Sawyer Thomas Lake

After nine long months of waiting and wishing, Sawyer Thomas Lake joined us on April 16th at 6:21pm. What a magical moment it was when we could hear him cry. We've been having lots of fun since then, too. I stopped working on April 10th as he was expected to arrive on the 21st. Mom arrived on the 14th. I kept saying that I didn't want him to be born on my birthday as I wanted him to have his own special day all to himself. So, as we were returning home after my birthday party at Peter's folks place, I said to Mom "Okay, my birthday is over, the baby can be born any time..." Sure enough, I started having labor pains at about 10:30pm. I woke Peter up at 12:01am to inform him that the party had started. He immediately started making sub plans on his laptop as I paced the floor and panted. After a while, I took a shower. That didn't make the pain subside at all but it at least distracted me for a spell. By 3:30, when the contractions were coming at smaller intervals, we called our doctor. Robin told us to head over to the hospital and we followed suit. I was relieved to be there for baby and for me. We let Mom know that we were off and that Susan would come to pick her up in a bit to bring her to the hospital. She couldn't go back to sleep obviously, so, she waited patiently for dawn to come. Molleman was sleeping in our den as there had been a soccer game that evening. It was a busy evening to say the least.
It didn't take me long to demand an epidural. The pain of labor is second to none and I was convinced that they wouldn't have invented drugs like that unless they were safe and for use! After what seemed like an eternity, the anesthesiologist arrived and after he worked his magic, I professed my undying love for him. I think that I said something along the lines of "I love you, not like I love my husband, but I love you." Not sure of his response. I'm sure he gets that all the time from extremely uncomfortable, scantily clad, sweaty laboring ladies all the time.
Our sweet and supportive nurse kept assuring us that we'd have this baby and be able to go for a late lunch on Oak Street. However, that wasn't to be. After fully dilating and a few hours of pushing, the baby wasn't making any downward progress and his heartbeat was dipping more often when I was pushing. So, finally, Dr. Adsit came and deemed it time for a c-section. At that point, I just wanted him to be born. So, off we went. When we got to the surgery room, after dodging much construction debris, the anesthesiologist was there again. What a great guy! In all honesty, he was very thorough at discussing the method to his lovely madness and I felt no pain as the baby was born. As I said, at 6:21, he was born and Peter and I were just overcome with emotion and joy. Sadly, I had to rest in recovery for an hour or so. Peter took Sawyer up to the nursery where he promptly began sucking his thumb - Sawyer, not Peter.
We were able to come home on Monday and while that was a bit overwhelming, with the support of both our families, we survived with flying colors. Sawyer is growing and thriving and we are just marveling at his presence in our lives each moment. What an amazing joy it is to be a parent. We feel so lucky and blessed.

New Additions...

The last time I wrote, it was our first wedding anniversary. It was a sweet day full of memories and reflections. At the time that I wrote the last post, I had no idea that later that day, we would welcome our greatest gift. We found out that evening that we were going to be parents! What a year!!
Obviously, we waited and hoped for the appropriate amount of time before we began to slowly spill the beans. It was hard not to sing with excitement from the rooftops. We were beside ourselves with joy. I will always remember that moment. It was sweet and pure. We shed some tears and shared some hugs of thanksgiving, joy and promise. Then, we went out for dinner and I could hardly eat my food. Gotta love the nausea that comes along with carrying a baby in the womb!
So far, I haven't had much "morning" (all-the-time) sickness which is a blessing. Despite a nagging cold thanks to the amount of snot that is circulating my classroom, I've been feeling great. It is such an amazing and miraculous thing to be pregnant. It didn't hit me truly until we had our first ultrasound last month. I just felt bloated and tired. Those symptoms could be explained by a number of ailments - like Kindergarten Teacher. However, when we saw the little one moving around in there on the grainy screen, I knew bloated was too easy a diagnosis. There he/she was cruising around and stretching out. It brought tears to our eyes. I feel so honored to be this baby's parent and I haven't even met him/her. She/he is a miracle that we are thankful for every second. And I can't wait until I can - with relative certainty - use one pronoun when discussing our child!
As this is my first child, I am sometimes wracked with fear and uncertainty. Like - what have we done? How will I know what to do? Isn't the whole labor thing going to be really painful? Can I handle it? Am I getting enough sleep? Am I eating too much or too little or the wrong things? It's a lot of responsibility and he/she isn't even in our hot little hands yet. But, as my first doctor said "Women have been having babies since the beginning of time." Her declaration didn't really help me in my first visit but I can see her wisdom now. As an aside, she's no longer my doctor because she'll be on sabbatical from Jan - June and we're due on April 21st. Additionally, the above comment didn't really earn her any points to be sure.
Right now, we're just waiting and watching my belly expand daily. That's amazing in and of itself. We've been touched by all the well wishes we've received from around the world. We feel well supported in this new adventure. Thanks to all. We'll keep you updated.
xo,
k

celebrations and reflections

Peter and I are celebrating our first wedding anniversary today. That old adage about time flying and fun is truly appropriate here. It feels a long time ago that we were waking up on our wedding day but really it was only a year ago. Maybe it feels like a long time ago because this year has been jam packed full of adventures. It has been an amazing year.

This weekend we went backpacking in the Wallowa Mountains of Eastern Oregon to celebrate our first year together as a married couple. It was challenging, beautiful, peaceful, fun, overwhelming and hot - all at the same time. Kind of like our first year together. As we were hiking, I spent a lot of time thinking - the two activities fit nicely on backpacking trips!

We were off and running following our perfect ceremony last August 18th. First to Baja in Blanca the White VW Bus. Then the string of countries, cultures, and languages fanned out before us - Bali, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Peru and Costa Rica. At times, I find myself feeling like it was someone else who traveled and explored - appreciated and questioned. Alas, it was us - together - on an adventure of ups and downs that will serve as a primary building block for our shared memory and growing relationship.

Along the way of our epic journey last year - both physically and emotionally - there were many times when we were pleased, humbled and overjoyed by an experience, an encounter or a view. It would be silly to try to enumerate them here. Suffice to say, we encountered endless joy and extreme gratefulness daily as we navigated our way through the world. We shared our thoughts on these experiences and marveled at the beauty of our vista. At the same time, there were times of despair, frustration, and stress that put us through our paces as individuals and as a couple. One more memorable example comes to mind as we were trying to get the hell out of Peru without the requisite Yellow Fever Shot. Maybe I can remember the bad because they were so few and far between and the great is just the baseline of our life. At the risk of sounding cliche, despite the downs, the ups were more memorable, meaningful and frequent. Often, folks comment that we must really be a strong entity because we were able to travel together for so long and so far. In reality, we just really enjoy each others company and we could be pretty much anywhere and be happy - even crying for mercy from the Bali Belly demons on the sticky tile of our hotel floor - as long as we're together.

As we look ahead to another year, I'm sure the adventures won't take us as far from home, but our journey will continue with challenge, love and support uncovered and practiced in this first year.

Many thanks to all of you reading that were with us in person or in spirit on our wedding day last year. You, too, were a large part of our first year - and will be present in all the ones to come.

Summer

It is June 3rd here in the Hood and summer is no where to be found! It has been cold and dreary since we got back from Vermont here in Oregon. For example, yesterday I didn't even warm up after taking a severely hot shower. I'm seriously jonesing for sun, light and warmth. As far as the forecast goes, there shouldn't be warmer weather all week and we're not scheduled for dry days for a while, too. UGH!

We had a SUPER visit with my family in Vermont and Massachusetts recently, in warmer, happier news. It was such a great time to see everyone - friends and family - and to celebrate Patrick's graduation from BC Law School. The weather was beautiful for the ceremony and despite the self-absorbed rantings of the US Attorney General, it was a joyous day. We were psyched that Nicki, Patrick and Tara followed us back to Vermont for the long weekend. We enjoyed fantastic meals, good laughs and Wii games. It was quite strange to see the "for sale" sign in front of my folks' house, but, it also marks and exciting transition for them. They will hopefully sell their home in South Burlington this summer and find a house on the Cape.

As far as life in Oregon goes, Peter has been doing some work with a friend and I've been waiting tables. I got a new job teaching Kindergarten at Mid Valley School in Odell, OR. It is a whopping 14 minutes from our house! I am so excited to have a commute-free life! It will be a first for me. And the school seems very community based with is perfect for me. I am really excited for the challenge of teaching in Spainsh, too. Peter will return to his job as 1/2 Teacher at the Mosier School in September, as well.

That's all from here. Hope to hear from any and all of you soon!

k

Lessons Learned?

Before we started our long journey last fall, I thought that the trip would change us in concrete and obvious ways. Besides my new, throwback nose stud and the revival of Peter’s short haircut, I am still searching. Often when I look in the mirror, I look for something subtle that I didn’t notice when we first returned. Especially around the eyes - a knowing glance or extra-wise wrinkles at the corners - so far, nothing. I was sure we approached this trip with the requisite openness to invite some changes and some revelations. I entertained the idea that we would be let in on some ancient, heavily guarded secret that would guide our lives. I figured we would return home with the aloof-sagey quality that you notice in folks who travel a lot. You know, the ones who have magnificent stories to tell regardless of the topic of conversation. They seamlessly weave worldly stories into any conversational topic. The ones who often remark “Oh, was that when we were in the small village in Madagascar or on the shores of the wild Urubumba River?” right before they look off into the empty air just above your head as if they are replaying a faraway scene, searching for details. This activity usually adds to the allure of the traveled one. Who wouldn’t want to be able to recount stories of far-reaching places and curious faces? It’s so romantic and mysterious. Were we overcome by the prospect of becoming part of the Traveling All-Star Team? Did we want to travel so that we could contribute to any conversation with the confidence of someone who has seen a thing or two in this wide world? I don’t think so. We hold a genuine curiosity about the world and the stars aligned so we were permitted to pursue that wonder. So, we did. At this point, and I am sure this will change as the experiences marinate in my heart and mind in the years to come, I don’t see the concrete changes that I anticipated. I entered this journey with the openness and humility you hope for in travelers. Sometimes, I was wracked with the overwhelming need for familiarity, sad self-doubt, and unfounded fear. At the same time, I experienced supreme joy, ultimate wonder and fleeting moments of deep peace. However, trying to put those feelings into words or reducing them to the mundane vignettes, seems both impossible and criminal at the same time. Travel affected me in such subtle ways that I can’t recognize them even if I squint hard right now. Sure, if you look at our repertoire of countries visited, we certainly made the Traveling All-Star Team. We might even be the captains. But, I don’t feel like much of an expert as I endeavor to uncover the meaning of the experiences in our lives today. Maybe I’m looking too hard. Maybe if I just carry on, the teachings of our journey will reveal themselves in subtle albeit endlessly meaningful ways each day. As Marge Piercy so deftly describes:

for every gardener knows that after the digging,
after the planting,
after the long season of tending and growth,
the harvest comes.

Home Sweet Home

Greetings from the cold, but, beautiful Pacific Northwest!

We are home sweet home in Hood River! We arrived late Wednesday evening from Costa Rica. Needless to say, we were hoping for a bit warmer weather to ease our way back into the Northern Hemisphere. However, we got a really warm welcome from Peter's sister and her family! It was fantastic to be hanging out in familiar places surrounded by familiar faces. We had a nice lunch with Peter's grandma, Lilian, as well. As we drove home on Friday mid-day, we were so happy to be making the drive. It was gorgeous. Lots of snow on the hills along the Gorge, some sun peeking out, and misty clouds hanging low along the dark river. It says a lot when you are astounded by the beauty of your home after traveling to many breathtaking sites around the globe. We are really lucky to live in such a special place. I think we had a more emotional homecoming this time because we really wanted to return and it has been at the forefront of our thoughts lately. Relief, comfort, peace and joy abounded as we returned to beautiful Hood River. The dogs were excited to see us - Hazel was doing here usual happy whining performance when we arrived and Daisy's tail was having an otherworldly experience as it seemed to wag independent of her body! Equally, our intrepid, brave, good natured and spunky house/dog sitter, Katie, retains a smile on her face and she hasn't lost an inch of her hopeful outlook about the four-legged race. In fact, our "special" pooches have inspired her to get her own puppy and she is checking out a litter of puppies as we speak! We were so lucky to have Katie watching over things while we were gone - she is a real stand-up lady!

So, you may wonder why we left the heavenly environs of Costa Rica beaches for life in the still chilly PNW. Well, we were just ready to be home. While traveling this year has been an incredible experience, it began to lose it's luster after a bit and we longed to be in our own space again. There was not a whisper of regret or disappointment when we boarded the plane in San Jose - until we had to wait on the runway for 2 hours on a plane with no A/C! We were ready to be home. What a great way to finish our trip - happy, healthy and ready for home.

So, we are home. We had a fantastic trip that we will always hold dear. We are working on uploading photos from the last leg of the trip on Shutterfly and we will send the link along to you when it's done.

Thanks for reading and thanks for all your support over our months of fun.

We are home and we LOVE visitors - come for a visit!!! We are sure spring is just around the corner!

xo,
Kerry & Peter

Mal Pais

Hi All,

We have successfully completed our offical Spanish Language Courses. We finished on Friday with little fanfare. We had a good time at our school in Flamingo and managed to squeeze in a few days of surfing at Tamarindo Beach. We made a lot of good friends and the school was excellently run and professional. Thinking back to when we began learning spanish in January, it is hard to believe it is over! I feel really happy to have learned Spanish and I can honestly say that I can communicate pretty easily. What a great gift. Peter had a really successful time and by the end of our schooling, he had studied 12 verb tenses and he is still trying to decide if that much knowledge is power or not! We had an okay time with our host family. It certainly wasn't all warm and fuzzy but the family was nice and accomdating. The fine balance between sane and crazy tourism is not a reality here in Costa Rica - real estate, "foreigners" and development are going off a bit here, and our host mother certainly let us know how she feels about it.

We arrived in Mal Pais on the Nicoya Peninsula - just south of where we were in Flamingo on the western coast of Costa Rica - yesterday afternoon. But, it took about 4.5 hours to get here on sometimes rough roads. I wasn't quite having Baja travels flashbacks, i.e. the road to San Carlos, but it was truly bumpy at times. If you look at a map, Flamingo is just north of Mal Pais on the coast. As the crow flies, it seems pretty straightforward, but, there is no direct, coastal route. So, it was a long day in the car. However, once we set foot in the ocean, it was all worth the trip. The beach here isn't as white and clear as others we've seen, but, it is mellow and long and always seems to have a coolish breeze. We are staying at a surf camp right near the beach and it is nice. We spent most of the day lazing around the pool in the shade reading books after we went for a drenching run and Peter had a surf. The waves are a bit too much for me in the morning, but, I can see myself getting out there tomorrow afternoon when the waves are more mellow and the tide is low.

So, we were close to changing our flight to come home a bit early. We are having fun but both of us are a bit travel-weary and Costa Rica is not as cheaply priced as our previous destinations. However, it turns out paper tickets are almost impossible to change, so, oh poor us, we are planning to stay through to the 9th. We haven't really figured out what we're going to do after our ten scheduled days here are up. We may stay longer here or we may head out to see the volcanoes and rainforest. As always, I will keep you posted on our travels. The postings have been slim lately because I've not had a ton to report, but, I will do my best to keep it up.

Hope all is well and Happy St. Patrick's Day. Raise a Guiness for us since all we can get is Imperial and Bohemia - not that we are deprived at all!!

Love,
kerry and peter