though fortunately, Lydia didn't want any of it: "Um, what is that?" "It's a mojito." "Well, I don't want a sip of that."), which settled in nicely with my scallop ravioli in cream sauce. After dinner we went to the pool. At least, I think that's when we went. T's younger siblings LOVE the pool. There's nothing they'd rather do that become little wrinkled up prunes in a pool. Diving, jumping, splashing, laughing, screaming, squealing, swimming, gaming. It's all there. I think they went to the pool every day we were there. They even went this morning before we left (aah, a nice 8:30 a.m. swim; nothing like it!). Dad was quite a trooper, taking them so frequently. After the pool (or after the pool then after dinner?) we went to Lime Kiln to watch for orcas. We didn't see any, but I did get some more pictures :) Monday was quite an adventure. In the morning we went to the beach and had a picnic. 'Course, we had to climb over piles of washed up logs and slide down rocky slopes to get to the water, but that's all in a days' works for the Blacks! :) The water was positively freezing, so no one went swimming until later, that is... You see, every time T's family gets around a large body of water, they feel the need to build a raft. What BETTER task to accomplish with copious amounts of dry wood lying about for the picking. They even managed to find some rope. I got to witness the story of Raging Queen XIII (or XIV? or XVI? they've lost count, I'm afraid). That evening we went to "The English Camp" and played frisbee while Caellainne ran around in the damp grass and Mum and Lydia nested in the tall grass. I think the kids went to the pool again when we got home, but it's all a blur. I only went once (on Sunday) and I don't remember after that :) Tuesday, the last full day we were there, was definitely a full day. We woke up and headed out to visit local bookstores! Luckily, we found a used bookstore which cut our costs tremendously, since we are ALL great lovers of books. It was a fun, relaxing morning full of reading. We went for lunch at the Hungry Clam, which was very yummy (prepared well!) fried food--fish and chips! Since it was drizzly all day, T on down through Sebastian went to see Iron Man while I stayed with the 'rents and the two little girls. We went down to the docks and walked around. Dad "shopped" for boats, while Mum and I rolled our eyes :) Dinner, at "The Place" was FABULOUS! Oh my, so yummy. I had pan seared sole with a yummy lemon garlic sauce and then rhubarb pie for dessert (with ice cream)! All the portions were just right and we were pleasantly full by the end of the meal. The restaurant people were very nice to us, too, since we were such a large, young crowd (and quite a crowd!). Kudos to them for being so tolerant, understanding, and accommodating!

San Juan 2008

All in all, it was a fantastic visit to the San Juan Islands, and I had a great time with my in-laws! :) Stay tuned for stories about the rest of our visit to the BEAUTIFUL pacific northwest and the wedding on Saturday!

We Made It!

Whew! We made it all the way to Seattle with all our luggage, not too much weariness, and of course, lots of hugs to be had at T's parents' house. We were even surprised by the "welcome" the kiddies had concocted involving a specific place to stand, lots of cheering, and, naturally, home-made confetti. What fun :) It's been a great visit so far. On Saturday, when we got here, we had a small, late dinner, and then went to bed. We had to be up fairly early on Sunday to attend Divine Liturgy. It was so good to attend St. John's again. We've missed the beautiful richness of the Byzantine rite very much while in Boston. The songs, the incense, the vestments... it's just beautiful. I can't quite explain the feeling I get when I walk into the church, as the altar boys (there are only boys, no girls allowed) prepare for liturgy in the sanctuary, as people exchange greetings, and as the family files into the pew after venerating the icon on the tetrapod. Mum always pauses for a moment in front of the icon of Our Lady (the Most Glorious Theotokos). As soon as the youngest learns to kiss, she has to kiss the icon and the blessing cross too :) It's very endearing. PLUS, this week is Pentecost--the ONLY time the WHOLE year that the church is decorated in GREEN cloths and candles. I don't know if it was because I was raised Roman (and saw green so often during the year) or if it's just 'cuz green is an awesome color, but I love it when things are green :) Since green is used for only this week the whole year, it seems to make it extra special. Green is the color of life, the color of the Holy Spirit! We got to see Anselm serve for the first time (that is, it was the first time WE saw him, not his first time serving), and Fr. Joseph was in excellent form for the homily. The recently ordained Deacon Michael is a joy to have too! His presence, as deacon, enhances the liturgy tremendously--he's a more concrete liasion between the congregation and the sanctuary. And he's got awesome vestments... and a nifty hat. (Apologies for not using the right terms for things-Byzantine. Not having been raised Byzantine, I'm not familiar with them. However, to be completely fair, neither is T (not with ALL of the right terms), though he's been Byzantine much longer than I have.) This Sunday was also the Solemn Communion for the children who made their first confession on Saturday. If you didn't know better, you'd think it was their FIRST communion, similar to the Roman rite, because they're all dressed up in gleaming white attire. But, in the Byzantine rite, a child is chrismated and receives the Eucharist at his baptism. Thus, he's received all the sacraments of initiation from the earliest possible moment. Then, when he reaches the age of reason he receives the sacrament of reconciliation and, clothed once again in the white of his baptism, he confesses the creed before the whole congregation. It's a lovely tradition, and it's darling to see all the children so fancy! And since it was mother's day as well, all the mothers received a beautiful holy card and pin of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. After liturgy there was a yummy reception downstairs and I got to sit with my friend K who is GETTING MARRIED ON SATURDAY! It was good to catch up with her and chat about the impending bliss :) Also, I finally got a chot-ki! It's a pretty bright royal blue with a big tassel :) So Sunday was wonderful and we're super-excited to go stay with the fam for three days on the San Juan Islands. Yay for vacations!

Hobbit House!!

If T and I ever build our dream home, I have a feeling we'll incorporate quite a few features from this one :) So cute! Maybe we'll even build this kind of house on the farm we want to share in the PNW!

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

It may seem a bit cliche, but it's true! Since moving to the east coast, T and I have been missing many things about the west coast and GU and, yes, even Spokane!

I miss being close to family. T's family was only four hours away, mine was 19 (19 may seem like a lot, but it's 19 hours driving, and in our good little car it's still cheaper to drive for 19 hours than to fly for 5 1/2 hours from Boston). Also, being on the west coast meant not changing time zones whenever we did go to visit family. We went down to CA at least twice a year (and were able to stay for at least a week or so) and we'd visit Seattle every few months for long weekends. It was so good to be around all our little siblings and nieces and nephews. They grow up so quickly that one wants to be around for as much of it as possible! They've changed so much since we left...

It was also good to be around people who love you, and have always loved you, and will always love you. I'm not saying that our friends over here don't love us or won't love us in the future, but family is just different. My mother told me "your spouse is the only member of your family that you get to choose," which is true. But that means that God has chosen the rest of your family--your immediate and extended family, AND your in-laws (and their extended family!). There's no question about loving these people. They were put in your life by God and you have to love them (that's the way I put it when I was a kid--especially when my sisters and I were fighting). Friends may come and go, but you're stuck with family forever. :) And it's beautiful!

...

But speaking of friends--we have been blessed with those kinds of friends who become like family. The guys who are like brothers, women who are like sisters, and professors who become like favorite uncles or grandparents or older siblings, even. True, there aren't too many of them, but those we have are infinite beings whom we can spend the rest of our friendships getting to know! Some are here in Boston (Praise the Lord!) and others are scattered over the US and the world. We love our new friends, and we miss our old friends (so how 'bout that farm idea, eh?!).

T and I miss the Ruthenian Byzantine rite. Though, to be perfectly honest, neither of us are technically Byzantine. T's family converted and were all baptized into the Roman rite, but soon after started attending the Byzantine rite. He was mostly raised Byzantine, though, since they converted when he was 9-ish... Six of his younger siblings were baptized Byzantine. I was born and raised Roman Catholic and "became" Byzantine after meeting, falling in love with, and marrying T. My love of the Eastern Catholic traditions draws from, I believe, a deep and abiding love for all the beautiful aspects of the Roman rite. We love both rites! In Spokane, we'd go to Divine Liturgy on Sundays and to daily Mass during the week. I miss the fullness of experiencing both.

More specifically, I miss our dear little Ss. Cyril and Methodius church! I miss the icons and the Holy Doors and the processions and the vestments and the CUTE little altar boys and the singing and the babies and the INCENSE (so much incense--my hair usually smelled "like church" when we got home) and the Slavonic and... just everything. I miss Fr. Bill's homilies: "It's the quality of the fast, not the quantity, that is so important in our eastern tradition, my brothers and sisters. ::long pause as Father stares at the ceiling. Baby coos (sometimes crickets chirp):: And we must remember that as we move into this season of Great Lent."

For that matter, I miss going to St. John's in Seattle. I miss Fr. Joseph's homilies too: "The way you live is the way you die, and the way you die is the way you'll be for all eternity. So fast and pray!" (They're not all like that--he's just terse sometimes during Lent when he's only eating vegetables. His homilies are beautiful and profound!) I miss, too, all T's younger siblings singing the psalms and Fr. Joseph's gardens outside, and the bells!

And generally speaking, we miss the laid-back-ness of the west. It's not that the east coast is "uptight" or anything, but there's just a feeling of relaxation out west more than there is here. There's more space, too. And mountains--I miss the mountains.

Oh well, enough reminiscing. I didn't want this post to come off as complaining about being on the east coast--we are really enjoying ourselves out here (honest!). We have made wonderful friends, have good jobs, a nice home, and we get to have lots of fun, too. I guess I just wanted to put my two cents in about all the good we left behind. We'll get back there someday!