Soccah!

Amelia is in UK Soccer Camp this week.  The coaches are adorable: tan, bleached blond, British accents, soccer uniforms.  Amelia is awestruck.   The other day when she got home from camp she said, "Mom!  My coach?  He kicked the ball and it went ovah the sun!  I almost fainted!"  

Mmmmm. Chocolate.

As Summer Activity #422, we just made chocolate covered bananas (mine had salted peanuts too).  That activity has turned into chocolate covered everything else.  After the bananas, there was chocolate remaining.  I've taught them well--you never waste good chocolate.  So being the good children they are, they had to try with varying levels of success,  chocolate covered cherries, blueberries, oranges, and raspberries.  And now I have two chocolate covered children and a chocolate covered kitchen. 

Bigger Smaller Life

About a year ago I heard someone mention yearning for a "bigger smaller life."  That perfectly summed up what I had been feeling.  We went camping at Mt. Hood, and in passing through the fruit farms in Hood River, I felt such a yearning for a quieter life.  I wanted to pick up and move to an apple orchard right then.  (Watch what you wish for!)

I started thinking a lot about what a bigger smaller life would be for me.  What things feed me? What things drain me?  Our months without a paycheck definitely helped with that perspective.  And now as we get ready to "start fresh" in Seattle, my goal is to design the life we want here.  It's an amazing opportunity, this starting over.  So a few things I know I want: more activities outdoors, more time around water, more time to enjoy music and good food, more vacations, more time playing as a family, more good friends (not that we have a shortage, I just hope to find some good ones In Seattle too).  And for me:  more running and yoga and reading and learning.  

I want less stress about money.  Less stuff.  Less clutter.  Less busy-ness.

And what I really want is just some damn gentleness from Life for a while so we can recover.  

Payback stinks.

I just want to clarify:  the post was written by Kolby.  I do not write posts about doing my business.   As told by KOLBY (not Jami!):

So, we're now living in a little 1200 sq. foot apartment.

While there are two bathrooms, there tends to be very little privacy.  

Over the weekend, I used  "the girls" bathroom twice.  Both times for a number two.  The reason was because Jami was either showering, or getting ready in the other one.  This decision (both times) was met with hostility from my daughters.  Luckily for them, there is a grate in the door through which they can see me, and taunt me while I did my business.  

"Use your own bathroom!!"

"Don't stink up ours!"

And of course, "I can see you."

So, this morning I'm taking a shower in my bathroom, during which a waft of dank air came breezing through my humid shower.  I open up the shower curtain and who's there?  Maddie--making a number two and laughing at me.  "I'm just paying you back for when you pooed in my bathroom.  I was going to flush it too, so you'd get just hot water on you and burn yourself." 

I'm going to think twice before I use their bathroom again.

Urban Living

I suppose it's probably a stretch to call Downtown Bellevue urban. It's a decent sized city (probably the same size as Salt Lake City), but pretty sterile. It's clean as can be. No homeless people sleeping in our doorway. No heavily tattooed and/or pierced kids loitering on the corners. No graffiti. The parks are so clean they sparkle. I doubt there's much of a nightlife. But living here (temporarily) with kids, it's perfect. We're kind of "playing house" here in corporate housing, and at the same time "playing urban living."

While we were in college, Kolby and I lived in the Avenues, the neighborhood directly abutting Downtown Salt Lake City. We loved walking around to restaurants, movies, shops, and yet also being able to run up City Creek Canyon from our apartment.

Now we're living that lifestyle again, this time with two adorable girls who are loving it as much as we did! We're in a 3rd floor apartment in an 9 floor building. We have amazing views of the skyscrapers, and a beautiful city park across the street. We can walk (or scooter) to everything. And if I run out the back door I hit Lake Washington, which is so beautiful with Seattle's skyline on the opposite side. It's incredible to "live" in such a beautiful place. And I'm getting such a kick out of watching our kids type in the key code to get into our building, or ride their scooters off the elevator, thru the lobby, and out onto the street. I'm sure it'll get old eventually (especially taking the dog out to pee in the rain), but right now I'm in heaven!