Walking group was chilly this morning! I was glad that I brought a hat and gloves.

I was hoping to go to a university lunch lecture, but I got a last-minute Zoom call that took precedence. It's ok--there are lots of other campus events that I largely ignore or miss 🙂 And honestly, part of it is just for the free food and the interesting lecture is a side benefit.

No one had soccer practice or games today--a miracle! Ivy and Inga went to the last middle school football game for the season and called us halfway through: "We want to come home--we are too cold!" I made them bring two jackets and gloves and they still couldn't stay warm. Wow. This is coming from Ivy who wears shorts and tshirts much of the winter!

We had time to watch one episode of our show after dinner (Eric: street tacos with ingredients from the local Mexican grocery store). Inga has a field trip tomorrow that leaves early and gets home late. I'm letting her wake herself up!

Read more ...

Yesterday we had plans to swim at the university pool, but then they got foiled by almost everyone having something else going on that afternoon. I am drawing a blank about what I did in the afternoon! It's like totally gone. We did watch an episode of The Rings of Power at some point.

Ivy had a school choir concert, which I got to attend. Eric was off driving Inga and Dio to their respective soccer practices (Dio has started up with a club team now that school soccer is done).

This week's 36-hr fast is 2/3 done and I'm hungry, but not nearly as hungry as I would expect. Weird and nice given that I'm fasting until tomorrow.

I did some filming today (breech-related videos). It's amazing how making maybe 10 minutes of finished videos takes well over a day. I had to set up my studio, get everything exactly as it was 2 years ago (these videos are various updates so they're getting inserted into longer existing videos). I'm still editing at the end of today and then I have to do captions and then get them translated and then produce the videos in 4 other languages. Probably several days of work for 10 minutes!

Read more ...

Stray cats and skunks

We have this cute stray cat who has been hanging around our house mewling at us. She lets us pet her if we wait for her to come up to us. Inga has fed her bits of meat once or twice so I think we'll be seeing a lot of her.

We were outside sitting on the front lawn late tonight, hoping we'd spot the Northern Lights. No luck...but it was a gorgeous night with a half moon. The cat stayed with us most of the time and got bits of ham and tuna.

Then Inga saw something out of the corner of her eye. She thought it was another stray cat...but no! It was a skunk. We all ran inside and called it a night.

It was a school holiday for everyone today. The kids had a friend over for much of the day. We pulled out all of the costumes and fabric and craft supplies. It's a bit of an explosion of materials but we did make a purse and a skirt by the end of the day.

Ivy had a game about an hour away this evening (losing 3-1), which Inga and Eric attended. Then she came back, grabbed a sleeping bag and pillow, and went to a friend's birthday party/sleepover.

Read more ...

Everyone came home after school, for the first time the entire school year! Amazing!

Not a whole lot going on otherwise and my left shoulder/neck is really hurting so I'll keep this brief. (Too much computer work.) Tomorrow is a school holiday and the kids are having some friends over. I'm envisioning a day filled with crafts, games, and outdoor time. I hope we can make that happen.

We had time to watch one episode of The Rings of Power tonight.

Read more ...

Shiplap done, a long wait

Eric and I finished up the shiplap siding late this afternoon. So satisfying! Now I have to paint it....and install the door...and then install the garage door tracks. But it's getting closer!

Dio had his sectional game, which both of us were able to attend. They lost 1-0 so his soccer season is officially over. Zari also had a sectional (away) and lost 5-0 so she is also done. I waited for her at the high school for over 1 1/2 hours! Eric thought she'd be home at a certain time but it turns out her team ate at a fast food restaurant. So I sat in the car...waiting...and waiting.

I did some filming today because we have a few lessons that need updating. I have to do a bit more tomorrow or Friday. Then editing, captioning, translating, etc.

Read more ...

Stinky morning

We woke up to the smell of skunk. It happens on occasion when there's one in the neighborhood. Zari had to leave early just as it was starting to not be 100% dark. I warned her to be careful going into the garage 🙂

I had a good work day after my morning walking group. When Eric came home in the afternoon, we put up more nickel gap siding in the carriage house. One big wall is totally done and 2 other walls are about half done. Gorgeous weather so it was a pleasure to be outside (kind of) working.

We had time to watch two episodes of the new series we've started: The Rings of Power. I'm loving the costumes, especially that deep teal color that's used in so much of the fabrics.

Read more ...

Feast of the Hunter's Moon

Yesterday afternoon we took the whole family, plus one friend, to a historical reenactment/festival celebrating Fort Ouiatenon and the history of the French-Indian war. A fun excuse for thousands of people to dress in 18th century garb, do handicrafts, sell food cooked over an open fire, and offer all sorts of diversions such as Highland Games and axe throwing and cannon shooting.

It's been so long since we've been able to do something together as a family.

Dio had sectionals today and his team won 2-1 in a shootout. He'll be playing again on Wednesday. Ivy and Inga are done with school soccer, so they came home right after school today. It was fun and weird to see them home! I was working in the carriage house when they came home. Eric helped me put up more nickel gap siding, and then I started to install the door to the under-stairs closet.

Read more ...

Champions!

Ivy and Inga's school team are undefeated champions! They haven't lost a single game this season and they just finished a tournament today winning both games 5-0 and 4-0. Inga scored 8 of the 9 goals.

I've been unusually exhausted the last few days. I'm ok during the day but once it's about dinnertime, all I can do is just lie down in bed. What's up with that?

Zari took the SAT again this morning. She has one more scheduled for November.

We got the garage approach poured today and we're just 2 days away from being able to finally use our garage! It's only been 13 years :) The doors are adjusted and working properly. Electricity should be coming in 1-2 weeks.

Inga has a friend over for a sleepover. We'll do a pancake breakfast, have a laid-back morning, and then go to a big historical festival thing in the afternoon.

Here's the newspaper article:

https://www.journalreview.com/stories/cms-girls-soccer-has-undefeated-season,316054

CMS girls’ soccer has undefeated season 

Posted Friday, October 4, 2024 5:00 am 

For the Journal Review 

The Crawfordsville Middle School girls’ soccer team has capped off a phenomenal season with a 7-0-1 record, celebrating both an undefeated regular season and their second consecutive county championship. Under the guidance of longtime coach Laurie Vellner, the team achieved an extraordinary milestone — going undefeated for the first time in Vellner’s 14 years coaching at Crawfordsville Middle School.

“This season has been remarkable,” said Vellner, who has taught at CMS for 18 years. “The girls showed incredible determination and teamwork, and it’s been a joy to see them develop both as athletes and individuals.”

Vellner was supported this year by first-time assistant coach Lisa Talcott and special assistance from Coach Eric Freeze.

The team’s success was driven by the dedication of its eight eighth graders: Inga Freeze, Osiris Herrera, Alicia Fernandez, Krystel Ledezma, Krystal Munoz, Olivia Abney, Maritza Solano and Lexi Cox. Their leadership played a pivotal role in guiding the team to this historic season, with captains Freeze, Cox and Solano leading by example.

“We’ve had a really strong group of eighth graders this year,” Vellner said. “Their leadership and dedication were key to our success, and I’m excited to see where their soccer journeys take them.”

Next up, the team will compete in their conference tournament on Saturday in Lebanon. Vellner is excited to see what the team can accomplish as they aim to finish their season on a high note.

“I’d like to extend my deepest gratitude to my fellow coaches, the supportive staff at CMS, and the amazing group of parents who have been so encouraging,” she said. “They’ve truly made this season a success.”

Read more ...

Inga and I got home at 10:20 pm from her soccer practice. I'm glad I was able to stay alert during the drive there and back. I've had really disuprted sleep the past two nights.

I did a lot of breech computer work (creating volume 3 of our clinical scenarios). Then it was time for a change of pace, so I hauled out our power tools and started installing the shiplap (nickel gap) siding in our carriage house.

I had to scribe the first line of siding since the floor slopes, dips and curves. I also had to rip some 2x4s in half to create 2x2s and sister them onto one of then wall that had been framed as a 2x4 wall, rather than a 2x6 like the rest of the walls. Then I could finally start putting the siding up! I am proud of my scribing job--the first line fits perfectly on all 3 walls. I couldn't have done it with out a laser level.

We're getting a new approach poured and our carriage house doors adjusted. Then we will finally, after more than 13 years, be able to use the garage to park our door and close the garage doors!

Here's to hoping I can sleep better tonight.

Zari had a home game, winning 2-0. She scored one of the two goals!

Read more ...

Debate night

We let the kids all stay up late to watch the vice-presidential debate. It was definitely much more restrained than the presidential debate!

Vance kept going off-topic and talking about these millions of illegal immigrants who are single-handedly responsible for...

• overrunning entire cities
• taking all of the good jobs
• creating record housing prices by buying up all the housing
• bringing in record levels of fentanyl and other drugs
• probably 1000 other things that he wants to scapegoat someone for

I want to meet these crafty immigrants. I mean, surely they would be on the upper echelons of America by now, given how they have (according to Vance) so successfully taken over everything. Right?

Anyway that's it for American Political Theater for tonight.

Inga and Ivy had a soccer game, winning 4-0.

I did mostly breech work and a tiny bit of work on the carriage house (scribing the bottom layer of nickel gap siding that will go up on the dividing wall). I need to get the table saw set up so I can cut the lines that I marked. Of course they are not straight, but curved. Of course. That will be fun.

Read more ...

No headache!

I've been drinking lots of electrolyes (it's my long fast day) and so far, no headaches of any significance. That definitely makes a difference.

I did my normal morning exercise and then had a fairly sedentary work day.

Zari and Dio both had games and both teams lost. Bummer. Inga didn't have her extra practice so she was home "early" by 6 pm.

Read more ...

Early soccer Sunday

Zari, Ivy, Inga and I were up at 6:15 am for...guess what? More soccer! Ivy had an 8 am game about 45 minutes away, then we drove 30 minutes to Inga's game and then a bit over an hour to get home.

It didn't rain too much, just a bit towards the end of Inga's game. Ivy's team lost 2-0 and Inga's won 2-0. Inga didn't score but I filmed a few of her shots on goal.

We had a relaxed afternoon once we were all back home. I've been wanting to lie in bed. I'm not sure if that's bad or entirely sensible. It just feels so amazing to be horizontal and resting my body.

I made chicken soup using broth and leftover chicken from 2 nights ago. I have my long fast coming up again and I'm hoping that I can keep the headaches at bay by taking in enough electrolytes.

Read more ...

Today felt like a "proper" Saturday, meaning we did chores in the morning, worked on some house projects, made a fire and had Smores, and otherwise had some time together (not all of us together--Eric was still gone with Ivy and Inga most of the day, and Dio was gone half the day). But still...much more like a Saturday than most Saturdays lately.

I only had about 2 hours of breech-related work, which is much less than usual for my weekends. (I know, it would be great to actually not work on the weekends...but so far that has proved nearly impossible.)

I was particularly satisfied with my big garage organization and cleaning effort. We haven't ever cleaned or re-organized since we moved here 13+ years ago! It was time.

We got a big pile of salvaged shiplap boards moved to the carriage house side (they will eventually go back up on the garage ceiling on the carriage house apartment is done)...every item in the entire garage was unpacked, looked at, and packed up in the appropriate crate and then put on the shelves in a logical fashion...floors swept (13 years of dust!)...all items cleared away from the dividing wall to enable us to install shiplap siding on the wall. This will close off the garage side from the carriage house apartment side.

While I was organizing the garage, Zari had a friend over (okay, I think it's fair to call him a boyfriend!). They played fussball, ate lunch, and then went outside and helped me get a fire started so they could make Smores. It took several rounds with the plumbing blowtorch to coax the wet wood into burning...but we did it!

I also made another huge batch of pesto, enough for 8 meals. I now have 17 containers of pesto in the freezer. So satisfying and our basil plants are still going strong. Best decision ever to plant them in early August.

Four of us have a very early morning tomorrow: we have to leave at 6:45 am for Ivy's game, and then Inga's game. Zari is going to drive to get more driving hours in.

Read more ...

Inga and I got home at 10:30 pm from her soccer practice. I hadn't seen Dio or Ivy all day since they left for school! Ivy was already in bed by time I got home.

Dinner was homemade hamburgers in sourdough buns (I baked a big batch the other day and had lots on hand), edamame, and apple crumble. I had to leave before the crumble was done, and my fasting period had started by time I get back...so I have to wait until Friday to eat it!

Eric went to Dio's home game, which they won 8-0.

I went to get our Tesla's tires aligned, having phone ahead to be sure the place worked on Teslas. No problem, they said. So I brought the car in, waited about 10 minutes, and they came back out: "Sorry, we don't have the right equipment to work on Teslas." Now I have to get it done at the Tesla dealer about an hour away, which means waiting 3-4 weeks for an appointment and paying more than twice the normal fee.

Read more ...

Rain!

It's so nice to have more rain. The ground is finally softening up and the grass is starting to turn green. But rain also means rides to school, since Zari and Dio normally bike about 2 miles and I don't want them arriving soaking wet.

The rain paused during my morning walking group and started right as we were getting into our cars at the end. Good timing.

I've been working on video editing (specifically inserting translated captions and re-encoding the videos).

Zari had a game winning 3-2. She scored one goal and another kind of when the ball rebounded off her butt and into the goal. She said she also had a lot of really close shots that rebounded off of the goal post. Eric said it was the best her team has played so far this year. Ivy and Inga and a friend went with Eric to watch the game. I stayed home because I had to pick Dio up after his practice.

And amazingly, we were all home for dinner (late, but still...together). We watched one episode of Andor upon promises that the kids, Ivy especially, would go to bed right afterwards.

Read more ...

Fast days are so slow

I'm doing another full fast today--so about 36 hours of fasting. The hardest part are the headaches that get worse throughout the day. Well, and of course the hunger but that's to be expected!

We are super happy to have had a day of rain, a good soak compared to yesterday's light sprinkles.

Ivy and Inga are on their way home from a middle school game which they tied. They were very frustrated that they couldn't do better. Dio had a home game against a very good team, so it's not super surprising they lost 5-0.

I had to go grocery shopping and cook dinner today. No fun when I can't eat!!

Read more ...

Homecoming dance

Forgot to write yesterday...here are a few pictures from yesterday's homecoming dance. I thought the wool cap was a nice touch, and Zari's date told her, "I think you were the best dressed girl there." Awwww.

When I dropped them off at the high school, I noticed that the current fashion was sparkles and sequins. So many sparkles.

Apparently it was very loud and Zari remarked that no one really danced: "They just jumped up and down a lot and sang along with the songs." Welcome to dancing in 2024. On the way home to drop her date off, I told them about our college days when we'd go swing dancing and how I took all sorts of ballroom dance classes. (Oh, and Irish dancing, too! But that's a different sort of dance, more performative than interactive.)

We had rain and cooler temperatures today. Ahhhh...Ivy had a game and they lost 1-0. We had a relaxed afternoon and watched 3 episodes of Andor. It's riveting.

Read more ...

Homecoming!

For the first time ever, our children all experienced high school Homecoming. They are all mystified by American football. Same for me. "It takes forever and nothing happens!" Zari said. But they went and enjoyed themselves with friends. It helps that it was quite warm, meaning they didn't get cold at all when the sun went down.

The kids asked me why it's called homecoming and why we even have such a thing called homecoming and honestly, I don't know. 'Murica.

Another huge soccer weekend spanning from east of Indianapolis all the way to Cinncinnati, Ohio!

I gave a lecture for the University of Utah's Project ECHO series. It was fun and sparked many good conversations. Since I have lots of personal ties to Utah (my grandfather was a civil engineering professor at Utah State, I did my undergrad in UT), I was a bit more keyed up going into it. A lot is at stake! I think we may be able to bring some substantive changes to that part of the country.

Read more ...

More victories!

I watched Zari's home game, with Eric joining me for the last 20 minutes. Her team won 5-0, with Zari scoring 1 goal and having another beautiful assist. And...Inga and Ivy's game was likewise a success, winning 6-0 (some reportss ay 5-0 and we're not entirely sure, even Eric isn't and he's the assistant coach!). Inga scored all of the goals, including a corner kick that curved and went right into the net.

It was "senior day" and there was a small ceremony and celebration before the game. The seniors were supposed to bring posters about themselves, which Zari opted not to do due to 1) lack of picutres and 2) lack of posterboard on hand and 3) lack of interest.

Turns out there's an unwritten protocol for these posters and it involves a stylized poster with lots of glitter and gold and stick-on letters and mylar balloon and snacks...A bit of an unspoken competition for the parents as well as the students. Note the bare spot on the right where Zari's poster would have gone.

Zari felt bad about opting out but also isn't into the American cultural spectacles. I told her to hold her head up high, enjoy herself, and observe the curious practices of this cultural ritual. "In France, we just go home after the games are done," she said. "We don't celebrate the people who are leaving that year."

Then there was a ceremonial marching onto the field, student by student accompanied by parents and family, with the student's bio being read out on the big speakers.

Dio's team tied (away game, so we didn't watch it) and he is frustrated with his coach. Apparently all they do is conditioning--no technical work, no scrimmaging.

My day was spent video editing and caption editing. Very tedious but necessary work. Plus an evening Zoom meeting.

Read more ...

Victory!

Ivy and Inga had a middle school soccer game and came back elated. They won 3-2 with Inga scoring all 3 goals. They were tied 2-2 until the last few minutes. Eric said it was of the most exciting games he's ever been to. Ivy said, "I think my stress is going to get passed down to my descendents!"

My day was a bit less exciting. I'm still feeling a bit off, just a touch, so I didn't exercise at the university. Lots of work but the sitting down kind.

Zari was feeling feverish this evening. She went to bed early.

We installed the dishwasher this afternoon and have run it twice already. I very much appreciate dishwashers. Since I had the electrical toolbox out, I decided to tape over all the annoying LED indicators on my computer, monitor, and other electronics on my desk. I hate having bright blue LEDs lighting up my bedroom!

Read more ...

I feel a bit ill, slightly weak and feverish. Not enough to put me in bed but enough to wish I were in bed!

Video editing all day, except for a brief visit to a rental unit to oversee a fridge delivery, then a zoom meeting this evening. We had time to watch and episode of Andor. We have a new dishwasher but it was too late to install it this evening (our old one had a hidden leak--we only knew because the floors started buckling but there was never any visible water until we removed the dishwasher).

That's about it. No soccer games today either!

Read more ...

I woke up well before 4:30 am with lots on my mind and couldn't get back to sleep. I read for a while, then laid there and pretended I was asleep. I was on the fence about exercising, but since I had to drop kids off at school (game day, so they don't take their bikes), I made myself go to the gym.

Pretty quiet day as usual. I recorded and edited a conference presentation for an upcoming ICEA conference. I also had a parent consultation meeting.

I'm stretching my fasting muscles today and am fasting all day through tomorrow. I may not make it until lunch but we'll see...

Ivy and Inga's game was cancelled this evening. This allowed me and Eric to watch Zari's home game (Dio had an away game). I was laughing just watching Eric get so worked up and yelling all sorts of coaching advice. I doubt anyone can hear him but it makes him feel better, I guess. For the last 10 minutes he got up and started pacing up and down the edge of the field. Ultimately Zari's team lost 4-2.

You know what stinks? Cooking dinner and not being able to eat a single bite. I made something simple (pierogis, broccoli, and edamame) and fled the scene as quickly as possible.

Read more ...

More driving! More soccer! Less sleep!

Ivy was up at 6 am for a very early departure. I got her sent off and fortunately was able to get a bit more sleep in before I had to bring Inga to her game. Zari came with as the chaffeur.

We dropped Inga off and had some extra time on our hands before the game started, so we make a quick grocery run. Unfortunately, we got back a bit after the game had started and we missed a beautiful goal by Inga!! 🙁

Her team ultimately won 4-0.

We were all home by mid-afternoon and enjoyed taking it easy (everyone but Eric, who played Ultimate Frisbee and came back tired, sweaty, and happy). We had time to watch two episodes of Andor.

Guess what tomorrow brings? More soccer x4 children!

Read more ...

Another big soccer day

Eric and Inga left at 8 am for a tournament a few hours away. Once everyone was awake, I took Zari thrift shopping and she found 2 pairs of pants and a t-shirt. I count that as a big win becuase it's really hard to get her to shop at all.

It's supposed to be very hot for the next week or more with no rain in sight. So no yard work today.

I had a breech live session at noon.

I prepared a very early dinner because I had to bring Ivy to another soccer game at 4:30, getting home around 8:30. Eric and Inga came home about an hour later.

And...more soccer tomorrow! Ivy leaves at 6:30 am, then I drive Inga to hers at 10 am. Both are around an hour away.

Read more ...

What a treat--we had 3 of the 4 kids home today after school! Zari was home extra early, around 1:30 pm. Ivy had a game this evening about an hour away, and Zari came along to get more driving hours in. After they left, Inga and I went thrift store shopping and found several items of clothing for each of us. We got home just before Dio.

I started my day with exercise at the university, then spent a few hours doing repairs on a rental property. Then back to my usual computer work.

We've got another weekend full of soccer tournaments with multiple kids in multiple directions, some a few hours away. Phew.

Read more ...

Since Zari and Dio both had games (Zari's in town), I got to drive Inga to her far-away practice. We hit a total road shutdown on the way so we were 15 minutes late. From start to finish, it was over 4.5 hours to drive there, wait, and drive home. Too long! This is crazy! And she's doing this 3x per week not including games.

It's too bad we can't get Zari to do the driving. Maybe she'd be able to ger her 50 required driving hours in!

Zari's game didn't go well; they lost 7-1, I think. I'm not sure about Dio's yet.

Read more ...

My morning started with a Zoom meeting with someone in Australia...which means that I skipped my normal exercise for MWF. Ivy and Inga had a game at the high school, winning 2-1 with Inga scoring the first goal.

I did a bit of yard work at dusk.

What else? Took a trip to Home Depot to buy a new dishwasher for our house (ours is on its last legs and leaking) and a fridge for a rental property. I also enjoyed watching several recaps of the Harris-Trump debate, both serious and comedic.

Read more ...

Debate

Everyone is buzzing about the Harris-Trump debate. Oh my. We were yelling at the screen and then laughing in astonishment and then rolling our eyes. The best part is yet to come via the "immigrants eating cats and dogs" memes (I've already seen some amazing ones!) and comedy shows and analysts' commentary. Seriously it's going to be so hard to do anything productive tomorrow.

I missed the first half; I was upstairs working and then had to pick up Zari from an away game. We all watched the last half together, even though it was late for Ivy.

I have a number of projects I'm coordinating outside of breech-related work (repairs and renovations of various sorts on 3 properties, running underground water/sewer/electric to our garage, deciding which trees to plant and where after our lumberjacking). I've also got to do BWB taxes at some point...

I made a nice tidy to-do list, compiled from several post-it notes and a piece of scratch paper filled front to back with notes.

Oh, Zari's game went very well! They won 2-1 and Zari scored the first goal from a through ball. (I learned today what a "through ball" is because to me, I just see balls being kicked around and didn't know there were names for the varations of how and where to kick them.)

Read more ...

Back to our weekday schedule, in which I don't see any children until 6 pm at the earliest. Why are we doing this?

I started a big spreadsheet for Zari's university applications. She's already enrolled in France this year but wants to see what her others could be for the following year. She's very interested in the University of Ottawa because it's bilingual and in a great city. We need to stay on top of these applications because there are so many forms and deadlines.

Still, she has a fantastic option that is (almost) free if she decides to stay in Nice. And it's a 3-year program so she could be done faster and have plenty of time for graudate school if that interests her.

It's cold inside the house! Just 5 days ago it was over 90 degrees and now I'm layering on all the sweaters. But it's supposed to get hot again this week--close to 90. We put winter comforters on all the beds because we were getting too cold at night.

Read more ...

A big soccer weekend

For the next month our lives will be dominated by soccer. Then, once the school soccer season ends, it will be more reasonable (although once school teams end, we're adding MORE soccer by doing an indoor league).

Yesterday Dio had a morning game (taking the bus with his school team). The rest of us drove in with Zari behind the wheel. We dropped Eric off to see the first half of Dio's game, then brought Ivy to hers, which was just 5 miles away. Once we dropped Ivy off and waited a bit in the car (it was chilly!), we went back to get Eric and brought him to Ivy's game.

Zari and I took another short drive to Aldi to buy some snacks. We saw the last half of Ivy's game and then we all drove home.

As we were pulling into our driveway, Eric realize he had left his chair, backpack, and wallet at the soccer field! (30 minutes away). So he had to drive all the way back and fortunately they were still there.

We had a relaxed afternoon. I got the kids to help with more yardwork (transporting mulch). In the evening we made a fire, made S'Mores, and then watched the first episode of Andor.

Today was...guess what?...more soccer! Inga and I left at 10 am for her game a bit over an hour away. A bit later, Eric drove Ivy to her game that was 30 minutes away. Inga's team won 2-1, with Inga scoring the first goal. Sadly, I missed it because I had accidentally scheduled a Zoom meeting during the same time as her game. So I was stuck in the parking lot of a nearby McDonald's (free wifi) at a meeting. I saw the last 10 minutes of her game. Ivy's team lost 3-0.

So yeah, so much soccer. At least the rest of the day was more relaxed. I took an inadvertent nap while reading. Eric, Zari, and I went on a walk before dinner. And then after dinner we watched two more episodes of Andor.

Phew. I need a weekend to recover from the weekend!

Read more ...

Lots of computer work and Zoom meetings today. I got some big things checked off my to-do list, which is satisfying.

Eric, Inga, and Zari are on their way home from an evening game about an hour+ away. Zari came to get driving hours in.

Ivy and I took a late evening walk at dusk today.

Not much else happening at the moment...

Read more ...

I'm back from the Amish midwife meeting! The drive was uneventful and required only one charging stop.

Ivy and Inga had a middle school game and they won 11-0. Dio is still gone at his game (away).

I'm trying to catch up with emails and also transfer all my computer files over. It's been an enormous task since I have files in various locations and I'm also backing up my external hard drives at the same time.

As I was cleaning up files, I found this stop-motion movie that the kids were working on over the summer. They had planned a long epic film and this is scene 1.

Read more ...

Midwestern Midwives Meeting

I traveled down to Fulton, MO for a gathering of around 100 Amish and other Plain midwives. It's been a lovely event. They have been so friendly and welcoming, even though I'm the outsider.

They scheduled me for a 2-hour presentation this afternoon. I did my best to cover the most important aspects of breech, knowing that this could not be a comprehensive training. I had all sorts of teaching materials with me: giant pelvis, Sophie and Her Mum simulator, regular doll & pelvis, full-color cardstock handouts, clinical scenario booklets, and of course our new books.

I didn't want to be driving late at night, so I'll stay here tonight and leave first thing in the morning. My IUD car (seriously, that's all I can think of when I see the Tesla logo) is plugged in and charging overnight.

Read more ...

American picnic, family weeding party, more soccer

Yesterday we had a lovely languid afternoon out in the country at an informal picnic. It was a friend of Zari's from school and his family, extended family, and family friends. We had perfect weather and a quintessentially American afternoon:

✓ Turn of the century farmhouse nestled among corn and soy fields
✓ Ducks, rabbits, sheep, dogs, and cats
✓ Classic rock playing softly in the stereo in the garage
✓ Beverages nestled inside coolers filled with ice, set next to hay bales in the garage
✓ Potluck meal with fried chicken, macaroni & cheese, several pasta salads, green salads, fruit platters, chips & dip, cookies, bars, and other desserts (I brought sourdough rolls, not knowing this was an event involving food, so it was a lucky guess!)
✓ Wiffleball game in one of their fields as the sun was coming nearer the horizon

Today is a national holiday, but not at the university. While Eric was up at work, I rounded up the children for an hour of weeding and landscaping. They were remarkably good-spirited and got tons of work done. Dio mostly did the trimmer and blower. Ivy and Inga shoveled mulch into the wheelbarrow. Zari weeded and spread mulch.

Inga and Ivy went to a soccer practice out of town this evening. I headed out on a walk with Dio and Zari just as they were pulling back into the driveway. They're so much fun to hang out with. I feel like a tiny teeny little person next to Dio (and I'm not short!).

Read more ...

This morning started with sleeping in until almost 8:30! It felt amazing because I have been sleeping poorly this week. I made a big pancake breakfast for the sleepover crowd. They all left by late morning.

We had a Freeze Family yardwork day after lunch. We got about an hour of work out of the kids before they petered out. I stayed and, with the help of someone I'm paying, we got a massive amount of weeding and cleanup done. I finished when Zari called me in for dinner.

We watched Vesper, a post-apocalypic movie that was interesting and a bit weird. Eric and I went on a walk this evening, appreciating the cooler weather.

Read more ...

Sleepover

Ivy and Inga invited 3 friends over for a sleepover and the house is loud and crazy. We had dinner and then went to the university track to play. There were thunderstorms rumbling on the horizon, but no rain. Eric made a big batch of crepes when we got back.

They had plans to watch Coraline, but they got distracted playing a whole-house game of hide and seek. And then, once it was dark, the storm arrived. We headed out to the front porch to watch the rain and lightning. The girls ran around in the rain and waved at cars passing by.

We'll make a big pancake breakfast in the morning (we = me) and put the movie on afterward.

It was so hot today that all soccer practices were cancelled, with the exception of Zari's 6:30 am practice.

After the sleepover horde went back inside, Zari and I stayed on the front porch and talked, mostly about relationships and how she overthinks them. Mostly I just listened because honestly, what do I know? But I reminded her that she should just enjoy the moment and not worry about what a relationship may or may not turn into in the future. That will sort itself out.

Read more ...

Too much Zoom

I had 6+ hours of Zoom meetings today! The last one ended at 10 pm. One was with two DNP students at the University of Seattle. One was to record our next video analysis. And one was a Board meeting.

The heat wave is getting better but it was still a high of 90 today and humid enough that some soccer practices were cancelled and games rescheduled later in the evening. By Saturday we should be over it. I have a morning walking group twice per week and today was super hot by the end of our hour walk!

Dio had a home game this evening, winning 2-1. He played very well, according to Eric. He brought Inga and Ivy and they played pickup soccer with a group of boys. Meanwhile I sat on a chair in front of a computer on a Zoom meeting.

I found sourdough starter in our deep freeze two days ago. I've been reviving it and it was good enough to make a batch of sourdough bread this morning! It was my fasting day so I will get to eat the bread tomorrow.

Read more ...

Soccer, quizzes, books

Half of our family was gone until 10:20 pm! Zari came home at 10 pm from her away soccer game, and then I had to go to the high school and pick her up. (I was supposed to go at 9:30 and totally forgot...oops...but it worked out ok). Inga and Eric had just pulled in when we came home. Dio's soccer practice ended at 8 and Ivy came home right before I had to pick him up. Such is life chez les Freezes.

I had a super productive work day, putting together an interactive online quiz that goes along with our breech birth video analysis (volume 3). I picked and edited 19 videos, cutting them into short excerpts, fast-forwarding parts and putting others in slow-motion, then worked on integrating each excerpt with a quiz question and discussion point.

We're filming the video analysis tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow...I have something like 6 hours of Zoom meetings! Aie!

Also 10 boxes of books arrived on my porch today. I'm teaching a group of 100-150 Amish midwives next week in Missouri and thought I'd bring a pile of books to sell.

Zari came home elated from her game; she played the best and hardest ever and scored 1 goal, assisted another, and had many shots on goal that were blocked. Her team won 5-0. I'm so proud that it "clicked" and she really notched up her effort.

We're past the peak of the heat wave. We were supposed to get thunderstorms today but I saw no trace of one anywhere! We need the rain.

Read more ...

Blast from the past--Zari's debut in Grazia

I had an hour-long interview today with journalist Clare Wiley about my experience having an unassisted birth with Zari. As I was gathering my thoughts, I remembered that our story had been featured in Grazia magazine when Zari was still a baby. (What is Grazia? Imagine People magazine + Vogue had a baby in the UK).

I found the magazine tucked away in a drawer underneath batteries and contact paper. I thought I had shown it to the kids, but none of them knew about it! So we had fun looking through the story and seeing me and Zari juxtaposed with pictures of Paris Hilton and Victoria Beckham 🙂 Such a fancy life we lead!

The story is written in first person, but they are not my words. I had a very long interview with the author, and she then chose how to put my story together as if I were the one telling it.

On to other news: by a miracle of a heat wave (96°F or 35.5°C), all four children came home after school! All games and practices were cancelled. We ate dinner together and then went to the indoor track at the university. We picked up one of Inga's friends (also a soccer player). I mostly walked around the track while the others had a 3-v-3 game.

Read more ...

Too much

I have missed very few days of journaling since the start of the pandemic in 2020...until now. I really want to put my foot down for next year and say, "No more."

Driving Inga 3x a week to extra club practices (2.5 hrs round-trip), Ivy going 2x a week to her extra club practices (almost 2 hrs round trip, fortunately she can carpool), plus 6 sets of soccer games between 4 kids. We hardly ever see each other because the kids don't even get home from normal soccer practice until 6 or 6:30 and then Inga and Ivy are getting home at 9 pm or 10:30 pm.

I've told Eric many times that I thought it was too much and I still feel that way. It's ok say to say no to things, even if they are individually good opportunities.

Read more ...

SAT, sleepover, live music & food festival

We had an early start for Zari's SAT test, leaving at 7 am and getting back before noon. I went grocery shopping, bought a journal at a book store, and stopped by a thrift store near the testing site.

I left Dio and Ivy with instructions to do some chores once they woke up.

I got home just in time for a breech live session--amazing and informative, as usual. Then it was time for Ivy's friend to come over. We're having a heat wave, so it was hard to get Zari and Dio out. But Ivy and her friend played in a sprinkler and had a great time. It wasn't too bad sitting in the shade. I read a book and enjoyed the live music from the food festival across the street.

After dinner, we watched a movie of Ivy's choice: Legally Blonde. It's still so fun many years later. Then we went outside for a bonfire and Smores. Music still going strong, cicadas whirring, streetlights coming on.

Inga's first game they were up 2-0 but in the last 3 minutes, the other team scored twice! They won their second game 8-0 with Inga scoring 2 goals.

Read more ...

Chicago tournament, SATs

Eric and Inga left this evening for a weekend-long tournament in Chicago. And Zari takes her SATs tomorrow!

We had a rare afternoon with 3 of the 4 children coming home after school instead of staying for soccer practice. I had them all help me with some gardening and yardwork tasks. There was a bit of grumbling but they still did it.

Then we watched a movie: for lack of anything else available, we tried out Sharknado. It was terrible, just as expected. Zari couldn't stand to watch it. The funniest part was listening to Dio narrate the plot to Zari afterwards. "And then the shark, that swallowed a woman who mid-air when trying to bite a helicopter, landed on top of a man holding a chainsaw, and then he somehow sawed through the inside of the shark and came out the other end, but also he didn't saw through the woman who was inside the shark, and then he pulled her out and she was still alive."

Read more ...

I started the day with a run (1 mile each way) to the university gym, 10 minutes of rowing, and weight lifting. Then lots of sitting for most of the day!

I did take a late afternoon gardening break because I needed to be outside after all that computer work. I pulled hundreds of thistles, which have invaded a few areas of the landscaping. I'm going to also have to spray them every few weeks as they start to sprout again, because the smallest bit of root left in the ground allows them to regrow. What a pain.

Another late night for Inga; she and Eric got back at 10:30 pm from her soccer practice! I will be driving her tomorrow night for the same practice, since Eric wants to see Dio's home game.

Read more ...

Soccer season is in full swing. Zari and Dio both had games today (in different locations, one an hour away). I drove Inga to her practice yesterday, a bit over 1 hour drive each way. On the up side, there is an Aldi nearby so I did grocery shopping during her practice.

I've been doing massive amounts of video editing. I've received an influx of breech birth videos lately, which is great both for general educational uses and also for our video analysis project. I saw Zari's soccer picture up on the high school field.

The weather has been amazing lately: lows in the high 50s, highs in the low 70s. I even had to wear a light jacket when I went walking this morning!

Read more ...

Soccer and swimming and soccer (movie)

Dio had a tournament this morning at the high school; they won both games. While he and Eric were gone, I weeded and mulched. I WILL beat this yard back into submission!

We had a birthday party / pool party for the whole family after lunch. Ivy and Inga swam nearly nonstop for 3+ hours! I put my feet in but couldn't muster the drive to get wet. At one point I had a cat nap in a lounge chair.

Zari drove a few times today, once out in the country and once around town running errands.

We watched an old Will Ferrel soccer movie. I'm not even sure of the title. (Just looked it up: Kicking & Screaming). It wasn't that great but it was nice to sit and relax together.

I need to put some beans on to soak. Then bedtime.

Read more ...

Chauffeur

Due to thunderstorms and downpours and 6:30 am soccer practice, I drove Zari and Dio to and from school today. Because of their different start times, I made 5 trips! So very American.

We are undergoing our decontamination tonight--showers for the sweaty soccer-playing kids, then NIX cream, complete with totally washed bedding and all clothes going through the wash. Yay us.

I have a dermatologist cousin and, at my mom's prompting, I sent him an email. Nothing like saying, "Hey, we haven't talked for years, so how about I tell you all about my weird skin rash?" He said, "I love weird skin rashes! Tell me all about it."

He's leaning towards some other type of bug bite but said it wouldn't hurt to treat for scabies since we have the cream.

Amazingly, we were all home for dinner tonight. Most weeknights that isn't the case due to soccer (also so very American--everyone running everywhere and rarely sitting down together for dinner). It was so fun to just be together and joke around. We watched "A Man Called Otto," which definitely was not a comedy as advertised!

I 100% get engineers and their need for order in the universe. (My dad is one, my grandpa is one, and in another life maybe I would have been one. As it is, I do plenty of on-the-fly engineering between my renovating and my breech work, like designing and building the foldable simulator frame with my dad, or the giant pelvis.)

I took Zari driving today. It was her first time driving outside of a parking lot in the US! We went far out on a country road and I think she's much more comfortable now. She even went--gasp--55 mph! I hate to admit it, but it is so much easier for her to learn on an electric car, compared to our 5-speed manual transmission Mazda 5. This new (used) car has 1-pedal driving, which means you basically never need to use the brake pedal except for emergencies. It's a bit weird for me but more intuitive for new drivers.

Read more ...

The pestilence is upon us

Before I left for the conference in KY, I noticed 1 or 2 small itchy bumps on my hips and thought nothing more of it. By time I got home 5 days later, I had about 15-20 bumps on my waist/hips/butt and several on both ankles. Now the 3 girls have also presented with the same bumps in the same locations: waist/hips and ankles. They're not mosquito bites--they are a bit more hard and raised and poison ivy level itchy.

I went to the doctor 2 days ago and she was flummoxed. One possibility is that it's scabies. (I had to look it up.) Although none of us have the classic tunneling, the fact that 4 of us have the same spots in the same parts of the body is suspicious. However, the doctor doesn't have the equipment to test for it so it's just a guessing game. We're going to treat the whole family with NIX cream, wash all clothes and bedding, and see if it goes away. Another option is taking ivermectin rather than using the cream. Double yay.

Otherwise the doctor is stumped. She suggested going to a dermatologist, but it would take 4-6 weeks for an appointment and it would only be a nurse practitioner or PA (nothing against them, but for something as weird as this, I'd prefer to see a specialist).

So yeah, on top of everything else going on, we have The Pestilence chez les Freezes. Yay.

Read more ...

Life keeps speeding by. I'm back from the conference as of Monday late afternoon (Aug 12). Yesterday was busy--I was finishing up the Italian translation of Breech Pro (huge project!). We had a dinner picnic at the President's house. Bonus for not needing to cook dinner!

I got the translation finalized and published this morning, leading to some celebratory weeding and gardening. I needed a break from computer work.

I got to drive our new car (used Tesla model Y, 7-seater) for the first time today. I'm amazed I figured it out because most of the controls and buttons are missing! You have to find them on the dashboard screen. It's weird not needing to use the break pedal basically ever. As soon as you take your foot off the accelerator, the car slows down and brakes. Something to do with energy capture.

Eric and Inga are off at her 3x weekly practice north of Indianapolis. Ivy also has 3x weekly practices near Indy. Plus all the kids have their usual 5x weekly school soccer. Phew. So much soccer. Plus Eric is helping coach middle school soccer.

I had to run a quick errand to Home Depot and came home with 2 flats of perennials. This is not my first flower purchase since I've been here. It's going to be so pretty out front!

Read more ...

Feeling better

I've been feeling progressingly better throughout the day, thank goodness. I was able to attend all of the conference sessions, do a simulator session, and hang out in the hot tub with a group of attendees after the final dinner.

It's been a long weekend filled with laughter and sharing hard stories and hugging and crying and feeling nurtured.

Morning simulations tomorrow and then a 2.5 hour drive HOME!!

Read more ...

Sick and tired (at, not of!) the conference

I was feeling a bit icky last night but figured it was due to conferencing for 13+ hours. But no...this morning I woke up quite sick: fever, body ache, headache, sore throat. I made it to a morning session that I really didn't want to miss. Then Dr. Stu and I worked on revising a draft of our paper (comments from peer reviewers).

I had lunch and of course got loved on by all of the amazing midwives. They supplied me with all sorts of remedies (Vitamin C, beet extract, goldenseal...). It's the best possible place to fall ill, although a very inconvenient time.

I took it easy in the afternoon, doing a bit of computer work and going outside to get some much-needed sun and fresh air. Once I felt like I was starting to burn, I headed back inside to lie down and read.

After dinner, I went to the hot tub and soaked for a while. Several of the midwife organizers and attendees joined, so I got to hear lots of birth stories and other midwife shop-talk. This is where I feel most at home. Definitely my tribe.

We had a previously scheduled Zoom live session, so I invited the conference attendees to join us up on the rooftop. We had a nice crowd gathered around the laptop, including many of the conference speakers and presenters (Gail Tully, Nicole Morales, Betty-Anne Daviss, Denny Hartung, etc). Despite feeling ill, I was so energized and excited to be in this amazing group discussing one very difficult sacrum posterior breech birth and one lovely spontaeous unassisted sacrum posterior breech.

I had a lovely moment today while we were watching traditional Mexican midwife Dona Lina demonstrate her rebozo techniques. We were all crowded around the stage, sitting on the floor. I must have done something to stretch my neck and back, because someone sititing behind me starting giving me a lovely massage. I finally looked behind me--it was Betty-Anne! And then Carol Gautschi sitting next to me gave me a lovely arm rub. I felt so nurtured by these wise women.

I managed to take a picture today! The first once since the conference began.

Read more ...

All conferenced out!

I left the last session a bit early (well, technically an hour late as it went overtime) because by 9:30 pm, I was just wiped out. We've been conferenceing since 8 am with no downtime. Today was my busy day, between 1.25 hours of video analysis, then almost 2 hours of simulations, then another hour of extra video analysis just for fun.

I ran up to the hot tub before it closed. Ahhhh...I really wanted to exercise but it's hard for me to do that late at night. I am a "first thing or it doesn't get done" kind of person.

I've sent off invitations for tomorrow's breech live session and now I'm going to do one of my favorite things in the world: like down and read until I fall asleep (which will not take long).

Read more ...

I made it to the Born Free Twins-Breech Conference in Louisville, KY! Super exhausted. My presentation is tomorrow morning and I think it's ready, finally. I know I won't have time to get through all of the videos. Maybe I can continue via an optional video analysis during one of the breaks...those who are very interested can stay to watch a few more.

Once my presentation is done, I can kick back and enjoy.

Once again, the conference rooms are so cold that I've had to put on long pants and wrap up in my rebozo. And I'm still cold! My hotel room was set at 69 F (20.5 C) when I came in. That's colder than I tend to keep my house in the winter. What a waste of energy. I don't need to live in a fridge. I HATE being too cold in the summer!

Read more ...

First day of school

It's weird having an empty, quiet house. We're used to kids coming home for 2-hour lunches and, the older kids, coming home at various times throughout the mornings and afternoons.

Zari and Dio had after school practice, but Inga and Ivy's doesn't start for another week or so. Then Inga had her far-away practice (1 hr 15 min drive each way).

We've very reluctantly decided to buy a second car in order to get children to their various practices and tournaments. We just can't figure out a way to do it with one car. Ugh. It will be a used electric car, so at least we will save on gas.

I'm heading to the Twins-Breech Conference in Louisville, KY tomorrow! I've been busy prepping my presentation materials. 150 signs later, I think I'm ready.

Read more ...

Lumberjacking and whirlwinds

The pace of life has picked up significantly, and school hasn't even started yet! (It does tomorrow)

We've had to cut down 8 trees, one of which is an enormous pin oak, probably 5-6 feet in diameter. We had some very sad children. However, watching the lumberjacking over the past 2 days was quite fun. I have lots of videos but no time to put them together into a montage tonight.

We're trying to figure out how to get all of the children to their various soccer practices--some are on 2 different teams and some of those teams are as much as 75 minutes away in different directions. We're not sure we can do it with one car. I am so frustrated because having two cars is just so wasteful and antithetical to the way we've been trying to live. It's not sure...but we're starting to look at used electric vehicles.

I'm going to a big twins-breech conference in Louisville in a few days. I've been prepping some fun props for my video analysis presentation. It's a new idea but it should be fun and interactive. I also sewed two sets of stirrups for the Sophie and Her Mum simulators.

Zari doesn't need to take any more classes to graduate. However, she has to be enrolled in at least 5 classes to play soccer! She may be able to audit some university classes in lieu of high school classes; we've got to look into that more. But at least she has several fun electives.

I met with a potential person to help out with yardwork. I could do it (and have been doing it) but there's just such a massive amount and I need to prioritize my time. He used to run a landscaping service so he knows his way around plants. It's funny that I feel like I need to apologize to the interwebs for possibly hiring out a task! I think it's the thrify, I-can-do-that-myself ethic I was raised with.

Read more ...

Family lessons, frisbee, swimming, Sherlock

Eric is still really sick, so he and the kids stayed home. We had an impromptu family gathering where I showed the kids a Ted talk on empathy, Eric shared some spiritual thoughts, and the kids (well, only Ivy had prepared anything) shared anything they wanted to. Ivy's lesson was on how to argue less.

Ivy was also the only one up for playing Ultimate Frisbee with friends this afternoon. Then all of us but Eric joined them afterwards to swim in their pool! These are the friends who worldschooled last year and stayed in Le Chateau for almost a month.

After dinner, we watched a riveting episode of Sherlock that ended in a cliffhanger. Despite begging to see the next episode, we said no. It was time for bed. Dio has a 7 am soccer practice so we all needed to get to sleep on time.

Read more ...

Review of the past several days

What a tornado of airplanes and border crossings and illnesses the past few days! We're back in the US as of about 44 hours ago. Very quick summary of what we've been up to...

Tuesday July 30
Our last full day in Wales. We visited Caernarfon Castle (10/10, immense and you could wander various corridors and turrets for hours and still not have gone everywhere). After lunch we went to the nearby beach. Eric took a group (including Zari, Dio, and Inga) to a faraway little hidden cove another mile+ down the coast, and eventually they called and asked the rest of us to come (including me and Ivy). They were catching spider crabs and said it was amazing. We made the long trek over there and then decided to swim--why not? Inga caught a big crab and was so proud of herself that she caught dinner. Then Eric caught a few more, including one even bigger. Eric convinceed Inga to put hers back and then as he was going to kill his crab, he looked and discovered it was a female full of eggs. So he put it back instead, leading to a crying Inga because she really wanted to eat her crab! It took a long time to console her. And then a very long walk back home.

Wed July 31
We got up very early, drove 2+ hrs to Liverpool, had a flight that was delayed 2 hours, arrived in Nice, hurried to the post office with 4 minutes to spare to pick up 250 kg of books (10 boxes of 25 kg each) and transport them home (the mail carrier refused to deliver them because they were "too heavy" even though we had paid for door-to-door delivery). Then we had to pack, wrap, and label 77 books that evening. I started coming down with a fever around 7 pm, right when the rest of the family left for the Canadian women's Olympic soccer game (I had to stay home to get hte books done). I finished at midnight, right when they arrived home

Thurs Aug 1
We were up at a good hour, in time to carry all 77 books to the post office. The man at the counter made several remarks about how one customer was taking up so much of his time. Well, yes, that IS your job, you know! It's not like we sign an agreement that we will only ship one package or one piece of mail at a time. We got all the books mailed and were on our way to the airport by 10 am.

We were super lucky and only had 2 flights to get back to the US, rather than our usual 3. Direct from Nice to Philadelphia! I was super super sick all day, fever, chills, body aches, sore throat, the works.

We got stuck in a special screening at customs due to having a few pieces of fruit that the kids hadn't finished eating. But we still made it to our next flight. We finally arrived home close to midnight (6 am to our bodies). Everyone collapsed into bed but of course I couldn't get to sleep for a while and slept fitfully and woke up early. It's my curse when I'm sick. Eric, on the other hand, goes into a sleep coma when he is sick.

Fri Aug 2
Unpacking, opening 7 months of mail, looking with horror at 7 months of weeds, pulling weeds despite my best intentions not to (and still feeling very sick...but I just couldn't resist), buying groceries, buying and planting some herbs and perennials (what can I say...they were so pretty!), watching Sherlock. Eric started feeling sick this evening.

Sat Aug 3
I slept ok but not great, was up too early again. Ah well. Did more weeding, unpacked more stuff, ran some errands, bought more plants, went to the thrift store and farmer's market with Ivy and Inga. I still feel pretty terrible and now Eric is super sick. He's already in bed (see: sleep coma, above). Kids are playing games or something downstairs with instructions to go to bed at some point. I made fresh pesto with basil that I bought and planted yesterday.

Read more ...

Wales, day 4

We visited several family-related sites today, starting in Abersoch, where Eric's grandma was born and lived until she emigrated to Canada when she was 4. We found her home and the current tenants were super friendly and let us come and take pictures in the backyard (which is actually where the front entrance is).

We then wandered through town and down to the beach, over a long stretch of rocks and hidden inlets, and back over to the main beach. There are rows of beach huts which apparently sell for something ridiculous like 200,000 GBP even though they can only be used during the day and not for habitation or sleeping.

Next, we drove to a church in a village 1 1/2 miles away, Llanengan, where Eric's great-great-great? grandfather was the choir director for many years. We picked up the key to the church at a nearby inn and enjoyed having the church all to ourselves. Eric's mom organized a Freeze Family Choir, several songs with everyone and one with just the Freeze siblings. "I know where I get my choir directing genes from!" she said.

There were wool blankets folded on every pew, likely from local sheep. A nice touch for what is probably a very cold church during the winter.

We also found several ancestor's grave stones in that church yard. We had a picnic lunch in the shade of a big yew tree, sitting right next to a line of gravestones.

Inside the red telephone box, we discovered a little free library. Inga took home a Stephen King book. I discovered a hilarous book called "Fifty Sheds of Gray" which Zari almost took with her. Just like it sounds: black & white photos of sheds interspersed with funny text, such as, "You never forget your first shed."

We also drove past a few more acestral homes in Llanengan.

We headed home, ready for rest and/or play. The kids all hopped straight into the pool and played for 2 hours! I read a book and supervised. 

Eric got bored and finally went to the nearby beach and discovered some great areas for snorkeling. He even caught a large spider crab but let it go because he wasn't sure if it was off season to catch.

I made a stuffed roast chicken and roast broccoli for dinner.

We had a quick but energetic game of Capture The Flag after dinner, then ice cream for all the kids.

We finished the evening with a walk to the beach (adults). Most of the kids are in another cottage socializing.

Read more ...

Wales, day 3

We all headed out at 9:30 am towards Aberdaron. The drive there was...hair-raising. The roads became progressively narrower until we were on a tiny single-lane road, sunken deep in the ground between earth banks and hedgerows. One late, but two-way traffic = children who are worried we'll crash into an incoming car. "Papa, slow down!"

"Ca va," he would always reply.

(We did not crash into anyone, although we had some close brushes with the bushes along the side of the road.)

We pulled into Aberdaron two minutes before the church service started. It was a big event: a visitation by the Archbishop, which apparently hasn't happened for a long time. It was a bilingual service in Welsh and English. Very interesting! And the Archbishop's sermon was quite entertaining and engaging.

We stayed afterwards to chat, eat lunch, and get access to the parish records. Eric's great-grandfather is buried in that churchyard, and with some assistance we were able to find the headstone.

Some very nice church ladies stopped to chat with us, and we got invited to come back tomorrow evening for a sing-along. "We only have 3 people right now so you'd be a welcome addition!" It would be fun, but I suspect we'll be too tired to make a 1.5 hour round-trip drive just for some singing.

Next, we took another "interesting" drive up to Mynydd Mawr, an old coastguard lookout point on the westernmost tip of Northern Wales. Such a gorgeous area.

We were blessed with another day of full sun and warm temperatures (for Wales). Many of us came away quite sunburned by the end of the day.

Our last stop was Traeth Porthor or Whistling Sands Beach, where the sand indeed whistles when you step on it the right way. I didn't have the courage to swim, but Eric, Ivy, and Dio all jumped in. Eric said the size and number of fish were incredible, and he wished he had his spearfishing equipment (he only had room for a mask & snorkel).

We drove home in the late afternoon, very hungry. By time dinner was done the hunger had gone up to ravenous! We had some leftover mushroom ravioli, plus an Asian vegetable stir-fry and barbequed spareribs.

A few of Eric's family put on a family history lesson in the evening, going back about 5 generations through the families that all lived in this small area in Wales. Eric's grandmother emigrated to Canada when she was 4 years old in 1924. Now his immediate family is scattered all oll over the US, Canada, and EU.

Ivy is in bed now, and the other kids are watching one of the women's Olympic soccer games. I'm exhausted so I'm going to read a little bit and then get to bed.

Read more ...