Flashbacks to San Francisco

I had the opportunity to visit my freshman year roommate Amy & her hubby Mat while at a symposium at Stanford last June. It was a BLAST! They hosted me in SanFrancisco for a few days, where we played hard, trolleyed hard & guitar heroed hard. Their community in Berkeley is amazing: they both worked at an extremely socially active church with a heart for world suffering (particularly AIDS and poverty). Being around Christians with a solid conception of the gospel, respect for academic vigor and fervent social activism reminded me that I am part of a world-wide (not just nation-wide) community of like-minded believers. We are not alone. We struggle in the name of Christ--in the name of love--together.

With Amy at the Wharf (yes, meeting one another as freshmen was amusing--we were quickly known as the "odd couple"--Amy being the shortest music major and me being the tallest):


ZOLTAR was at the Wharf!! I had to get a shot with this movie star... if only I could have tracked down Tom Hanks.


Goodbye, SanFrancisco. You are still my favorite U.S. city. Your seals at the Wharf give you bonus points.

mmm-hmm

great weekend. good food, good friends, good conversations & good work completed. classes start Tuesday for the fall quarter. I'm trying to take it easy--meaning I'm taking a full load, but none of those crazy extra science courses that typically keep me up at nights. I'll be taking my quals sometime soon, so I'm writing away! And trying to secure meetings with my evasive advisor.

on another note, I received a disturbing "pro-McCain" email from a conservative Christian friend over the weekend. Not disturbing because it was pro-McCain (hey, we're all free to our views), but disturbing because it was laden with half-truths & evangelical/conservative propaganda. Do people really believe Obama is a Muslim? People, THINK for a minute! The fact that he has raised his children in Christian church and celebrates Christian traditions and makes Christian claims and has been known for decades as a Christian here in Chicago... well... really none of that matters. Because he's black & his middle name is Husain. And in saying the other week "I don't know why people still think I'm Muslim," people have distorted that sentence to say "I'm Muslim & don't get why people care." Watch the interview, people.

More of the email went on to say who cares if Palin has experience--she "loves God" and that's enough. Wow. Since when did we start electing Christians to the white house regardless of qualifications?? Oh, whoops. Sorry. My bad... Bush was elected twice. And that's sure does us a lot of good. Regardless, Palin's theology disturbs me more than her politics. The "de-gayification" rally held at her home church last weekend is just one example.

On another note, an Alaskan friend of mine wrote to share about a rally help by Alaskan women against Palin over the weekend. It was organized over coffee by a few friends and turned into quite the affair!


Happy Monday!

a Newseek reader's comments fave

Brandon Bittner wrote in to Newsweek (current issue):

Despite John McCain's years of honorable service to our country, his recent choice of running mate shows he clearly lacks judgment and is out of touch with the most basic aspects of the job of president. McCain thinks a woman with less than 2 years' experience as a governor and a bachelor's degree in journalism fits the bill for being commander in chief? This after he has spent months telling the nation that a Harvard-educated professor of constitutional law with nearly 2 decades in the service of his state and the Senate is not experienced enough for the job? McCain has run on gimmicks because he is on the wrong side of the issues and of history.

GO BRANDON BITTNER!!

Ode to the Olympia

Growing up my friends & I always knew some dumb gang sign for "the Westside" (pronounced "Wessiiiiide." I know, really cool. There was pride in being from the West Coast, however, & I've found that pride has yet to fade. Returning to Western Washington never disappoints: the air is crisp & the sights lucsious. It's a jungle out here, baby!

After our time in Anacortes (of which we WISH we had photos!!) we had the chance to catch up with my high school friends in Seattle & a close friend from college, Jaime. After wonderful (though short) time with Drew's Uncle Jack, Aunt Sherrill & Cousins Brian & Courtney we headed to O-town. Big Tom's peanut butter chocolate shakes, walks in Boston Harbor, browsing the boutiques & lounging around on the Hamblet deck, surveying the woods, cows & garden... Mmm. Doesn't get much better.


Our first night my dad got the bonfire going in the back pasture. This was no mallow-roasting for weenies! Dennis means business when he builds a fire. Mollie enjoyed trying to help.
See the cool white butterfly bandage on my forehead? yea. Jammed my head into Jaime's car door. Ouch.

Mollie thought she was a cow.

Drew & my Dad thought they were coffee roasters (coffee tasting @ Batdorf & Bronsons they let us in the roasting room...!).


Drew & I thought we were dog groomers (thanks to Julie for teaching us how to groom Mollie!).


And we all lived happily ever after (who doesn't love a dancing goat?).

Thank you, Mom & Dad, for an incredible few days on the Wesssiiiide.

some more lake!

we're slowly making our way through an extended vacation update... Olympia is next, we promise! but as we just received photos from the time we had with friends at the lake we had to post them. thank you again, Troy, Brent, Jesse, Erin, Jenny & Britlese: for all the giggles & catching up!

at the end of the dock, holding Kesley with Brent, Erin & Britlese:

it's true, I couldn't get enough of cuddling Kesley... but I'm fully satisfied cuddling other ppl's babies!! not our time...

but it's the READYS' time! hellooooo, myles!!! can you hear us? soon I will not be able to get enough of cuddling YOU. Myles is the soon to be son of Troy (aka the best Portland Timbers midfielder in history) & Jenny (aka the best nurse in history)... both of whom are preparing to move to Tajikistan. every moment we get with them is precious.


of course, dogs made up the highlight of our trip: all morning these men played with their soggy pups out in the water. we've found that Mollie is most certainly a water dog!


oh lake, how we love you.

palining

WARNING: this post is of political nature & may be offensive to some... if you are a fan of sarah palin maybe just scroll down & check out photos from the lake. They're pretty & shouldn't induce you to rage against the screen.

That's right. I'm "PALINing" this morning... I know I know, photos of Mollie are what you came for... but I'm finally catching up on the Charlie Gibson interviews & need to share my deep sense of satisfaction (and terror regarding this November). I feel validated: it's clear he's just as unimpressed with her unintelligible, lots-of-words-little-content answers & reliance on poor rhetoric as I am (tell me again, Mrs. Palin, how do you propose to cut national spending??? For those of you who missed it, her answer sounded a lot like "blah blah blah de blah"... if you don't know, please just say it?). Thank you, Charlie: for reminding our nation that this woman is not a) sufficiently 'deep thinking' or b) sufficiently experienced to run this country. I'm going to have to disagree with you, McCain: I'd LOVE someone from the "ivory tower" in the office! Please, give me someone who will take the time to step back & THINK about decisions before pushing them! I'm getting awfully sick of shit for brains politicians speaking on the international stage for our country. If the GOP wins again, puh-lease, McCain, stay healthy??? His head seems a bit more tightly screwed on than his dear running mate's.

The comment I logged on to discuss... she stated that ordinances limiting the purchase of semi-automatic guns should not be supported because they will only stop individuals from buying guns who will "use them ethically." um... hmf. Use them ethically. okay. Loaded statement. The absolute only scenario for which I define gun use as "ethical" is hunting by necessity (meaning, shooting our own meat.. the amount we NEED). For which semi-automatic weapons aren't necessary (I thought shotguns were commonly used? Drew has a handsome bow/spear thing he seems to like...). Sport hunting? nope. Any gun use against a human? nope. But then again, I'm just a crazy Mennonite. So tell me, how would you define "ethical" gun use? And what's so bad about making them a bit harder to get?

As she can see Russia from her state, she must be close with Putin. As Jon Stewart put it, Alaska's also close to the North Pole... so maybe she's also tight with Santa? If she's elected this November, let's take that opportunity to ask Santa for a better economy.

For those of you who missed SNL last night: be sure to YouTube "Tina Fey, Palin, SNL"!

Once a Mountain Boy, Always a Mountain Boy

'Tis true: you can take the man from the sticks, but you can't take the sticks out of the man! Above you can see straight into the heart of my dear Drew. During our 5 days at Priest Lake, he 4-wheeled with my dad, swam with the dogs in the lake, took walks to Soldier Creek & read... & read... & read... all with gorgeous views of the Selkirk Mountains.

Our first 3 days a the lake we spent with our Strait 'rents, some of our best friends & (THANK YOU for coming out Brent, Erin, Troy, Jenny, Jesse & Britlese!) & Drew's sister Kinzie. Many magaritas, martinis, chapters read & naps taken. (photos to be inserted here as soon as we get them!)

For the next few days my parents drove over from Olympia with the dogs (yay!!!!). It was my dad who revved Drew us for the 4-wheeler trek. The dogs had a good time: Dodger & Mollie were friends at the lake... while Toby & Mollie... well... Toby's always been a bit of a crank!


Yup. Nothing better than the lake.

Straits: from Priest Lake to Spokane to Anacortes to Seattle

Could we have enjoyed more cities together in just a weeks' time??? Seriously! No one knows "crazy" like us Straits know crazy: although we were frequently in transit, we enjoyed great car time with our parents, got to see Janie & Chris' home for the first time (I'm bummed we didn't get a photo!) and had some short but sweet quality time with McKinzie. Anacortes (Chris & Janie's home) couldn't be more beautiful, and Debbie's lemon drop martinis couldn't have been more satiating.

On our final evening with the family we all attended Kohl & Amy Crecelius' wedding in Seattle. It was gorgeous, and offered incredible food, dancing & company. Thanks to all of you who carved out time to catch up with us during the evening! We miss you already.

our marathon

a friend giggled today over my zebra image, sitting behind the corporate rose garden quote. she found it ironic. a symbol of materialism behind an alternative-lifestyle (not the kind you're thinking of...) mantra. i concur. but i do love a good zebra. taken together, i find the combination a suitable picture of "the Dana". there i am. a funny trend-centric, anti-trend melange.

life is happening. i think. putting in 14 hour work days... working through weekends... surely something is happening and I guess you could call it life. and... i love it! there is something about working hard toward life-giving goals that is immensely satisfying. if i did not carry the weight of humanitarian responsibility, my glass would surely stand half empty.

we are emerging from an intense week. last monday we spent the evening munching on CSA veggies (how will i be vegetarian once CSA is over??) while revisiting the paths we had set out for achieving our goals. although the conversation ended with tears, they were healthily shed: our path is not easy, but worth every effort. friends, we appreciate your encouragement!

thursday marked our 4-year anniversary!!! the day began with a beautiful gift (thank you Drew! the perfect dress that i will debut at the Crecelius wedding in Seattle...), included some serious beach time & ended with more intense conversations & and unbelievable French food. ooh lala. Drew, je t'aime! we carefully discussed our relationship: from problem areas to successes, revamped some of our goals & looked forward to things to come. the only thing that would have made the dinner better would have had fluffy fur & sweet little eyes... oh, little Mollie.

onward & upward.

Meet Marquis (& our sled dog)

So we have the cutest little neighbors. Across the street from us is a low income apartment complex, & all day every day kids who are out of school for the summer dawdle out front with little to do while their parents are at work. Last week Drew hung out with one of our buddies, who is 8 years old, while she babysat her twin 6-month old brother & sister. An 8 year old babysitting 6 month olds?? Wow.

Whenever we walk either in or out of our building we hear a chorus of little voices calling, "Can Mollie come out???" They like to take turns holding her leash & always have news ideas for how they're going to play. Most recently, one of our favorite little buddies, Marquis, waited all day with his fisher price roller skates & had planned for Mollie to pull him like a sled dog! Here's a shot of them just after Mollie had pulled him down the sidewalk:


It's through relationships with those around us that we fulfill our most profound goals. These kids are examples of such relationships.

all in a day at wrigley

tornados. thunder & lightening. fans slip & sliding on the field, chased by cops. this is what we all expect from an evening at gool ol' Wrigley field, right?
well, being our first Cubs game & all (thanks, Maram, for the invite!), we never would have known better. not only did we get caught in a mob instigated by the strong tornado winds, but we were also sprayed with hordes of rain & witnessed lightening from one of the best spots in the city. boom!



I was just glad to get my a) hot dog & beer , and b) cotton candy

We got tired of the madness after a few hours (although the game resumed at 10:30pm) & rode the moped home in the storm, going through the McDonald's drive-through just to be silly. Nothing better than a soggy chocolate sunday... with nuts.

I'm pretty sure they thought we were the true nuts...

Viva la Quebec

Oooh lala we were loving Quebec City, Canada Day & all. This goat must have been ooh lala-ing throughout Canada Day as well. Cool headband. But not nearly as cool as this dude's hat.


As it turned out, we were in the capital of Quebec on Canada Day (wikipedia it if you're unfamiliar), which we didn't deduce until evening. Canadian flags, parades nor fireworks clued us in. It took a chatty Canadian couple at Dairy Queen to reveal to us the patriotic motivation displayed by Canadians flying flags out their car windows all day! The couple gave us a flag of our own, which we immediately mounted on the car. Viva la Canada, et Viva la Quebec! Here, Drew salutes our flag. He is a Canadian mutt, after all (i know, bravo for the dorky shirt--we had to resort to conference freebies after stinking up all our clothes camping...).



We adored Quebec City. If we could live one place, anywhere in the world (possibly even universe), it just may be there. Snow and all. If you know me well, you'll be surprised to hear I loved it more than Paris. Or Bruges. Or Paris + Bruges, whatever that amounts to. Paruge. Here are a few of our housing choices, nestled within the winding cobblestone streets of the romantic city:


Mollie was quite the Quebec City hit--we counted well over 70 people who snuggled her that morning alone. We were stopped again & again by people of all ages for a Mollie belly rub. I learned a new French word that morning: teddy bear, thanks to our own little teddy bear. Here she is getting a belly rub from a stranger (a woman who speaks no English... belly rubs know no language boundaries).


Thank you, Quebec City, for incredible memories.

Fun with the 'Rents in Chicago!

Chicago 2008

Thank you, Mom & Dad, for giving us 10 days of your time. We loved having you here! Mollie misses you already.

J'aime Quebec

Has it really been so long since the last post? My parents were visiting last week & chided me for not posting more recent pictures of their grand-dog. Grand-dog aside, it's been a beautifully full summer: full of time with friends, walks by the lake & continued discovery of this fabulous city. Really, Chicago, could you get any better?

Following the termination of spring quarter (which lasted far too long, in my book) we drove up to Montreal for the Neuromusic conference. The drive was a bit long, but bringing Mollie was well worth the mode of transportation.

Mollie's favorite spot in the car, head nestled between our seats:


The downtown location of our hotel couldn't be beat. While I brained away at the conference, Drew finally had the alone time for studying he'd been longing for. He also spent a fair amount of time at the Montreal dog parks. Believe it or not, Goldendoodles are "the thing" (or should I say "la mode"?) in Montreal--I can't tell you how many times we were stopped by groups on the street to oogle at her... Below is a photo of Drew posing with Mollie atop Mont Royal.


Post Montreal we drove 3 hours north, through Quebec City to an area called "St Anne de Beaupre", named for a gorgeous cathedral nestled in the mountains, overlooking the St. Lawrence river and Ile d'Orleans. We camped for 3 days, made friends with the Quebecois, hiked and practiced our French, hammock-balancing and campfire recipes (smores & weenies, unsophisticated as they may be, earned our profound respect).

Below--the greatest campsite EVER! (really, it was sweet)


exploring the St. Anne de Beaupre cathedral (look it up, interesting place! known for performing miracles--see the photo below with the pillar piled to the top with crutches, walkers & braces!):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupr%C3%A9




with Mollie by the fire (story: Drew almost lit me on fire. my arm hair was completely singed. you must ask me about it next time you see me...):


at the stretching station before hiking Mt. St. Anne:


my mountain man on our hike:


sled dog village atop the mountain (hundreds of dogs, and yes, we got to pet them):


wet dog, but gorgeous view:


I'll post photos of Quebec City later. As my official closing this evening, let me leave you with one of my favorite photos. Study the text carefully & you just might find out why... (it translates "waxing room"==who would have known "to wax" in French is so similar to the word for a grotesque bodily function in English?). My father would be proud.