The Latest

We've been up to all kinds of interesting things so far this summer, and I don't do anything with my pictures unless I blog them. Far be it from me to actually print our pictures and use some of the hundreds of dollars worth of scrap booking paraphernalia that I own. Oh the laziness...

We spent a lovely afternoon slip 'n sliding away in Ellie's backyard just a few weeks ago. Grace spent most of her time doing this:

She gets that from her Mom.

She spent a little bit of time doing this:

And by this I mean hovering near Nora and Andrew's antics

whilst maintaining a death grip on her sippy cup and graham cracker.
And finally, by the end, she worked up enough courage to try a little of this:

She gets that from her dad.

We've also made several successful trips to the Columbus Zoo. We've spent time with the new polar bears, visited the aquarium and the manatees (my favorite animal, I might add), and seen quite a few brightly colored flamingoes. But the part that Grace remembers most is this:

Every time a goat appears in a story we're reading, Grace makes sure to mention the zoo.

The part I remember most is this:

Darn those irresistible fences. :)

We've also joined the Warnicks on a few "family fun mornings" and those have been delightful. The Columbus area has an abundance of beautiful metro parks and I look forward to exploring each and every one.

Gantz Park, Grove City

Whetstone Park of Roses, Clintonville

Grace spends her time doing a lot of this:

She loves smelling flowers. Well, smelling anything really. In an effort to get her to stop putting things in her mouth (argh...I thought she'd grow out of that one ages ago), I have encouraged her to smell them instead. It's worked pretty well...and makes parks with flowers all the more appealing to her. However, she also sniffs a lot of play dough...that might be trouble.

More recently, we took a little trip to the science museum, COSI, in downtown Columbus. Grace and I have gone multiple times, but this was the first time Spencer was able to go with us. Instead of taking very many pictures, we spent time doing things like this:

Later, in an effort to keep Spencer's new laptop from burning his leg, we spent some time at the Easton mall. Spencer spent a lot of time in here:

And Grace and I spent the majority of our time next to this guy:

Thanks to Ellie, Spencer and I were able to go on a date to Schiller Park in German Village. A local group puts on free plays every weekend and dubs it "Shakespeare in the Park." When we went, they were performing "Treasure Island." Not so Shakespeare. :) But we enjoyed it all the same. I spent a lot of time doing this:

When we're not out and about, Grace likes to enjoy a good book in the rocking chair.

And repeatedly put all of her stuffed animals/random action figures down for a nap.

We also spend an excessive amount of time playing here:

Northam Park, UA. I don't know where we'd be without this lovely,

within walking distance park.

And sometimes, Spencer and I like to keep it real by finishing the evening with a little indoor mini-golf.

Thus far, the summer's been great.

A Tribute

Almost two weeks ago, my Grandpa Merkley passed away. It came as a shock to me, but really wasn't unexpected. He'd been battling Alzheimer's for years and had been followed faithfully by an oxygen tank for some time.

My scheduled summer visit home came exactly one month short of enabling me to say goodbye, which made his passing all the more painful. I didn't see the last year of his life. To me, he was still mostly okay--maybe not quite who he'd always been, but still capable of making me feel overwhelmingly loved each time I saw him. Still someone who could hold my stranger-shy daughter and somehow keep her calm and happy. It still hurts to think how close I came to seeing him one last time.

But...I'm so grateful for all the time I spent with him growing up. My grandpa was truly an inextricable part of my childhood and early adulthood. He and my grandma lived in the same town as my family, so we saw them often. The visit count would be almost impossible to tally, but it's at least however many Sunday evenings fall within 18 calendar years. The visits once I left home were less frequent, but still cherished.

I love my Grandpa so much. To date, he is the only one who has ever given me a nickname I actually liked. Spencer's are nice, but not for public consumption. :) My brother, Sam, spoke at his funeral and mentioned that Grandpa somehow had a way of making every grandchild feel like his favorite. I agree completely with what Sam said--except for his claim that he was Grandpa's real favorite. Grandpa and I know otherwise. :)

He just loved us. Every time I went to his house, he was there at the top of the stairs, waiting to be hugged. He made me feel like it was the highlight of his day to see my "pretty" face. He wanted me there. It's so nice to feel like there's a place that you always belong, especially during those awful, awkward teenage years.

And he made the Best. Popcorn. Ever. Even outsiders have confirmed this. He actually grew the popcorn kernels in his amazing backyard farm (er, garden) and somehow knew exactly how much butter and salt to put in. Just writing about this has given me the overwhelming urge to hop up and dig our popcorn popper out of its upper cupboard position (which is no small feat...) and pop a bowl or two. He and Grandma also provided endless amounts of licorice---red, brown, black---you name it; they had it. Obviously, that always meant a lot to the candy-deprived child I was growing up. :)

One of my favorite memories of him revolves around the Christmas choir concert my senior year of high school. As tradition dictated, my show choir sang a rendition of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and distributed red stickers as "Rudolph" noses during the chorus. I gave mine to my Grandpa, and as of the last visit I made to their house, he still had it. For many years, it was displayed somewhat prominently in his living room. That little act meant so much to me. (See? Obviously I was the favorite grandchild.) :)

I really could go on forever. Grandpa Merkley was an outstanding example of so many things: humor, love, devotion to spouse, devotion to family, love of education, faith, and hard work. He left behind a devoted wife, a horde of adoring sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and many others whose lives will not be the same without him.

This was the last visit I had with him before Spencer, Grace and I left for the Midwest. Really, the last time I would end up seeing him in this life. As demonstrated above, Grace took right to him---which wasn't necessarily normal for her at the time (or now, for that matter). I love this picture and the obvious connection the two of them were making. Grace seems to be telling him something really important. :) (April 2009)

Seth receiving a famous Grandpa hug at Sam and Emily's wedding. (May 2008)

Spencer's and my wedding. (December 2006)

Grace's blessing day, September 2008. Grandpa works his magic again.

Grace and both of her great grandparents. (September 2008)

The Funeral:

My Grandma was an amazing example of strength and stoicism during the viewings and the funeral. Grandpa loved her so much and one of the last things I really remember him saying was how much she meant to him. In the midst of his often somewhat incoherent ramblings near the end, Grandpa's devotion to Grandma was always clear and obvious.

Grandpa was a fantastic story teller because of his inherent humor and intelligence. I never ceased to be amazed at the hilarious things that could pop out of his mouth, seemingly out of nowhere. One of my favorite stories he would tell was of his one war "wound." He served in the Navy during World War II and received said wound participating in a sit-up competition on the deck of his ship.

He burned the back of his legs. :)

But from how he'd tell it, you'd think he'd received the Purple Heart. :) He also loved telling us that he was still in his early twenties. Apparently, his ship crossed the International Date Line the day before his (22nd?) birthday and entered the other side the day after his birthday. Thus for him, the day never happened and he never aged.

My parents and siblings: Emily, Dad, me, Seth, Ellie, Mom, Sam.

What a blessing it was for all of us to be able to attend the funeral.

Obviously the popcorn and licorice (as well as the garden) stood out to more than just me. :)

Grandpa kept meticulous care of his yard and took great joy in doing so. During the spring and early summer, his yard was rich with roses and other flowers. I will miss him so much, but I look forward to seeing him again. Until then, I will see him in the spring through roses, in the summer through ice cream cones, in the autumn through apple trees and popcorn, and in the winter through the Christmas story he so faithfully read to us each year. Love you, Grandpa. Till we meet again.

Time Well Spent?

During college, I occasionally (or not so occasionally...depending on the day) wondered what it would be like to have free time again. To approach a Saturday without stressing about the papers I should be writing or the text books I should be reading. To start an evening without an overflowing "to-do" list lurking behind my every action.

Now, please don't think that I never dinked away time in college. I did. Frequently. But for the most part, I was a very studious scholar. I worried obsessively about my grades and might have been known to have the irrational break down or two from time to time. Or three. Or four. You get the idea.

Even when I had "time" to play, I would sometimes think about what was looming on the homework horizon. I didn't always enjoy my discretionary time for worrying about how I could have spent it better.

Fast forward two years: I have graduated from college and am now a stay-at-home mom. And, surprisingly enough, I have a lot of discretionary time. Granted, I only have one child at this point and she's barreling her way towards the two year mark. Meaning, I've pretty much got her figured out.

Ha. No, I haven't. But we have a pretty predictable schedule and I know that I can count on two to three hours of nap per day and a child-free evening that begins around 7:30 p.m. And...since Spencer (as of yesterday) now gets home between 9:30 and 10:00 every night (and has had that schedule somewhat frequently for the past year), I definitely have a good amount of time to myself.

So, this begs the question, how am I spending this time? I was thinking about this a lot today. This is kind of a unique period in my life. As more kids enter the equation, things are obviously going to change. My nap-time respite will disappear and as more kids and more life experience lands on my plate, things will only get more complicated. Right now, I have a relatively low work load compared to what is to come.

Now, I always have to remind myself that I do have some things on my schedule. I'm the Cubmaster for my ward (and two others...stop laughing...), I try to be a good visiting teacher and friend, I take Grace on lots of outings and am trying to teach her and encourage growth, I have uneven spurts of sociality ( :) ), I exercise regularly, and I get together with my sister and her kids frequently. Not to mention all the things that Spencer and I do together and those unexpected bouts of inexplicable busy-ness that come along every now and again. I work hard to keep my home clean and my daughter and husband fed and groomed. (and the grooming reference to Spencer is not a typo...I'm pretty sure he'd gleefully never shave if I allowed it... :) ) I really never lack for something to do.

But...the fact of the matter is that I can't remember the last time (before two years ago...) that I was able to decide how to spend so much of my time. No one supervises me, I don't really have anyone to account to, and I have few (if any) deadlines. I am completely in charge. :) Well, as "in-charge" as any mother of an almost two year old can be. :)

And how have I spent my non-Grace/non-Spencer time? Honestly, mostly reading. I read A LOT. Excessively? Perhaps. To be honest, I read books like I eat candy: once I start, I just can't stop. :) Thanks to Goodreads, I think that I could somewhat accurately put my "books-I-have-read-since-graduating-from-college-and-having-Grace" total at 77--though that's kind of a low-ball estimate. That's roughly 3.2 books per month. These books have ranged from the scriptures, to parenting books, to novels, to non-fiction, to biographies, to anything and everything that sounds good and is available at the local library. :)

I do other things (I promise!), but I would definitely say that reading occupies the majority of my free time.

And I'm okay with that.

But I'm open to suggestions. How do you spend your free time?

The Kites Strike Again

Apparently, we've decided to make kite flying a Mother's Day tradition. :) Spencer bought me kites for Mother's Day last year and we dusted them off (and by dusted I mean spent an hour untangling the strings...) this year to keep the kite flying dream alive. We invited some neighbors along and had a lovely afternoon of kite running.

We've discovered that not all kites are created equal. The Watson's one dollar kites were by far the easiest to get (and maintain) in the air. Our somewhat more expensive kites were much more obstinate. I guess the fancier the kite, the more "skill" it takes to keep it in the air. Meanwhile, the kids looked like kite flying champions and we looked somewhat pathetic. And by "we" I mean me. :)

Grace wasn't as interested in kite flying this year as she was last year. She loved seeing the kites in the air, but mostly spent her time running around and stealing the other kids' snacks--as is her custom. I think that the difference is mostly due to an increase in mobility. Interest is easily feigned by an inability to escape the task at hand. This year, she could escape. :) At one point she very pointedly said, "Kites. All done. All done, kites." and went off to have some Lucky Charms.

And just for the record, it's really hard to get a good picture of someone flying a kite.

The Kitists:

My (and Grace's) attempt with the turtle kite:

Laurie and Clint working on the devil kite (devil not referring to the shape of the kite, but the personality...):

A sampling of the kiting experience:

Coming home in our new, yard sale-purchased red wagon (hooray!):

Happy Mother's Day to all!

Outings

With Spencer's summer work-induced hibernation fast approaching, we've been trying to get out and enjoy what Columbus and Ohio have to offer while we still can...together. Turns out, Columbus is really quite the family friendly city. Especially if you're a student family. You can buy amazingly discounted tickets to almost everything through the student union. Lovin' it.

Some of our recent trips have included:

The Franklin Park Conservatory

Grace just really can't resist fat, lazy fish. Or any kind of fish, for that matter.

We got to the conservatory just in time to see the much publicized "release of the butterflies." I had naively been expecting an explosion of hundreds of butterflies flying every which way. Instead, a lady released each butterfly one at a time and gave a scholarly lecture about each one. I was slightly disappointed. But...it was still definitely worth attending. And Grace liked the butterflies a lot. They felt the same way about her. Until she grabbed one.

Kirtland

We enjoyed visiting the church sites (the temple, visitor's center, Newel K. Whitney store, etc.)

with some friends despite the nasty, rainy weather. Our camera didn't come out much, though,

for good reason.

Grace and her good friend, Calder, enjoying some raisins. Grace has since spent

every waking minute requesting raisins. And Calder. :)

Hocking Hills

Hocking Hills is a little spot of heaven about an hour south (?) (someday I'll learn to orient myself here...) of where we live. It kind of feels like going to Zion National Park, midwestern style. I loved it. :)

Sam, Emily and Alex came down from New York to visit, so we made a little Merkley family trip out of it. It was fabulous.

These pictures actually show two different trips to Hocking Hills, to make things clear. I don't usually bring a full change of clothes on a short hike. :)

It's been a lovely spring!

The Rebel Within

Sometimes I like to think that I have a little bit of a rebel in me. Rebel Anna manifests herself in fairly innocuous ways, but she's always there, egging me on. Most of her rebelliousness is theoretical and remains unseen and unknown by the general public. However, she did once lead me to head a small group of giggly girls on a couple of carefully orchestrated skinny-dipping expeditions. So every once and awhile, she has her way.

Most recently, she encouraged me to support Spencer in his motorcycle addiction. When Spencer found this beauty for a surprisingly good price, she could hardly contain her excitement. Rebel Anna loves motorcycles.

Sure, rational, tentative Anna worried about all the practical issues: safety, the "image," and so on, but Rebel Anna can just be so persuasive. Rebel Anna remembers all the romance and excitement that the previous motorcycle brought to her courtship and early married life. Rational, tentative Anna remembers, too. Knowing this, Rebel Anna played on all of rational, tentative Anna's weaknesses. And...she has won. Say hello to our very cheap, tax-return generated motorcycle. :)

Since its introduction into our family just a few days ago, Spencer and I have taken a couple very short, illicit rides around the block after putting Grace down for bed. Rational, tentative Anna is scandalized.

Rebel Anna is on cloud nine.

Spencer

I've been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be a good spouse. I definitely have a long way to go in my quest towards spousal perfection, but I'm so grateful for the example I have in Spencer.

I remember going into marriage thinking that no one could have possibly ever loved their spouse as much as I did mine. Silly, really, since six months doth not an epic love story make. But ...I felt it. :) After almost three and a half years of marriage (still not much, I know), I think that my attitude and understanding of love have matured and changed with time. Mostly because I see how Spencer loves me. I see what it means to love and give love through him.

On Grace's first night home from the hospital, Spencer and I were patiently and hopefully putting her down into her bassinet. For some reason, we started to talk about what she might dream about. Sugar plums seemed an obvious option, but we continued to discuss possible scenarios.

If Disney is to be believed, "a dream is a wish your heart makes." So, it only seemed logical that Grace's wishes could be summed up in one word: plentiful milk. I offered as suggestions to Grace some of the things I might happily wish for in dreamland: a full night's sleep, a never ending supply of candy (someday my palate will mature beyond the age of four, but it hasn't happened yet), and other various inconsequential things.

I then turned the time over to Spencer and he simply and quietly said that he dreamed about me. I was the wish and dream of his heart. What he said struck me so much. Partly because I wasn't expecting it, and partly because I knew it was true. Spencer is devoted and loyal to me in a way that I barely understand sometimes. His love is so pure, so innocent, and so true. It's a part of him all the time and is never out of place.

Moving across the country rocked my world in a way that I couldn't have anticipated. It was hard in all the ways that I thought it would have been easy. Spencer has loved me through all the ugliness and frustration rediscovering myself has brought. To anger, misunderstanding, rudeness, and spite, he truly responds with an increase of love. I'm so grateful for him. I'm so grateful to be partnered with a man who can patiently wade through those parts of me and still believe that there is beauty and hope to be found. I love him. I endeavor to be the kind of spouse to him that he has been to me.