Happy real 30th birthday, Tim!

Last year we had an almost 30th birthday party to celebrate Tim with his friends in Tacoma. This year it's just us, but lots of memories from good friends. Thanks to everyone who has contributed a note or a donation to REACH, we love you guys!

Happy real 30th birthday this time, Tim! You really are the best. I hope you have fun on our secret adventure tonight!

More May

Believe it or not, there's already been more to May than Colorado and our anniversary (and 2 birthdays still coming). After Becka's graduation I rushed to CT (and dragged Tim along) for a 2-day meeting to finish this big grant I've been working on for 5 months as one of my jobs. It was craaaazy! What was also crazy is this huge casino where a lot of my meeting time was spent. It's the largest in North America and is a mile long! We walked it in awe (and I tried not to gag on the smoke). Our landlord's favorite place in the US. The best thing we found was Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Therapy, mmmmmmm....I needed some!

One of the lobby entrances

While I was working, Tim had hours to kill. He got to go to a pretty cool Native American Museum and learn about the history of Northeast Natives.

Next Tim flew off to Texas to hang with Matt (and had a great time), and I represented the Eyes with our European friends at Cape Cod. I got a good taste of the popularity of Eurovision among Icelanders and found a potential new running partner. Wine, wine, wine and good food!

This is only about half of us
The whole reason I know these people: Alexis, our friend (from Tacoma) Elisa's sister. She and her husband Nico are promptly moving to Paris this week for new jobs! We will miss them.

While all this was happening, I also started a new full-time job at BU as a Research Assistant for a different faculty's project. As the Native American grant was ending, I was starting to learn how to evaluate whether a nearby gang violence prevention program is being effective. At least until December, I'll be collecting outcome reports from a group of police, attending police-youth dialogues and writing reports to the programs' funders. It's part of the Charles E Shannon Community Safety Initiative, and its unlikely to be funded into its 4th year.

I'm also continuing to finish up my practicum, which has been teaching nutrition to middle school students. A few more Saturdays (or so we hope - one of the schools closed this week because of too much flu) and an occasional week morning to juggle with the new job. Then a presentation in July.

The rest of my time will be spent trying to keep up with reading for my summer law class, which is an intensive and condensed 6 week version of a normal 16 week course.
Yikes! I think it will all smooth out eventually. Got to get a good outdoor mix in there on the weekends for balance!

Fantastic Four

May 21st marks the four year anniversary of our marriage. After four years there's no one waiting to hand us a degree in this husband/wife relationship. No cranky old academic waiting on a podium to shake our hand and give us a Master's of Matrimony. Not even one of those county fair judges to give us a blue ribbon for Honorable Mention in Matchmaking.

Happy, so happy on our rainy wedding day.

My wife certainly deserves some sort of award - Wife of the Year, Tim Magazine's Most Influential Woman, or something. She is freaking amazing. I am humbled to find such a beautiful, intelligent, compassionate and hardworking woman next to me each morning. After four years there are times when it still feels like a dream.

The First Lady of the United States of Timerica.

Here are some quick highlights from the adventurous last four years - the brightest four years of my life.

Surveying the Pacific Northwest from Mt. Raineer.

Looking for dolphins in Naples, Florida.

Drinking some of the finest coffee in Beijing, China.

Rocking out as "The Eyes".

At a rooftop film festival in Boston, Massachusetts.

Dominating the famous "Triple Notch" at Franconia, New Hampshire.

There will be many more adventures to come and many more awards to be won. After twenty-five years or so she'll deserve the Wifetime Achievement Award. We've only just begun!

Abby, I love you so much. I thank God for you every single day. My true love and best friend.

Becka's graduation!!!

Last weekend I was able to fly home to Colorado and surprise Becka for her college graduation from CU Boulder! It was great. Minus almost having to rebook my return flight home (never skip a leg of your flight!), it was a great trip.

The lady of honor on our back porch
We hung out on the back porch with good food and needed family time.
At CU before the intimate ceremony (no cap and gown needed)

She's got it!!!

The girls on Pearl Street afterward.
I got to see Becka's Starbucks and also where Kate and Jesse work
CodeBaby
Fort Carson Army Hospital (it was a slow day!)

And we explored the sights in Manitou
Including Hugh Jackman, apparently

and a Raspberry Colorado Custard Avalanche.
I just can't seem to get away from corn.

So Becka, CONG...
!!!!!

37th Never Looked So Good

Our good friends Ben, Julie and Owen Mangrum just flew out from Tacoma to spend Marathon weekend with us here in Boston. That's right - Tacoma's own Ben Mangrum was going to compete in the world's longest running, most famous Marathon. For all you non-runners, that's 26.2 grueling miles and in Boston we have a 4 mile section near the end called "Heartbreak Hill". I think you get it.


Mangrum is a gifted runner and entered into the race ranked 74th overall. 74th out of 26,000 runners. I'm not kidding - 26,000 runners. We were full of anticipation and spent the weekend mapping and jogging parts of the course and eating lots of pasta.

The morning of the race arrived full of anticipation. Ben and I got up at 5:15 am. He took a bus to the start of the course and I rode my bike to work. His race was starting 26 miles away, but the finish line was right in front of my Starbucks. Abby, Julie, and Owen found a place along the race to cheer him on. The race started at 10 and Ben was off. I signed up for a service that would text me as Ben crossed major checkpoints. And as Ben reached the end I took my lunch break and pushed my way through the crowds to see him driving past a Venezulan runner to hit the finish line with a time of 2:27:44. That means he ran all 26.2 miles at a pace of 5 minutes 40 seconds per mile! He finished 37th overall - that's 37th out of 26,000 - and beat a number of "elite" runners. WAY TO GO BEN!

Ben meditated on the verse, "The Lord is my refuge and strength," as he ran.

Ben was a super runner but Julie was a super mother, carefully tending to Owen all weekend. She cooked, washed dishes and marched all around the city checking out the highlights like the Freedom Trail and the swan boats. Owen had a blast singing at the top of his lungs and putting on his mommy's sun glasses as he toured around Beantown. Sadly, he may have partied too hard. On the trip home he had a couple of vomiting episodes. We hope he recovers soon.



For those of you tracking other super stars here in Boston - Abby has begun training for her new job with BU. She will working with a program addressing gang violence. I am so proud of her as God continues to give her new opportunities to serve new groups of people. This job also will give her tuition remission. This is a huge gift from God. A year's tuition is $36k. That means not only will she be paid for her position, we will get a big coupon from the University towards her education. I am so amazed watching her here. She works so hard as she continually gives herself to her dream of improving the health of populations in need.

Abby makes sure Owen knows to "say no" to gang violence.

And for those of you tracking celebrity sitings in my little Starbucks - Kara Goucher stopped in two days before running the marathon. She was the top ranked American female and nearly won the race. In the last stretch she was passed and finished 3rd. It was only her 2nd marathon ever. She'll be back, and hopefully back to my Starbucks.

Kara Goucher - professional runner and satisfied customer of Newbury Starbucks.

We are so glad the Mangrums came out to see us. We felt very encouraged by their visit. The time went by too fast. Our tiny apartment seems so much quieter without Owen's heartfelt rendition of "Old MacDonald" bouncing off the walls. Ee-ii-ee-ii-ee-ii.

Dinah's buckeye visit

Visitor #2: check! Dinah Frey spent last Saturday through Thursday with us and we had a great time. She came to check out SIT, a world learning graduate institute in Vermont that she might attend this Fall (!!), but mostly she just kept us in line.

(Dinah's also a cross county and track coach in CA)

We toured Boston, scarfed an original Boston creme pie (empty above) at the Omni Parker Hotel, and celebrated Easter together.
I dragged Dinah to class where she proceeded to instruct our group how to solve an economics problem (well, she wanted to), she volunteered preparing meals for families with HIV with Tim and his employees, and she explored with a map (and watches) on her own.

On Wednesday we took the day off, rented a car, and drove to Brattleboro Vermont. We passed Belchertown and I think Hattleboro and Rattleboro on the way...different area of the country! While she was touring her new campus, Tim and I climbed this hill for a view.

Then we searched for just the right Sugar Shack (or house) that makes its own Vermont maple syrup.

Harlow's Sugar House it was.

Finally we drove to a nearby (of many) covered bridge.

It will be nice to have our buckeye friend on this coast for a year if it ends up happening!!

The adventures of Guest Group #3 have already begun...

How great

How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He would give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross
My guilt upon His shoulders
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no powr's, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

99 percent

Job status: approved and posted online, which means I think I'm hired. I have a tentative start date, a new salary on the horizon (that covers tuition!), a human subjects training certification to do, and two meetings to attend. While I haven't signed any papers, this is looking solid!! Thank you Jesus! He who calls equips! I'm gonna need it but I'll take it. Youth gang violence prevention, here I come.

Best way to study...

...is in a thunderstorm! Talk about April showers being on time. I totally forgot about lightning and thunder until today. Even mild, it adds a new dimension to lots of rain! Cozyin' on up with some reading, bean soup, Annie Hall and a husband. Not bad.

Results.

we are slowly plugging away at what feels like monotony every day...work, work, read, read, work, study, read, sleep. Eat. That's about it. Sometimes we mix it up by eating WITH other people besides ourselves, those are special moments. Then back to working and reading. I miss PLAY!

But we are seeing results, on both our parts. Tim had El Presidente of Starbucks North America tour his store today, with Tim's boss, her boss, her boss, and maybe one other level boss. Lots of bossing. But lots of liking! Tim worked really hard to get his store in fantastic order and he knew his numbers and facts! Talk about crossing T's and dotting I's - Tim is TI. He's been doing that his whole life! Anyway it feels good for him to get some positive results!! No where downhill from here, but a nice breather.

I feel about the same, with putting in too much time on unending projects still not finished, but getting some great feedback on drafts along the way. At least I'm enjoying what I'm learning enough to be tolerating the time it takes! And in some cases investing more and more. And I got to play with soda and sugar and food coloring with middle school students yesterday to do a nutrition lesson with them and talk about the effects of added sugar in sweetened drinks we all like/love. Progress indeed, results, and rewards! The mountain is doable.

What makes it less doable at times is MISSING EVERYONE! When your life is just work and read and eat, you get lonely for friends and family to provide needed relief and comfort and motivation! Spring is going to be really hard because it's my favorite season in Tacoma...I can even smell the air. I'm having to distract myself from looking at everyone's blogs multiple times to see all the fun things they are doing. Major distraction and sadness! Luckily things will start to pickup here, and if we can create time to get away and explore, it will be better in no time! Anyway it's weird how all the constant busyness makes us miss and think of people even more.

Also we can't wait for all of our coming visitors!! Dinah and Ben and Julie and Owen are all coming within the next few weeks and we are so excited! That's what I call motivation. More exciting posts to come once our life becomes exciting again. Peace!