So, about the last six weeks...

Hal writes:

Hi, remember us? I'm not going to give you the "I've been too busy" nonsense about not posting. We all have control over how we spend our time and I am not going to lead you to believe that I have not had the opportunity over the past six weeks to post. Simply, I wasn't motivated nor did I make it a priority. I guess the "I'm so busy" is a pet peeve of mine, but since I work with college students it is a redundant go-to excuse. Especially since there is someone always busier than you.

Is your job taking up your time? Well, that's what you get paid for. And guess what, some people have to work two jobs to make what you make.

You have a five page paper due tomorrow? Well, that's why you are a student. Plus, it's safe to say that this assignment was indicated to you four months ago and it compares nothing to the Masters or PhD level of writing that is expected of others.

Kids keeping you busy? John and Kate have eight (six arrived at the same time) and the Duggars are setting records, so if you just a couple children, you're probably in a better situation than they are. (I'll allow teachers some breadth to complain since they deal with 10 - 40 kids on any given day.)

Don't have time for friends and family? I have my students write down minute-to-minute what they do each week. TV/Internet/Video Games and the ever popular texttagametvbrowsing (multi-tasking all the above at the same time) takes up time.

So, back to my point. I haven't been overly busy. I just haven't taken the time. But, in case you were wondering about the highlights of the last six weeks for us, here are some pictures.

Unfortunately, our camera decided to stop working prior to Thanksgiving, so we don't have any pictures from our trip to Indiana except for a couple grainy images of our niece and nephew taken on my cell phone.

Hal went with two colleagues to UMD (no, not that one silly Midwesterners, the university located in College Park, MD) for a conference on leadership in early December. Here is Sarah, Amber, Kermit the Frog, Hal, and Jim Henson outside the student union. When Jim was a student at the University of Maryland, his professors told him to explore other inspirations because one could not make a career out of children's puppet shows. I guess this statue is here to remind you not to listen to your professors. ;) Actually, more along the lines of going after your dreams regardless of what others think.

After the conference we had an opportunity to spend some time in Washington, DC. My Godfather Bob has worked for the Senate (specifically in CSPAN 2) for over 30 years. After a tour of the recently opened U.S. Capitol Visitors Center (10 year, $700 million project at the tax payers expense) we got the behind the scenes tour that typical visitors don't see. Hm, sounds kind of shady to have a Godfather doing special favors, but I enjoy the story line. Here we are pictured below (note my security clearance sticker that allowed me to access the basement of the Senate) at the brand new control board for CSPAN 2.

Everything in the Senate is branded with the Senate Seal. Including this elevator pad in a Senate-only elevator.

With the new visitor's center came a new TV studio for CSPAN 2. Here we are on the set of the recording studio where Senator's can tape recorded messages. (Senator Chris Dodd had been in right before us. ) This picture is from Amber's camera pointed at the TV monitors we were looking at.

Our Christmas present to each other was a nice camera. We are now the owners of a Nikon D40. So hopefully the quality of pictures below will translate well to the blog. The first one is an action shot of Riley playing fetch. This photo Anna actually zoomed and cropped on the camera before we put it on the computer.

For Anna's office holiday party, the employees and spouses of the three clinics owned by Joel and Nancy (Anna's bosses) were asked to meet in a high-end Seattle mall on a Friday evening. Pictured below are Joel and Nancy explaining the events for the evening.


Each employee was given two envelopes labeled "#1" and "#2". We had two hours to complete both tasks (in order) and then meet at a location described in the second clue. Anna and I opened the envelope to find a Visa gift card and an Angel Tree wish list for 3-year old Oscar. Anna and I used the gift card to buy gifts for Oscar (shoes, clothes, books, and a cute puppy toy). The second envelope had another gift card and Anna was to use it to buy a gift for her co-worker Kim. After that was completed we were to meet up with everyone on the 41st floor of a swanky Seattle hotel for a late dinner and gift exchange. Here is a picture of the women that work in Anna's clinic.

I tired to get tricky with the new camera. This is supposed to show the view of Seattle from the 41st floor and the reflection of the party in the background.

Anna took this photo on campus of PLU's Christmas Tree. The building in the background is the old Eastvold Chapel that is now used as the schools theater. (Hal and Riley are on the left side of the photo.)

A close-up view of our Christmas tree. (You can see Anna in the reflection on the ornament.)

Anna's co-workers in their office.

We had some snow during finals week (this last week). Not a great deal to Anna and I, but a pretty big deal to those who leave in the Puget Sound area. There are (to us) embellishments of the weather. When it was projected to snow two inches one night, the local news spent the first 11 minutes on weather and had four reporters "on location" around Seattle showing the snow on the ground. The problems have come with people not being able to drive in the snow (not their fault, they just don't have the practice) and little snow removal equipment (why spend money on machines you will only use about once every five years). We're hoping that the weather doesn't affect our departure on Monday for our flight to the Twin Cities.

Anna and I took Riley out for a snow walk. Here are two photos with the new camera. Yes, that is me with new glass (my first new pair in about six years) and my first haircut since mid-August, so the shagginess in the DC photos is gone.

Riley isn't sure what to make of the snow, we'll see how he does in Minnesota and Wisconsin this next week.

Hal writes:

I am attempting to learn more about my cell phone, the Samsung "IPhone killer" Instinct. If this works properly, you should be able to video of Riley that I took on my cell phone and uploaded to this site.

Hal's parents visit

Hal writes:

Homecoming week tends to be a high-energy, multi-activity week for student affairs professionals. PLU had some great activities for the size of campus. The highlight of the week for me was hosting the Variety Show. I don't have any pictures yet, but hope to put up some photos (perhaps videos?) from my M.C. duties. At the end of the week PLU played my Alma Mater for the football game. Wanting to hedge my bets, I wore a GAC sweatshirt and a PLU t-shirt. I sat on the GAC side of the field and they won, so I kept the sweatshirt on the whole time. Picture below are some of my classmates from GAC that live in the WA/OR area that joined me for the football game.

The next week my parents came to visit. It just so happened I was also speaking in Chapel that week as well. My mom took this photo before Chapel as I was practicing my homily. I'm the short guy to the left of the cross. So, if I'm only looking that tall, imagine how big the organ is above my head.

One of the trips my parents made was to downtown Tacoma. The photo below is from the bridge on the way to the Museum of Glass with an example of some Chiluly art. I joined them later in the afternoon to go see the Tacoma Civil Rights Exhibit in the Washington History Museum.

And what trip to downtown Tacoma would not be complete without a trip to "Hello, Cupcake"?

On Saturday we took a trip up to Seattle. One of the highlights was taking the Underground Tour and learning about an old part of Seattle that is beneath the city streets. Unfortunately, Anna and I didn't take any pictures, but I know that my mom has some on her camera. And, of course, we went to the some fish getting tossed around the Public Market.


Watch out for the large seagulls!

520 feet to the top of the Space Needle. It took us 40 seconds by elevator. (I'm glad we didn't have to use the stairs.)

Mom and Dad at Anthony's Fish House.

Inside the restaurant.


Anna's in Portland this weekend for some ongoing PT training, but doesn't have the camera so there will be no photos. But she says it is a fun place!

3 Weekends, 2 WI weddings, and Dale visits

Hal writes:

The past three weekends have been full of travel and adventure. Here is a recap of the last three weekends, but if you are a Facebook friend you can find even more photos. Anna was in two weddings in Wisconsin, but in between the two she was able to spend some time in Indiana. Here she is visiting Grandma and Charlie in Indiana.

Anna's mom met her in Madison to spend some time together.

The first wedding was Steph and Dan's. Anna was a bridesmaid for the wedding. She and Steph were classmates in PT school and carpooled together every day for three years from Platteville to Dubuque.

The women of the wedding party being transported through Platteville in a carriage.

Hal joined the fun for the second wedding. Hal and Anna were personal attendants to the bride and groom, so there were chores amidst the fun during the weekend. The photo below is of Matt and I at the wiffleball field where we played a game during the wedding weekend. It was a scaled down version of a baseball field with artificial turf for the infield and real grass for the outfield. Official rules say to play six vs six, but we went nine vs nine so everyone could play. In addition to hitting safely each time up to bat (including an unexpected bunt I threw down), I turned the only triple play in the game.

The morning of the wedding decorating the amphitheater in Governor Dodge State Park. One of my many "tall person" jobs.

The bride's mother made a quilt backdrop to hang over the screen.

We spend the early afternoon helping with the photo shoot. Here is Personal Attendant Anna carrying the bride's bouquet and other items on the way to a waterfall shoot.

Personal Attendant Hal carrying the ladder and photography equipment through the state park.

A picture of the wedding party in one of the fields.

Jen and Jason.
A picture with our good friend's Matt and Kim. (Anna and I actually had time to change just before the wedding.)

After fighting through colds this last week, we started to feel better in time to have weekend adventure's with Anna's dad. Dale grew up in the Ballard area of Seattle and we went to see the house he grew up in, his old elementary school and looked for (but did not find) the Lutheran church his family attended. Additionally we say the homes where other extended family once lived as well as eating fish and chips down by the locks. One of Dale's memories included walking to the beach with his family down a steep staircase before going under the train tracks to get to the beach.

Anna, Dale, and Riley at the beach.
We later went to visit some state parks on our way to visit Dale's Aunt Carol (mother's sister) and Uncle Lee in the Kitsap peninsula area. Unfortunately we didn't get a photo with Carol and Lee, but we hope to visit them again soon. Here is my wife, in middle child rebellious fashion, ignoring the warning signs and going on the wrong side of the fence at the state park.

Anna, Dale, and Riley by the bay.

Where's Waldo? Hal and Dale in the Jurassic Park themed state park.

Our journey also brought us to "The Spit" at the Dungeness National Wildlife refuge. In the backgrounds are some mountains. Here is Dale enjoying the walk at low tide.

Hal and Anna on some drift wood. The Spit is five miles long with a lighthouse at the end accessible either by walking or by boat. We didn't have enough time to talk the ten mile round trip.

Anna and Dale at Port Ludlow, where Carol and Lee live.

Again, some more photos to be found on Facebook. This week will be exciting for me as it is PLU homecoming week and I will be the M.C. for the talent show on Thursday night. So, I get to entertain the crowd in between the lip sync acts that evening. Also, PLU is playing Gustavus for their football game on Saturday and there will be a GAC gathering that day where I will get to touch base with some other Gusties living in Washington.

Western Washington Fair

Hal writes:

Anna and I went to what would be the equivalent of a State Fair for Washington. Based on the geography of WA, there are three distinct regions of WA and each have their own fair. But the size of this fair ranks in the "top 5" size (up there with MN and TX) and is pretty much a State Fair.

On a tip from the locals, we drove a few miles from the fairgrounds where some friendly Kiwanis were giving shuttle trips to/from the fair from a Days Inn parking lot in a 1982 Ford 15-passenger van. It saved us time and money not having to fight with the traffic.

Some things to know about the fair we went to. First of all, mini-doughnuts do not exist. Crazy, right? Which leads me to believe this is one of the main reasons they are not considered a true state fair. They did have elephant ears, but it's just not the same. I had it in my mind that I was going to have a corn dog, but no such thing existed. Although their "crusty pups" were probably what I was looking for, I just couldn't bring myself to spend money on food that is specifically labeled "crusty". In addition to not having food on a stick, this fair is not known for any deep fried foods. Their staple item, since 1915, has been coffee and a scone. Here is a picture of Anna enjoying the treat. When in Rome...

After wondering around the food area for a while I decided to support the local chapter of Young Life and buy a turkey leg.

I know that I'm getting older when I look forward to seeing the displays. My informative years were spent applying my father's scientific knowledge in an attempt to beat the Carnies at their own game or wing at bingo with my grandma while my siblings took advantage of the all-you-can-ride wrist band times. But this time around Anna and I walked around to see the bunnies, birds, horses and even listened in on a 4-H speech contest. Pictured below is one of the top displays from a "small farm display" category. All that you see was grown my one family on the Midwest equivalent of a hobby farm.

The fair was a fun way to spend the Saturday afternoon, especially since I had a long, late Saturday evening. This being the first weekend after classes have started (and my first weekend on call), I responded to several scenarios between 9pm - 3am. I hit the trifecta: mental health call, alcohol call(s), and marijuana call all in the same night.

So, Seattle is supposed to be the rainy area, right? Well, it has only rained twice since we moved out here three months ago. So, for you Midwesterners who want to come visit, the 10 day forecast calls for sunny skys, high of 78 and no humidity. Anna took advantage of today's warm weather to give Riley a haircut outside. I estimate 1/3 of his body weight has been cut off. If the PT thing doesn't work for Anna, she can always go into dog grooming.

Move-in weekend

Hal writes:

This weekend was move-in and orientation at PLU. The fun started Thursday and kept going until classes started on Monday. Here is a picture of my colleagues and I on move-in day.

One of the fun events during orientation is "sound off". During this event, each hall does a hall cheer and tries to be the loudest, most spirited group. The picture below is of one of my halls during their cheering.


The PT Cruiser went over 100,000 miles this weekend. Anna was on the highway when it happened, so she wasn't able to take this photo until she got back to campus. Also, we made our last car payment (2 years earlier than the loan required!) so instead of having to send in money for the car each month we can now save money each month towards a future car purchase (but hopefully not for another couple of years). Hooray for budgeting!

On Saturday of orientation I actually had minimal responsibilities, so Anna and I drove up the Kitsap Peninsula and ended up visiting Poulsbo, WA. This is a small community with roots in the Norwegian tradition.

A picture of some of the shops, bakeries (at least four different ones in two blocks) and businesses down the main street. The store fronts all had Scandinavian architecture.


Anna down on the waterway in Poulsbo.

Our hodge podge lunch from a Norwegian bakery. In addition to the soup and sandwich, we had some amazing butter cookies and a slice of strawberry-rhubarb pie.

We decided to drive across Bainbridge Island and take the ferry across to Seattle on our way back. This was an attempted self-portrait with the Seattle skyline in the background. We were also going for the "wind swept" hair look.

Clouds over the hillside? Look again, that's Mt. Rainier poking up through the clouds in the middle.

A closer look at downtown Seattle.

And, of course, the Space Needle.