A Night on the Town

With Jack's maternal grandmother in town, Kelly and I took the opportunity to have a night out in DC. I booked us in at the Westin Grand in Georgetown; after checking in, we headed to a bar (Old Glory) to watch the Virginia Tech game and sample some of the local cusine (wings and a variety of cocktails invented by our bar steward, Adelle).

Following a stunning victory for the Hokies over Miami, we ventured out into a rare rainstorm and wandered down to La Chaumiere, an upscale French bistro. Sitting adjacent to Dick Gephardt (former House Majority Leader), we dined on escargot and salmon-en-croute (for Kelly) and pig knuckles in aspic and calf brain for me. Both of the latter selections were new experiences; I'd be hard pushed to order the brain again. However, it was an otherwise delightful meal.

Following a post-dinner cocktail, we walked back to the Westin for a peaceful night's sleep, no-rush morning, and lunch at a local Indian restaurant.

It was great to have some time to ourselves and "hang out" the same way we did prior to Jack gatecrashing the scene.

Makes You Think Twice...

I just read this horrifying article about a family whose pictures of their kids in the tub landed them in hot water... no pun intended. It's certainly made me think twice about the adorable shots we have of Jack splashing around in the tub and snuggling all fresh & clean in his towel afterward. I guess what I see as cute and innocent someone else could see as criminal...

To think these kids were removed from their parents' care for over a month saddens me. What a nightmare.


Arizona Couple Suing After Bathtime Photos Prompt Wal-Mart to Launch Child Porn Investigation - ABC News

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Moving Right Along

Jack turned 13 months old on Sunday. Three days later, he decided to walk. He's been taking steps for the last month, but only about 10 at a time and never for the primary mode of transportation. However, on Wednesday, he just seemed to have decided that he wanted to walk instead of crawl and he figured out how to regain his balance when the walking turned wobbly. Here's a little clip of him walking around this morning & one from yesterday (don't the jeans make him look grown up?!?).





Jack also has officially said his first word (other than "dada" and "mama"): DOGGY! He said this on the day we drove back from Ann Arbor at the end of August. Shergar started crying in the car when we were about 10 miles from home (she was excited) and after about five minutes of her whining, Jack just suddenly shouted "doggy!" clear as day! I can't say I'm surprised that's the first real word he mastered...

On the moving front, things are progressing nicely. The inspection & appraisal are complete, the sellers are making a few minor repairs that surfaced in the inspection, and closing is set for Oct. 16. We plan to make the actual move on Oct. 30, our fifth anniversary. (Ask Mick and he'd say "five years of marriage? Feels like 10.")

As the days roll by, I am getting more excited about the move. The first few weeks after we put in the offer were pretty tough for me. To say I'm going to miss the metro DC area, and especially the friends we'll have to leave behind, is an understatement. That said, I am looking forward to this next stage of life... at least once the packing & unpacking are completed!

The Wild, Wild, West

As the photo indicates, I woke up in Palm Springs, California today(no, this isnt a flimsy movie plot about how a trip to Vegas goes horribly wrong). I'm here to speak at a conference later this afternoon.

Drove the 2 hours from Los Angeles yesterday (the famed LA parking-lot traffic being relatively benign) through small towns and over mountain passes, before arriving in Palm Springs, a retirement playground for former Hollywood bright lights. I can sum up my thoughts on this town in just 1 question..."why is it here?" There seems no rhyme or reason for placing an oasis of greenery (lots and lots of golf courses) in the middle of a desert.

Reading about the history of Palm Springs, I came across this largely unverifiable claim about the town: "On any given day during the winter season, over 100 nationally known figures can be seen around the desert."

Had dinner at a local sushi/Tex-mex/pasta restaurant - the sushi was pretty good and the Tex-mex...well, it tasted like Tex-mex.

After the conference today, I am driving back to LAX for a flight to DC this evening.

Hail to the Victors

Michigan - 38, Notre Dame - 34.

It was a good day.

So Big!

Jack had his one-year well visit with the doctor today. Despite having four shots, two in each thigh, he seems to be in good spirits. I've heard though that the effects of the shots are often not felt until a few days after the injections, so we'll see. I did not do well during the shots, after being scolded by the nurse for not doing more to restrain him: "Mrs Collins, he's pulling at my needles!" and having her yank his leg back onto the table while muttering "my gosh is he strong." He cried big, fat tears (I swallowed my tears) but a cuddle with me after the band-aids went on and all was forgotten.

He's right where he should be developmentally and is sleeping right about the average for this age (11 hours at night, 2.5 hours during the day). In terms of size, he's around the 65th percentile for weight -- 23 lbs, 7 oz -- and is off the charts for height! The nurse actually measured his length twice because she was so sure she'd gotten in wrong the first time. But her measurements came out pretty similar: he's somewhere between 32 5/8" long and 32 7/8" long.

His walking is getting better every day - though he doesn't want anything to do with walking once I put his shoes on. I've heard that the walking often stops completely for a few days after the shots in the legs, so we'll see. I took this video yesterday (I never have the camera ready when he does one of his long stretches of walking) but it at least gives a sense that he can do more than 2 or 3 steps now.

School Days

It was a big day in Fremont this morning as Marcus prepared for his first day of Kindergarten! Sarah was kind enough to build in a few minutes this morning so Marcus could Skype with us and we could wish him well on his first day of school. He looked so grown up... and very smart, dressed in his yellow polo shirt. Andy & Sarah have got to be so proud of their little (big!) guy. I know I'm swelling with pride & I'm just his aunt!

Speaking of the start of the school year, I'm having a bit of trouble understanding the uproar created by some conservatives around why they won't let their kids listen to President Obama's speech about education. Apparently, these parents fear that Obama is trying to "indoctrinate" their children. (Actually, in the interest of full disclosure, the Florida GOP chairman who last week quipped that Obama was trying to "indoctrinate America's children to his socialist agenda" has now reversed his stance (after reading text of the speech) and has said he'd let his children watch as it's a "good speech" that "encourages kids to stay in school.")

Aside from thinking it's ludicrous to shield kids from a speech about education and its importance, I think it's equally foolish to keep young minds completely sheltered from viewpoints that may differ from their parents' views.

I truly hope that Mick and I are the kind of parents who encourage debate/discourse/discussion in our home about politics (and other topics). I want to be able to watch the President (whomever he or she may be) address the nation and then to discuss with my child(ren) what we think about the President's remarks. That's part of the beauty of living in a free county - that we can agree to disagree. But at least let's be educated about that upon which we disagree - which means watching/listening to these kinds of speeches instead of writing them off as having a certain agenda before we have an opportunity to make up our minds on our own.

Front Page News

OK, so it's not the Washington Post and it's not even the Big Rapids Pioneer (which featured a front-page story about my mom in January as she was out here during Obama's inauguration), but Shergar and I are the featured story for the summer publication of the Fairfax Pets on Wheels (where we volunteer) newsletter!

Here's the text of the story:

Collins Pays It Forward

FPOW volunteer Kelly Collins considers her visits to the Powhatan Nursing Center to be her form of "paying it forward." Kelly explains, "There have always been people around to support my family and me when we've gone through tough times. I have often wondered how I could adequately thank those people for their acts of kindness. I realized that the best possible thing I could do was to pay it forward... and I think volunteering with FPOW allows me to do that."

Kelly and her chocolate lab mixed breed, Shergar, try to visit Powhatan at least once per week. But Kelly is a new mom (to one-year-old Jack), so trying to find time to volunteer can be a challenge. "Even on nights when I'm tired and think of not going, I still go. And on every single night that happens, I drive home after our visit with a smile on my face - and I'm thankful I decided to go."

Oftentimes, Kelly finds herself on the phone with her mom after her visits, "telling her about an especially rewarding experience or conversation I had. The residents who remind me of my grandma have a particularly special effect on me."

Kelly was very close to her grandmother, who died at the age of 91, and "considered her a friend. So part of my desire to volunteer was selfish because I wanted to spend time with people who could make me smile, lend their wisdom, and share their experiences."

"I also knew of the benefits of pet therapy, especially as related to people with Alzheimer's. I knew Shergar had a great temperament and loved being loved, so I figured the pairing with the nursing home would be a perfect match."

Kelly has volunteered since 2006 and has served on the Speaker's Bureau as well as the FPOW Board of Directors.

"When I first started visiting, I wondered if it would last. Shergar was a bit scared and seemed to enjoy visiting the other dogs more than visiting the residents. But after one extended period when we couldn't visit because we were out of town, Shergar whined in the car as soon as she figured out we were going back to Powhatan. She couldn't wait to get out of the car and into the activities room to visit the residents... and no doubt to look for dinner leftovers on the floor. That was a wonderful turning point."

Kelly says "the best part of volunteering is, hands down, the look on the residents' faces when they realize it's Tuesday night and 'the dogs are here!'". I love fulfilling their requests when they ask me to send in certain dogs to see them. To know that we've brightened their day is priceless."

Little House on the Prairie

Some pretty momentous news to report this week....Kelly, Jack, and I are in the process of buying a house in Ann Arbor, MI! Shergar wanted to be part of it, but spent all of her savings on rawhides - she'll be a non-contributing guest.

After a neighborhood scouting trip earlier this year, we took some time last week to drive around the town and look at specific properties. All told, we saw about 12 places and found a house (above) that we both really like. Kelly will tell you that she convinced me that we should look at it (despite my reservations), and she's right.

It's a 4-bedroom house in northwest Ann Arbor, not far from Wines Elementary School (how appropriate) and the Maple/Miller thoroughfares. The property is only 9 years old, with one prior owner, and is move-in ready, with a finished basement, 2-car garage, patio out back, and within walking distance of nature trails, parks, schools, and the river.

We're thrilled at the prospect of moving there, not only to take advantage of the extra living space we need, but also to have Jack grow up in a fun college enviroment (international, liberal town) that puts us closer to family.

We had our offer accepted yesterday and are now working on inspections, appraisals, and paperwork. Fingers crossed that we will move before the end of October.