I'm About to Tid Bit you to Death.

I received this message on my music page a few days ago.

"I think I went to High School with you. Anyway, you have a beautiful child, aweseme clothing line, but my god you have one of the worst voices I have ever heard on a woman. I think you are tone deaf Emery, you should get that checked. You sound like a deep voiced man with a cracky off toned voice." =(

I had to laugh, because... really? Who prefaces insults with compliments?

She does, that's who!

That would be like me walking up to you and saying,

"Hi! You've got really lovely hair! And, oh! What beautiful eyes you have! And also? You are the most stupidest stupid-head in the whole wide universe." FROWNY FACE.

Possibly the nicest hate mail I've ever received.

hehe.

**********************************

The other day I went shoe shopping with my sister-in-law, Candace, and I just have to say... I really like her. A whole lot.



Isn't she cuuuute?

**********************************

Ezra recently got to play with some of his cousins, and he had such a good time I thought his head was going to implode from the sheer joy of it all. He hasn't had a whole lot of kid interaction since we've been in Reno, so he drank up every last drop of it and then promptly passed out in the car on the way home.



Poor little guy. Lately, when I take him to Barnes & Noble or to the park, he immediately latches on to any other kid in sight and follows them around screaming, "FWIENDS!!"

He appears desperate, like a barnacle. A really really really cute barnacle.

**********************************



Last night I got to meet up with an old cheerleading coach of mine who has been reading along here on this blog for awhile. Her name is Maggie and she is so amazing and adorable that I wanted to put her and her son in my pocket and run away with them for ever and ever and ever. Her son is one year younger than Ezra, and they played at Starbucks together while Maggie and I caught up on life. She and her hubby live in Nashville. So... I figure... What with Flo moving there in January and all, I think a trip is in order for us in the near future? Eh? Eh? Nude nudge wink wink? Wee!


**********************************



This is a picture of Ezra playing with his Uncle Jared, my oldest brother. He's a civil engineer. My mom keeps telling me how Ezra reminds her so much of Jared when he was a toddler. Ezra is fascinated by "doo-hickies". Things that move and operate and can be manipulated. Mechanical things that have purpose and function. Like this little tractor set, for example. He uses the claws to pick up the little logs and then drives them over to a designated area and drops them off and does it all over again and again until you start to wonder if anything has ever been repeated that much in the history of the world.

It is so awesome to see these two together. I can really see a lot of similarities in them- even though Ezra is only two. Isn't it amazing how much personality can be contained in such little toddler bodies? I want to nurture the strengths I see in my son, and I think that, over the years, Jared will be able to help me do that for Ezra.

This is just one more reason that family/friends are so amazing. My son will benefit SO much from the strengths of the people around him- strengths that I may not be able to provide all on my own. It makes me feel like I've got a big fat safety net underneath me, and that right there has got to be the greatest feeling in the world for me.

I'm sure any mother could agree.

Goodbye Oregon.

Wow. Muy mucho crazy busy past few days. (As I'm sure it has been for all of us!)

We left Oregon a day early to drive back to Reno so Chris could see his Uncle Jerry who was in town briefly. Oregon was amazing and it was so hard to leave. Here are some pictures of our last couple of days there:


















We are back home now and recovering from excessive amounts of traveling and eating. (Not the best combo, let me tell you.)

I am officially NOT pregnant, although I spent about five days convincing myself otherwise. When I found out that I wasn't, I almost cried. And then I felt reeeaaally bummed out for a few days after that. Hmmm. Very interesting. Suddenly I'm convinced that I want to have a little girl and name her Darby. But then, only moments later, Ezra is zapping all of my sanity away again and I'm content to wait another year or two or infinity to have another kid. What a roller coaster!

Today I plan to lay around and watch cartoons with Ezra. I also plan to eat less, but that is already not looking too promising. heh.

I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving. This year, I am thankful for life. And also the possibility of future life as well.

Live from the Oregon Coast!

We're here on the Oregon coast, and I am typing on my mom's crazy little tablet computer that has one of those satellite interent cards in it. It is very slow, however, and it is reminding me of the days of dial-up internet access. How did I refrain from gouging my own eyes out during all of those grueling dial-up years? It's a miracle my sight was saved.

Anywho. WOW. Oregon? WOW. So beautiful. And the ocean is about 40 yards from where I am sitting right now- crashing a roaring and making me frightened of the 'Tsunami Zone' signs we passed on the way up here. Last night I climbed up to the top story of this rental house and looked out at the dark ocean and I became convinced that it was coming closer. Then my mom reminded me of this thing called THE TIDE.

Today is fabulous Thanksgiving. There are parades and football games and a pumpkin cheesecake pie in the oven that I am making. Mom and Dad ran to the store to get peach gelatin for the buttermilk salad, while Jared and Chris are raging their own ping-pong war down in the basement. I hear my husband is finally beating Jared, so I believe some smack-talk is in order. (I feel like I am in that episode of 'The Office'.) Ezra is watching the Little Einsteins and getting into all the games upstairs- scattering pieces of backgammon and colorful poker chips from here to Timbuktoo.

We walked to the ocean this morning and found a fort built into the side of the sand dunes. It was made of driftwood, and Ezra seemed to feel safe from the loud waves in there. Each moment here has been ridiculously sweet.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

I'll Have the Non-Smoking House Please.

A couple of days ago, Chris and I drove up to my parent's house and when we got out of the car (which is now back from the shop-yippie!) we could smell smoke in the air.

My parents live in a very fire-prone area at the base of the mountains, right below the forest line. Fire is a very real concern for them. So, when Chris and I smelled smoke, we grabbed Ezra and started looking all around the house to see where the smoke was coming from.

It was coming from behind one of the foothills to the South- just West of Washoe Lake. It wasn't super thick, and there wasn't any major plume of smoke- so we thought it was probably a controlled burn. Still, we kept our eye on the smoke and scanned the news for any word.

I was nervous because it was a really windy day, and, well- fire and wind don't make the best combo.

It turned out to just be a small fire- probably a controlled brush fire- and by the evening the smoke had cleared. I was very relieved. It reminded me of times that fire had come all too close before... We had some very close calls in the house I grew up in. I found some pictures of the fires from the more recent years, and it made me that much more thankful that this particular fire didn't get out of hand.

These are from 2001:

And these are from 2006:

Yowzers. Thank you Jesus for airplanes and red goo.

*****************************************

Chris and I are heading up to the Oregon Coast for Thanksgiving with my mom and dad and brothers and my sister-in-law. We leave on Wednesday. We've rented a beach house up there and I am so so so so thrilled and excited to get to spend some quality time with them. My brother Jared won't be here for Christmas (he'll be taking a much deserved vacation to New Zealand), so I am glad to get to spend this holiday with him and his wife. They are so dang cool.

This trip means so very much to me.

My family is not a large one. Apart from my brothers and parents, I have one aunt and two cousins. That's pretty much all that is left of my directly related relatives. So, family time is very precious and important to me. Also, I can't wait to see the beautiful coast of Oregon again after all of these years. I plan to dig my toes into some sand and eat a whole lot of Turkey with cranberry sauce.

Did I mention I was excited? And this is very important to me? Yes. Okay. Moving on.

*****************************************

In other news, I have been waking up every morning and eating ridiculous things that would have never sounded good before, but suddenly sound wonderful now. AT 9:00 IN THE MORNING. Here's a list of things I've eaten FOR BREAKFAST the last few days:

Enchiladas with Spanish Rice.
Top Ramen. (Beef flavored)
Two corndogs with ketchup.
And, today? A big fat Port Of Subs Sandwich.

WHAT THE HECK? I don't even usually eat breakfast.

I'm going to weigh a billion pounds soon if I keep this up.

I'm Rich.

Zoe and Ezra. (And the new remote controlled toy I found yesterday
at the thrift store for SEVEN DOLLARS. Woot!)

Seeing Ezra with his grandparents is sortof like watching someone reach waaaaaay under the couch to finally find that one last puzzle piece that has been missing for months- popping it into place with a satisfied grin and a feeling of making something whole.

This trip has felt different for a couple of reasons. One: It is not a rushed visit, and, Two: Ezra is old enough to know and remember these people who think he's lovlier than a tall glass of chilled lemonade on a hot day. And he feels the same way about them.

There is a strong desire rising up in me again to somehow mesh my two worlds together. To somehow mesh family with the life we've created out on our own. And while I know this is impossible, this trip is the next best thing. And I'm so grateful to be able to be here for two months. We are so fortunate to even have the opportunity to do so.

When we put Ezra down for bed at night, we ask him what he would like to pray for. Some nights he asks to pray for rocks. Some nights he wants to pray for doggies. A couple of nights ago he asked if we could pray for church.

"You'd like to pray for the church?" I asked, thinking how profound my almost three-year-old could be.

"Church friends.", he corrected me.

So, we prayed for all of Ezra's friends that he plays with at church on Sundays back in Oklahoma. We prayed for their families and prayed that Ezra wouldn't feel too sad to not be able to play with them for awhile.

I think he feels the desire to mesh his worlds, as well.

It got me thinking, though. If I really could magically mesh my worlds together, they would no longer be the same. They would be... smooshed. Different. And, isn't it wonderful to have two (three? four? more?) places that feel like home in this world rather than trying to condense them all together and create some super comfy and safe place that you'd never have reason to leave?

I don't really know what I'm trying to say here, other than the realization that we spend so much of our lives trying to re-capture the happy moments of our pasts- trying to get them all under one roof so we can deadbolt the doors and refrain from letting anything good slip from our grasps. And it makes me wonder, what are we missing out on if we're living in lock-down like that? How many more happy moments are passing by on the street outside- unable to come in while we're unwilling to go out?

My life is richer and fuller due, in part, to the risks and ventures I've taken into the unknown. And, even though it causes me to sometimes feel like my heart is constantly being pulled between two places, I'm begining to see that all the exercise has been causing me to grow.

It is very true that home is where the heart is.

And I am rich with homes.

Clown Food.

Chris and I stumbled upon the MOST VINTAGE mcdonald's ever up in Tahoe the other day. I walked in and suddenly felt transported to my own childhood.

Real glass light fixtures- some with all the creepy mcd characters on them!


There were hand painted MURALS on the walls. They portrayed Ronald enjoying the pleasures of the Tahoe area. (No murals of him gambling at the casinos, though.) Also, how sick nasty is Grimace the purple blob? I imagine he would have very bad breath. And he's groping the clown.


Oh, how I remember these highchairs. I think I recall having races in these with my brothers. So oldschool.


My boys enjoying the sights. (but not so much the food.)

PS. McDonalds is gross.

I'm In Overdrive.

Reno is a frustrating town to drive in sometimes. Or maybe it's just me.

If you were to take a ruler to a map, you could draw a straight line from my mom's house to my brother's house. The line would tell you that their houses are only 3 or 4 miles apart. Yet, it takes at least 20 minutes to drive between the two. (Due to the 30 million 'road humps' and 20,000 stop signs.)

We have no car.

Ours is in the shop, for how long? No one knows. We are borrowing my mother's car as she has graciously offered to catch a ride to work in the morning with my dad. This means that Chris is not able to get to work (yes, he's working while we're here) early like he'd prefer to, because Ezra doesn't wake up until 8:00AM or so. Once he's finally up and ready, I drive Chris to the paint store with Ezra in the carseat. Then, we drive to Home Depot to pick up supplies. Then, I drive him back and drop him off at his jobsite. All in a borrowed car. All while worrying that my mom feels stranded at work or my dad would rather come home early, but can't because he needs to stay in town to give my mom a ride home at 5:00.

By the time we do all of this running around in the morning, it is almost naptime for Ezra. (Like I said, it takes forever to get anywhere around here.) I drive to my parent's house or Chris' parent's house to feed him quickly and put him down for a nap. If Chris needs any supplies for his job that he wasn't expecting he'd need, he has no way of getting them. He can't even grab lunch for that matter. Because I have the car and Ezra is napping so I can't leave to get those things for him. Ezra sleeps for 3 hours or more.

When he wakes up, it is about time to go pick up Chris from work.

I've driven over 130 miles since yesterday morning. This is tiring.

I'm realizing that the only reason I'm doing all this driving is because I thought it would be nice to have the car during the day while Chris is working. I'm suddenly aware now that it would probably be much easier on everyone if I just stayed put at a house all day and let Chris take the car in the mornings.

***SLAPS FOREHEAD MULTIPLE TIMES. HARD.***


This is what I woke up to this morning:


8:00AM.
A rainbow, people. At 8:00 in the morning!
It's like God was trying to show off or something.


Some of you may be wondering what Ezra has been up to lately?

Oh, just the usual... Weed whacking the entry tile and whatnot.
Safety goggles? CHECK!

The Wicked Clutch of the West.

I've started recovering from my sickness just in time to receive the nauseating news that the clutch in our car is shot. And, as if for good measure, the brakes are too.

The clutch going out seemed very odd to us, because usually clutches don't give out until they are ten years old or so. Our car is barely 4 years old.

After doing a little research, it turns out that our year and model of car is known for its faulty clutches- and it is so bad that I am shocked that there hasn't been a class action suit filed against Toyota for it. Word of Advice: Don't buy a 2003 Toyota Matrix XLS unless you want to replace the clutch every couple of years. Some people said their clutches didn't make it past 10,000 miles. Ex-squeeze me?

I am counting my blessings, however, because the clutch could have decided to give out a week ago somewhere outside of Seligman, Arizona and we all could have been stranded in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, America. That would have been crap-tastic!

Other than that, things are good here in Reno. It is getting cold. There is snow on the mountains. And the Starbucks is plentiful.

It's hard to stay mad for too long at silly things like 2003 Toyota Matrix XLS clutches when you can look out of your window and see this:



For my Oklahoma friends back home: This is called a mountain.

Also? More free babysitting than you can shake a stick at.

Huzah!

Lake Tahoe is Better Than the Ocean.

Yesterday was such a beautiful day here in Reno, so Chris and I decided that a trip up to Lake Tahoe was in order. Lake Tahoe is a whopping 20 minutes away from my parent's house, this lake of all lakes, and everytime I go up there since I've moved away from home I can't help but ask myself, "Why didn't I spend every waking minute here?" It's amazing. Better than any ocean FOR SURE. Oceans are smelly. Lake Tahoe smells like fresh air and pine trees.

At least, that's what Chris told me it smelled like yesterday- I have been so sick and plugged up for the past week that I have forgotten what it is like to smell. Or taste. In typical Emery fashion, I came down with a nasty cold at about midnight the night before we left for Reno. Every time I travel, I am sick. (Yes, that's FIVE links to FIVE seperate tales of traveling woe! And, that's not even the half of it!) Ezra also came down with something right before we left Oklahoma, but he seems pretty much over it now. I am praying the goo in my face doesn't turn into a sinus or ear infection. Joy of joys!




Ezra was having a blast gathering up stones from the beach and then running down the dock and throwing them in the water. He liked the sound the rocks made as they hit the water. Ploop! Tahoe is the clearest lake I've ever seen in my life- there are parts of it that are aqua and turquoise and you can see every rock below the surface for a long way out. Ezra is used to the brown or red waters of Oklahoma, so he was excited to able to still see his rocks even after they sunk to the sandy bottom.



Chris was also throwing rocks. And then he accidentally hit a seagull. This is him trying not to laugh about it. Ezra appears concerned. (Bird was fine. I think he thought we were throwing bread crumbs into the water. After Chris hit him on the back with a rock, it only took two minutes for him to work up the courage to come back for more. You know, in case the rocks had turned into bread crumbs while he was away.)



This is right about when Ezra started saying "Oh Nooo! DaDa hit da duck!" over and over and over and over again. Loudly. Thankfully, there were no rangers around. heh.



One of the most beautiful places on earth, I tell you. Everyone should see Tahoe at least once in their lives.

PS. All you Reno readers- we must get together!! Megan? Shannon? (Should we get together pre-baby-Codi or post-baby-Codi? Wee!) All the rest of you? Email me your digits to emerybored at aol dot com. Let's tear up the town! Or something!