Blake + Rachel

Blake and Rachel, we wish you many, many years!

This weekend we returned to Bellingham and Camp Firwood to celebrate with some of our closest friends. Blake was instrumental in getting Brian and me together and stood by our side in *both* of our weddings. Since then, he has been a constant friend -- the only non-family member to stay in all of our houses, including Beijing. We are just getting to know Rachel, but our family has already grown fond of her.

Brian was excited to give a toast to his friend. 

The quote of the night: "talked him off the monastic ledge"

I enjoyed catching up with dear friends throughout the entire weekend. 

The girls played and danced and got a first glimpse at the special place where their parents' relationship began. 

It is finished!

Extra curricular activities, including housecleaning, came to a halt recently as I frantically worked to finish my renewal entries for my National Board teaching certification. Last year was just too hard, on too many levels, to take advantage of the first opportunity to renew, so this was my only shot. The process was less rigorous that the first go-around, but now I have two kids and a more demanding job. I finished my four papers, which included videos and work samples from my teaching, with 43 minutes to spare! That sentence makes it sound too easy. To provide some perspective, my mother's day and birthday present requests were for time to write and editing services. I've skipped the girls soccer games and fallen very behind in every area of my life.

I would not have been able to finish without my dear friends and former Bellingham colleagues, Amanda and Scott. They provided valuable feedback and support from afar. But most of all I would have been lost without Brian. He put his pursuits on hold the last few weeks to help me with my writing, handle more of the parenting, and put up with my near nervous breakdown moments. His Facebook status during the thick of the editing indicates he might have been nearing a breakdown of his own. 

I won't find out if I pass until December 2015, but that's out of my hands. For now a huge weight feels lifted and I can start chipping away at all that has been postponed. 

Word of the week: Tasumi

Tasumi (noun): A long high sea wave caused by an earthquake, submarine landslide, or other disturbance 

Magnolia: Papa, are we on the highest floor? 

Brian: Yep.  

M: Good. 

B: Why “good”? 

M: Because it says if there’s a tasumi to go to the highest floors.

A few seconds later...

B: Maggie, if you were pronouncing a word wrong, would you want someone to tell you? 

M (happily): Papa, I know I’m pronouncing a word wrong. 

B (laughs): Which word? 

M: Tasuemi

Sometimes we wonder how much to correct these mistakes and how much to let them just figure things out.

Pysanky Eggs by Magnolia Rush

On Sunday, my family went to our friend Thomaida's house and we made pysanky. Pysanky are eggs that you draw on with bee's wax and then you dye them. Then you cover the parts you want to stay the dye color with more wax and you dye it a new color. When you are finished decorating, you melt off the bee's wax with a candle and wipe it with a paper towel revealing all of the colors. This is Thomaida's favorite part.  

When I had done the whole process and was melting the bee's wax off my egg, my paper towel caught on fire! Then the burning paper towel fell on my lap. Papa flinged it on to the floor and stomped the fire out. In the process, I fell backward in my chair (Ahhh!) and my second egg broke! After that some people cleaned up the yoke from the egg and the burnt paper towel. After the fire was gone and the yoke was cleaned up, I laughed for a very long time! It was crazy and everyone was talking about it for the rest of the night.

It was a fun night.  Click below to see more pictures.

Chess match: Maggie vs. Huxley

Friday, I arrive at Maggie's after-school care to be greeted by the usual disappointed "Aww (it's time to go already?)." This time she is in the middle of a chess game. We aren't in a hurry so I pull up a tiny chair to watch the future grandmasters.

It's clear that Huxley is much more experienced, reciting the finer points of pawn movement and promotion. The game draws several "experts." They spout out "one move to check!" and speak of fair trades and how many points they each had. Chess has points?!?

After a while I have flashbacks of the last time I played chess, as Huxley picks off Maggie's pieces with ease.

It was our honeymoon in Fiji. Brian was really, really into chess, but to coerce make it fair for his new bride, he would play without a rook or bishop and knight, or sometimes even his queen. In that fateful last game, I was ahead and felt like I had a shot at winning for the first time ever. Then, slowly, my pieces began to disappear and I was unable to help them. After the game, I marched to the bathroom and screamed at the top of my lungs. The soap in the shower was not spared my high-velocity wrath. Brian, my dear, sweet husband (except for his chess brutalities), fresh from our fairytale wedding, was mortified. We decided not to play chess any more.  

Seeing that same fate (okay, maybe not quite as bad) awaiting my daughter, I decide to step in and "help." I advise her to move her bishop to a spot. She trusts my advice and I say "Check." Both kids look at me strangely, incredulously. "That's not check." Still confident, I try to show them how it was indeed check. "You can only check the *king*." The piece I advised my daughter to "check" was his queen. Oops. Maggie's bishop is gone and I decide to keep my mouth shut.

Pretty soon, Huxley's dad arrives. Thankfully, he is willing to indulge their game and able to give knowledgable advice to both kids.

Maggie manages to survive and whittles Huxley down to his king and a few pawns. The two six-year-olds play a game of chase around the board. Huxley manages to take Maggie's last pawn in the process. At that point, Huxley's Dad informs them that once a player is down to one piece, the other player has 15 moves to checkmate or the game ends in a stalemate. Is that even a thing or is he just trying to end the game? 

Stalemate it is. As we walk to the car, Maggie is bashful. She wishes she could have won, has admiration for how good Huxley is, but proud of how many pieces she captured--a much better response to her game than her Mom's soap throwing.

Rain Rain Go Away

Portland is a lot soggier than I remembered. Beijing would go weeks or months at a time without precipitation.

Wet leaf collection.

Splashdown!

Brian and his brother Kevin had season's passes to Splashdown, a nearby water park, when they were growing up. In the 12 years we've been together, I've never been there, though I've heard frequently of its wonders. So when a deal came up for discounted tickets and Kevin's family was in town from Calgary, we had to go.

Click to read more

Celebrating 10 Years with Tin!

Each year Brian and I try to incorporate the traditional wedding gift into our anniversary celebration. Tin is the gift for 10 years. We brought back old memories of how we met at Camp Firwood and cooked some tin-foil dinners on the BBQ, while we house-sat for my parents. A big thanks to Auntie Alli and Uncle Taylor for taking our girls for the night!

Graaaaama and Grumpa! Rush Visit

We received our third vistors this month. Brian's parents, Clive and Carol squeezed in a very quick trip -- 5 days! -- to come see us. We were all really excited to have them here. Click below to read about their visit.

Grandma and Grandpa arriving

A Year in Unpublished Pictures - 2011: Part 2

Part 2 saw us in 5 different living locations, 4 flights, 3 states, 1 wedding, and 1 graduation. There was much rejoicing and much turmoil. Here you will see more of the rejoicing. If you want to read about the turmoil, check out the post: Not the way I thought it would be.

July in California: 

We flew to California the day before Kaleia's 2nd birthday to take advantage of one last free flight. We joined Brian at Azusa Pacific University for his graduate exhibition and graduation. Nana flew with us, and Grandpa Gracey and Grandma and Grandpa Rush joined us later in the week. We managed to fit in birthday celebrations for Kaleia and Brian in the midst of frantic art show preparations. Make sure to click read more. 

Breakfast at SeaTac airport, on our way to join Brian in California. This is one of Maggie's favorite pictures. 

A Year in Unpublished Pictures - 2011: Part 1

2011 was filled with many Rushcapades. Much is missing from our blog archive - like all of May through August. So this year's unpublished picture list grew to more than just the one or two per month I like to keep it to. I decided we needed a three part installment. Part 1 - The Lead Up. Part 2 - Travels, or Insanity. Part 3 - Intro to China. There are many more pictures on our flickr site if you are interested. Hope you enjoy! Make sure to click Read More to see the whole post.

January: 

Sisters love each other. 

Brian goes to California for his last Jan term and begins the final stretch to graduation. 

Shannon has her first skype interviews for international school jobs.

Here's to a Happy 2012!

Our friend, Blake was visiting us, but flying out New Year's Day. So he offered to man the fort while Brian and I rang in 2012 without kids. This would be our third time out alone since we arrived in August. Even though we were heading out at 11 pm, we were still excited. 

We grabbed a taxi and headed to Sanlitun Village, a more Western area near us with lots of restaurants. LOTS of other people must have had the same idea. Our taxi crawled. Eventually, we paid the driver and walked the rest of the way.

A Date!

My school was closed for Thanksgiving and the day after. Maggie and Kaleia's school didn't. So Brian and I took advantage of the "babysitting" and had our first date since August. We visited one of the art districts here in Beijing. 

Maggie Cam: Haircut

Chinese barber poles have checkers not spirals, and they're everywhere! 

Brian suggested he might commit to another Beardification Process, if he didn't get a haircut soon.
So we made it a priority. 

Kaleia reading style magazines.

Self Portrait

Close Up

This photo is mine.  Maggie didn't capture the end result. Not bad for under $5 and not knowing the language, don't you think? Maybe sometime he'll try the old men under the bridge that give haircuts for free.

Brian's Favorite Albums of 2009

Yup, that says 2009.  I'm a little slow with my lists.  I had this one mostly figured out in 2009 but couldn't decide which of my top two was going to be my number one.  I'm still not totally sure but I'll go with the one I listen to more.

The Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometowns


Playful drums, earnest vocals more than a little reminiscent of Neutral Milk Hotel, and youthful exuberance in every strum of the guitar could be a recipe for disaster but in this case it all works to make this one of the most fun and listenable records of the year.

The Antlers - Hospice 


I’ve heard that this story of a hospice employee and his terminally ill patient is merely a device to describe an emotionally abusive relationship.  They say it isn’t real.  My emotions don’t care.  I spent many nights alone in a darkened car with this record.  Cathartic.

Noah and the Whale - The First Day of Spring 


If there were going to be a break-up record on this list I thought for most of the year it would be filled by The Swell Season, who did churn out some great songs on a solid record, but this disc swooped in to take it’s place.  Runs the gambit of emotional tumult, which I can only imagine, since my only break-up was 12-year-old style. 

Speech Debelle - Speech Therapy


The deserving winner of Britain’s Mercury prize became the first rap/hip hop album I’ve really loved.  Debelle eschews the egotism and chauvinism that so ubiquitous in hip-hop, instead sharing her hopes, her vulnerability, intimacy.

Alela Diane - To Be Still 


Beautiful wist to be sung during those quiet pauses while the ship is anchored or the horses are hitched.

tUnE-yArDs - BiRd BrAiNs 


Tom Waits and Kimya Dawson locked their baby in the basement and she made this raucous little lo-fi wonder. 

Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle 


I’ve heard of speak-singing but I didn’t think it was possible to speak-croon until I heard this lovely batch of orchestrated folk, full of stories ambling through nature.

David Bazan - Curse Your Branches 


Despite a few dull songs, the album, which is an intimate self-portrait of a recovering alcoholic who has lost his faith, is emotionally devastating.  It's capped off with a most tender and heart-breaking finale in which Bazan tells of “long walks with my daughter/ who is lately full of questions about You.”

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - Up from Below 


If only they cut half the songs, this could have been in my top three.  Still, as it stands, Up from Below boasts a handful of truly great songs, including my undisputed favorite of the year, "Home," which can’t not make me smile.

Rodrigo y Gabriela - 11:11 


Not quite as good as their debut, these heavy-metallers-turned-flamenco-guitarists nevertheless don’t have a song on here that won’t get your feet stomping. 

The XX - XX


How is it that music so simple can be so fresh.  Turn off the lights and succumb to the sexy, sleepy malaise.

The Twilight Sad - Forget the Night Ahead


Wall-of-sound Guitars + Thick Scottish Vocals = Never Gets Old

Andrew Bird - Noble Beast


I can't imagine this playful logophile and adroit instrumentalist putting out an album that didn't make my top 15.  

 Iron and Wine - Around the Well


This double disc compilation of songs not found on any of his LPs may be the last hurrah for the kind of hushed, poetic lo-fi folk that made me fall in love with Sam Beam.  Push yourself musically Sam, but please, please come back to your bread and butter some day!  Features one of my favorite songs of the decade, "The Trapeze Swinger."

 Dan Deacon - Bromst


This frenetic experimental-leaning electronic record from the man known for making tunes that sound like the Chipmunks on speed, is unexpectedly beautiful.

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

I'm still incredulous that pop as catchy as this doesn't have me gagging after 10 songs.

Tele-Pictionary

This is my all time favorite party game.  Okay, it's actually my favorite game, period.

Directions:

1) Give each person in the group a pencil and a stack of papers equal to the number of people playing.   

2) Number each sheet 1 through N.

3) On their first sheet each player writes a sentence or two about anything then passes the stack of paper to the person on their left.

4) The recipient of the stack reads the text, puts that sheet on the bottom of the stack, converts the text into an illustration on the next sheet, then passes the stack to the person on their left.

5) The new recipient looks at the picture, puts that sheet on the bottom of the stack, converts the image into text and passes the stack on.

6) Repeat steps 4-5 until the stack is returned to it's original owner.

7) When all are finished, take turns laying out and reading aloud the text-image-text-image sequence on the floor or a table.

8) Laugh really hard.

+++++

Overnight, he went from hairy hippy to shorn skinhead.

It was a clear and starry night when hobo Brian finally cut his hair.

The travel weary hobo gazed to the stars and moon as a tear gently slid down his cheek.  Raising the scissors to his hair, he thought of his Nazirite vow, what it meant, how he had failed.  His small pouch of possessions slid limply to the ground behind him.

As she left her lover's grave, she shed a tear as she sheared her long luscious locks in mourning.  But really, it was so no one recognized her from the bank robbery.

Bonnie rose from the dead to give herself one last haircut (your hair grows when you're dead, y'know) while Clyde drove the truck away with all the money.  The bastard!

Brian's Favorite Read-Aloud Kid Books

Maggie loves most of these books but this list isn't for the kids.  It's for me and you, the parent or other adult who reads to children.  A good read-aloud book makes it fun for you, which makes reading special for them.  So I guess the list kinda is for them.  Without further ado:

The Three Little Pigs.  A classic in any version so long as that big bad wolf keeps uttering his menacing refrain: I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!  Will there be enough room?  The ABCs get a little ambitious when they all try to climb the same tree.  A good one for younger kiddos and those learning the alphabet.

 Fox flusters a friend with infuriating tongue floppers.  You can't really go wrong with Dr. Seuss but this and Mr. Brown are definitely top notch.

Oh the wonderful things Mister Brown can do! Read it like an over-enthusiastic J. Peterman (Elaine's boss on Seinfeld).

A simple one that begs you to drum on the pages and sing-song your way through it.

But who is this creature with terrible claws and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws?  He has knobbly knees and turned-out-toes and a poisonous wart at the end of his nose.  Probably the most advanced on this list, Donaldson's modern classic has wonderful rhythm and repetition, a clever ending and an aurally inviting cast.

Wee Wa Wee Wa Rooty Toot Too!  Every page has it's own color that, along with the listed objects, gives the mood for the reader.  Filter it through your inner Miles Davis and you've got a winner.

Boynton is another safe bet for quality read-alouds but the Pookie books, which really hinge on the caring character of Pookie's mama (who, in my imagination, is delightfully ebullient, Southern, and full-figured), are especially enjoyable.

Even without a passable Grover impression, this postmodern wonder, which is about the very act of reading this very book, is a riot.  I dare you not to have fun bringing Grover's over-the-top fear to life.

Hope you enjoyed the list and maybe even found yourself a new read-aloud.  Let me know your favorites in the comments!