53 Things About Joey

1. He’s 53 Friday (born on August 1, 1955).
2. This makes him a Leo (generous, independent, warm-spirited and loyal). Oh wait, we don’t believe in astrology. But he’s still all those things.
3. For years Joe was the middle child sandwiched among 4 sisters (Robyn-Susan-Joe-Carolee-Laurie).
4. Then when Joe was 13 his mom had twin boys, Mike and Matt.

5. Joe likes airplanes, the weather, TV shows about World War II (“Wings of the Luftwaffe!”), and movies with John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and/or explosions.

6. He hates the group Blue Oyster Cult (“Don’t Fear the Reaper…” AAGH!)

7. He also hates the group “Heart."

8. Joey’s a very good cook. He’s a master of the Big Green Egg.

9. On our first date I was telling him how I rode the bus for several months after my mission because I didn’t have a car yet and I said, “It’s hard to be spontaneous when you have to take the bus.” He said, “Well you can be, just at 20-minute intervals.” (I thought,”Hey, this guy’s kinda funny.”)
10. He graduated from Highland High School in 1973 (“Ramble!”).

11. He lovingly smokes pork shoulder 16 hours to make pulled pork.

12. He’s very punctual.

13. He went on a mission to Uruguay/Paraguay. His brother Matt went to the same mission (minus the Paraguay by then). They now address each other as “Hermano.”

14. One of his favorite movies is “The Blues-Brothers.” When it first came out in 1980 he went to it once a week for two months.

15. Joe broke his nose twice in jr. high/high school (once playing basketball, once wrestling).

16. Another yummy thing he makes: Hedgehog, a splendid meatloaf made of beef, pork, and veal, criss-crossed with bacon strips and rosemary sprigs. Joe got this recipe from that old cooking show “Two Fat Ladies.”

17. Another favorite movie: “Blazing Saddles” (“Give the governor a harrumph!”) “Harumph” is a common Joey expletive.

18. When Napster first came on the scene and wasn’t yet entirely illegal, Joe probably downloaded, like, 1,000 songs. He spent HOURS downloading his favorite tunes. I was a Napster widow.

19. Once when we were watching the Miss USA pageant I wondered aloud what the judging criteria were for the evening gown competition. “No gravy stains,” Joe said.

20. Yummy thing #3: Egg salad sandwiches, made late Sunday evening.

21. He used to sneak out of his bedroom window at night in the summer when he was a teenager and go to the 7-11 for an Orange Mac soda.

22. Joe’s been on three Alaska fishing trips with his dad and brothers/brothers-in-law. He caught great big halibuts and brought home frozen fillets that we ate for months.

23. Joe has visited 31 countries and 42 states.
24. He’s a San Francisco Giants fan.

25. He likes reading the Sunday obits and calling his sister Boo Boo to report on any that he finds unusual/amusing (like the one about the guy who was a blackbelt in karate and died doing what he loved most, “participating in the marital arts”).

26. Yummy thing #4: Breakfast burritos (flour tortillas with shredded potatoes, scrambled eggs, bacon and cheese.)

27. Once, very early in our dating days, we were driving somewhere in Davis County and I saw the exit sign for Willard Bay. “Willard” made me think of the movie “Ben” (about the rat) – because of course “Ben” was the sequel to “Willard.” So in my head I start humming the theme song for “Ben.” (“Ben, the two of us need look no more,” etc.) When I get to the part that starts going up high, Joe starts whistling “Ben” at the exact same spot I was at in my head, in the same key no less. I thought it was an eerily comical coincidence and proof that we should, you know, get married.

28. He’s a big tipper.

29. Another favorite movie: “Young Frankenstein” (“I suggest you put on a tie!”)

30. Joe's a good photographer. And he always volunteers to take families’ photos if we’re out somewhere and notices that somebody can’t be in the picture because they’re taking it.

31. When we were dating, he took me to Chicago to see the Monet exhibit at the Chicago Art Institute. Sighhh. Fun date.

32. Yummy thing #5: Homemade barbecue sauce (with brown sugar, molasses, white wine vinegar, allspice, chili powder, and probably many secret ingredients).

33. Joe loves the blues and listens to the likes of Jimmy Thackery, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Koko Taylor, and The Uppity Blues Women.

34. He also likes his CD of “Mozart French Horn Fragments”

35. We visited Antelope Island once. We stood and gazed at the buffalo, all of whom seemed to be frozen into position. I said, “Look; NONE of them are moving.” He said, “Well, they don’t have another show until 4:30…” Where does he come up with these things?

36. He likes watching “The Music Man” in the winter because it reminds him of summer.

37. His favorite comics are “Get Fuzzy” and “Zits.”

38. Another favorite movie: “Ghostbusters” (“That’s a big twinkie.”)
39. Joe used to keep a porcelain pig from Mexico in his office at work. Our nephew Hunter was visiting once and accidentally tipped it over and piggy broke. Joe calls Hunter “Porkchop” now.

40. Joey likes to sip mason jars of ice water, with lemon, in the evening.

41. We don’t normally frequent R-rated movies. Years ago an R movie came out that Joe wanted to see (I think it was “Cradle Will Rock”), so he cut out the PG-13 label from another movie and carefully glued it over the “R’” label for the one he wanted to see, then refolded the paper and put it back in the plastic bag. And then he didn’t say anything about it…I just happened to notice that “Cradle Will Rock” was rated PG-13 and I thought for sure it had been rated R when I saw the ad on T.V. And then I looked realllly close….

42. He’s a good storyteller (see preceding blogpost).

43. Jane Fonda bugs him.

44. Another favorite movie: “Caddyshack” (“So I got that goin’ for me…which is nice.”)

45. Once on Valentine’s Day he sent a group of singers to my office to serenade me.

46. Yummy thing #6: Brussels sprouts cooked with bacon and garlic. No really, they’re good.

47. Joe knows how to fix most things.

48. He doesn't get mad very often. Even when I once backed into our neighbor's fence and ripped out 10 or so feet of it and let their dog loose, all he said when I told him was "Whadja do that for?"

49. He answers to Joe, Joseph, Joey, Jose, Pop, Papa Joe, Baba, and sweetie-pie.

50. Yummy thing #7: Homemade peppermint ice cream.

51. Beverage of choice? Caffeine-free Diet Coke with vanilla.

52. He played the trombone in 5th grade.

53. He is richly deserving of a happy 53rd birthday, so please come out of lurkdom and send a howdy-do his way.

A Fine Mess

This picture has nothing to do with the post. It is just a summery scene.

I have been told this is the stuff of legends. I suppose it could be. Families sitting around the dinner table years from now will look back to smirk and guffaw; and were I totally innocent of doing the same, I might cringe. But alas, I myself still get a chuckle at long ago instances of fast meeting testimony singers and too-detailed health updates and travelogues. So here you go, all those that missed the actual incident. Jest away (everybody else in church did)!

So there I was....I remember it as though it was yesterday. Probably because it was yesterday. It was the end of a fine sacrament meeting and Denny was playing the organ for the congregation. We have been trying to get Emma to settle down a bit in church, so I sat near the front with her. Denny joined us in between hymns. After the last speaker finished, Denny went up front to play the last tune, ol' number 35, "For the Strength of the Hills."

The first three verses went as expected. In fact, if Felicia D. Hermans had stopped writing at three verses, I wouldn't be telling this sad yet fascinating tale. Where was I? Oh yeah, Emma started walking slowly to the front. I was thinking "she won't go up to the stand." I flashed her the sign for "candy" as she glanced back, and she quickly returned. She took off again, having broken the proverbial "up on the stand" barrier and went directly to Denny, who now had her attention divided. As Emma climbed up on the bench, two things happened. The world slowed waaaaaay down, and Denny looked down and asked me to come up and get Emma.

I took off for the stand, ducking under poor Sister Gurr who was leading. As I went around the back of the organ, I stepped down on Denny's organ bag, slipped, and nearly went down like a sack of hammers. Them organ bags is slippery. By this time, any hope of surprising Emma was out the stain-glassed window, and she latched on to Denny's neck like Crusher Kowalski doing a full-nelson on a weaker foe (weren't they all weaker?).

In retrospect, I should have taken my chances with letting her stay on Denny's lap. Instead, I grabbed on and pulled, expecting her grip to give. It didn't. Must have been a fine sight. I'm told that those who were asleep or missed church are still kicking themselves. Denny's glasses were totally askew, and her hair was across her face. I had Emma around the waist, and she was hanging on to Denny's neck for all she was worth. A bizarre sight by any measure, much like a scene from Dante's "Tag team match from hell."

I finally got Emma free after nearly pulling Denny off of the bench. To her credit, and to the amazement of the whole congregation, she never missed a beat! Great work. Eye of the tiger. Battle zone organing.

Some poor soul had to then come up and give the final prayer amid the laughs. Emma then jumped down like nothing happened, and scurried into nursery.

There you have it. Use it. Share it. Change the names if you wish or quote verbatim. It's all true. My only hope is that it quickly fades from everybody's memory, or that something even more bizarre happens in church to somebody else. Fat chance. Ok then.

She's A Camper!

What dirt?

Don't look too close at the fingernails

A leisurely stroll..

Baba chair, Mama chair, and Baby chair

More leisurely stroll

Lots of room on the inside

Emma had her first real camping adventure this week. We spent one night under the stars (in a tent) up in the mountains just past Payson, Ut. We had a great time, and Emma did swimmingly. As you can tell from the photos, 3 year olds are dirt magnets when in the hills. But what the heck, everything hoses off just like new.

We arrived at the campground on Friday around 2:30 PM to set up camp. There are a dozen or so camp sites, and we got the best of the bunch, as the place was empty. Nicely situated in the trees, and a level place to pitch the tent. Emma had fun watching Denny and me try and remember how all of the tent posts went, and quickly got the hang of opening the door zipper to get in and out. We hadn't been camping for a couple of years, so it took us some head scratching to remember where all of our stuff went. All in all, it turned out quite nicely if I say so myself.

We went for a quick hike to see some of the sites, and returned to fix dinner. Burgers, potato salad, and the ubiquitous can of camping Pringles. Yum. A fire was started, even though it was still light, and we sat around the campfire until we had "smores worthy" coals. Nothing like smores and Fresca, I always say. Emma was pretty tired by that point, and went to bed (sleeping bag) and fell asleep around 7:30 PM. Nice. Denny was lamenting the stark lack of trashy magazines, so I was dispatched 10 miles or so into town for a couple of literary gems.

Upon my return, Denny read until the sun gave out, and we sat by the fire for a while. It was nice. By then most of the spots had filled up, and we were a fine little camping community. We turned in and slept until around 6:00 AM. Emma woke up and wanted to know where I was. I already had a fire going, so she joined me by the fire wrapped up in her blanket and my coat drinkng hot cocoa for an hour, while mama got some extra shut eye.

We broke camp, packed up everything and headed back to civilization. A quick experience that only whetted our appetite for a two-day camp before the season ends! OK then

Summery Days (at last)

We've waited so very long for proper summer weather -- am so glad it's here. We've been doing lots of different things. Visited Wheeler Farm with neighborhood playgroup last week. Emma fed the ducks...
...and rode the tractor (always kinda tricky getting it into 3rd gear).

Her last day at DDI preschool is this week. Above is a picture of Emma's darling teacher, Julie, and some of her pals from school (Logan, Harper and Harrison). DDI has been a wonderful experience for Emma the last 7 months and I'm grateful to my friend Jen (Logan's mom) for telling me about it. Class size was teeny tiny, they had great teachers, and it has really helped Emma's language acquisition. Now we're gonna take a 2-month summer break before she starts preschool at our nearby elementary school.

Went to a Bees game a few weeks ago hosted by a vendor for Joe's work. We got to sit in one of the boxes up top, but Emma was more interested in the food. She ate her weight in Swedish fish and peanut M&Ms.

This past weekend was our adoption agency's summer reunion picnic. Met up with some of our friends who also have adopted children from China. The little girl in the photo below, Brianne, is a sweetie and plays so well with Emma. We're bummed she lives in Provo (with all due respect to Provoans...it's just so dang far). Brianne's mom and I talked about meeting halfway sometime to let the girls play. Maybe Bluffdale?

Our friend Kathy Kaiser (below) is the director of our adoption agency and one of our favorite people. It was her 65th birthday the day of the picnic. She has helped more than 1,000 children find homes...and she still makes you feel like you're her favorite family. She is wonderful!

Emma got together with her new friend Madelyn (below) for a fun playdate last week. Madelyn is 3-1/2 and has been home from China for just three months. She's doing so well and she and Emma had a fab time swimming...

...and having a tea party with pear juice.

Here's Emma at the zoo earlier this week....

...and some cute photos from a few days ago...

Emma's doing great -- talking a blue streak -- and we're enjoying the lazy/crazy/hazy days of summer.

It's All About the Balloon

Emma and Dane at our friend Brad's birthday party.

Those of you who have been following our missives have noticed Emma's fascination with the balloon, and tonight's post is no exception. Balloons are to her as hamburgers are to Whimpy. We headed out to a birthday party of a friend last week, and Emma had a wonderful time running up and down a hill with a helium-filled balloon gripped tightly in one hand. Above is a shot just after Emma's balloon exits stage-up (click to see forlorn expression and wringing of hands). Anya was kind enough to feel her pain and give up her green balloon to Emma (which she is still nursing along).

For the benefit of the many kids in attendance, there were a couple of piñatas ((one shaped as a "4" (quatro) and another in the shape of a “0” (cero)). It was very amusing as all of these kids took their whacks at the piñatas with an Easton aluminum baseball bat. When the first digit was finally breached and the candy hit the deck, all of the kids stood frozen in place just staring at all of that loot on the floor. Apparently this was the first Latino-inspired candied wack-a-mole experience for all of them. It wasn’t long before all of the parents were yelling to the kids that decorum dictated, nay demanded, that they lunge at the sugary morsels at the expense and peril of all other toddlers. Once the concept was grasped and instinct took over, it was a good old-fashioned frenzy that inspired visions of piranha attacking an unsuspecting yak. It was a thing of beauty. The second piñata was then put into play, and voila!; no encouragement necessary. Emma got some Willy Wonka Nerds that tasted very good. Afterwards she was telling Denny and me that during the melee, somebody “whacked my noggin.”

Well, winter is finally over, and with the exception of a few spurts of hail and rain, it looks like summer weather might actually be around the corner. I spent a few days last week in SoCal at a USPS Forum. There’s a barrel of laughs for the uninitiated. The Anaheim Convention Center is right across the street from Disneyland, and it seems a shame I was unable to have Emma and Denny join me for a couple days of diversion. Perhaps in the future, or as Emma would say, "Not now, maybe later."

Emma’s linguistic skills are improving daily, and she is chatting and singing all of the time. She will even sing herself to sleep at night. What a difference a few months can make.

I cut the back of my hand at work the other day, and when I came home I started cooking some enchiladas with Denny. Emma saw the back of my hand, and ran for the wipes and a band aid. I couldn’t stop the enchilada assembly line, so Emma stood right next to me and wiped off the back of my hand, and expertly put the band aid right over the wound, and then kissed it better to boot. She’s something else (my hand is doing much better). OK then.

Just a Quick Note

Thanks for checking in. Look for a new post sometime tomorrow. We are waiting for some photos. We have a fear of posting without a new picture of Em. OK then.Well.....maybe one quick photo. Emma flying a kite. Now OK then.

I'm Three, and I'm Cute.

Emma had her 3-year-old pix taken last week out to the Kiddie Kandids. Oh my, what a difference from last year, when the photog could hardly catch her still for more than a second or two. This time around she was downright coquettish. The guy taking her picture this year said that kids are really hard to photograph between ages 1-1/2 and 2-1/2, but 3 is a great age because they'll pose but their smiles haven't become artificial yet. Thought that was an interesting observation from one who knows. Anyway, hope you enjoy these loverly photos.

Note the stamp on her hand from Costco.

And to close, a couple cute Emma stories from recently.

- We were driving past a McDonald's the other day and she pointed to it and said, "Old McDondald, e-i-e-i-o!"

- I was outside and she yelled "Mom, come here!" (on Emma that sounds like "Come eee-uh!" Sounds like she's from Brooklyn). Anyway, I came inside and she said "Thank you for obeying."

- We made cupcakes the other day then walked around the neighborhood giving them out to neighbors and random passersby. It was a warm day and Emma kicked off her sandals, which I held along with the cupcakes. Then we walked up to a friend's house and her little boy (6-ish) was out in front playing. After taking a cupcake, he went inside and tearfully told his mother that "Emma doesn't have any shoes...We need to get Emma some shoes." [This I learned later from his amused mom.] And then he knelt down and said a prayer for Emma! His mother assured him that Emma probably had shoes and just decided not to wear them. But isn't that a tenderhearted little boy?

That's all for now....

More Birthday, Etc.

Emma is still fondly reminiscing about her recent birthday and often asks when she can "do another one." She found some birthday candles in a drawer and wanted to blow them out again, so we occasionally stick a candle in a piece of bread, light 'er up, and sing another chorus of happy birthday, just for old times' sake.

Here she is on her new set of wheels. Don'tcha love the new trike smell?

Blowing out the candles for real way back on April 12.

Random notes:

-I can't wait for the weather to get warm and stay warm. I'm weary of the late April snowstorms and am losing my fragile testimony of global warming. Guess I should be grateful for "the moisture."

-Emma had her 3-year-old checkup on April 14. She grew 2 inches in the last six months and gained a couple pounds. She's in the 79th percentile for height and 24th for weight ("Tall and slender," the doctor said; "A good kind of build to have." To which I say, "No kidding." ) She's very healthy, but the doc does want her to have a speech/language evaluation because she's hard to understand, and surprisingly he thinks it has nothing to do with her late start in English. (I disagree; I just think it's got to be hard to switch over at the age of 18 months from speaking CHINESE!! (!)--and she was indeed speaking some--to tackling English. I think it's been hard for her to learn all these new sounds. Plus, about the only thing he heard her say at the visit was "No shot!") Anyway, he's not terribly worried about it but said it can't hurt to have her checked, so she's going in for an evaluation with the school district in a couple weeks.

-Emma's going great guns with the potty training lately. I started offering stickers for each successful potty endeavor (10 stickers=1 viewing of "JoJo's Circus") and she took to that right away. She's known how to use the pot for some time; guess I just had to make it worth her while...

-I called Emma "My darling, my hamburger" the other day. Does anyone of my vintage remember that teenagey novel? It just slipped out of my mouth. Emma protested quite a bit. "I not hamburg! I Emma! Don't call hamburg!" She has reminded me NOT to call her "my hamburg" several times since then.

This was taken at her friend Jackson's recent birthday party [photo credit: Jackson's mommy, Jen]. I love that she's in midair. I'd call that "frolicking."

And Joe took this picture last week just after she'd fallen asleep. (I know, I know...where are her pj's. Sometimes she scoffs at them...) Anyway, isn't she...well...beautiful?? Sighh. We are blessed parents indeed.

Happy late April to you!

Emma's Three!

Emma had a birthday on Saturday. She enjoyed every particle of it. I talked it up big for several days beforehand and I guess I got her pretty wound up. On Friday I told her that after she went to sleep that night it would be her birthday when she woke up. She kept saying, "Mom, go sleep now?" for the rest of the day. And later that night (after she HAD gone to bed), she wandered out to the living room at 12:09 a.m. and announced "It's my birthday!" (according to Joe, who witnessed the event.)

We had a couple of fun family celebrations. Emma is now well stocked with balloons and toys and has had her yearly allottment of pink birthday cake. She is also the proud owner of a new red Radio Flyer tricycle.

During a lull on Saturday afternoon (between parties), Emma walked forlornly up and down the hall saying "I would like some more birthday." I think I created a birthday monster.

Sure was great birthday weather on Saturday.

And sure was fun to wear new birthday pj's from Grandma on birthday night.

I've got some more cute pix I'll post later.

A Quick Trip to St. George

We took an overnight trip to St. George last Friday to visit two of Joe's sisters and help celebrate his dad's birthday. It was the first time we'd gone on an overnighter since Emma came home. Thanks to Aunt Boo Boo, our transportation arrangements were deluxe and we got to fly in a nifty little jet. 42 minutes from take-off to landing.

Emma looks a little travel-worn and we haven't even taken off yet. I talked up the plane ride quite a bit for a couple days before the trip. Also told her that we would be staying in a motel room with two beds and a swimming pool. She talked about the two beds quite a lot and also wore her swimming suit around the house all morning before we left, just to get in the mood. She did well on the short flight and liked zooming fast down the runway. When the plane lifted off the ground her eyes got big...then her brow furrowed and she said "Come back down??" But that was the only moment of consternation.

We went to Aunt Susan and Uncle Jack's for dinner. Joe's sis Laurie and her family were also in town after spending spring break in Moab. They live in Chicago and we don't get to see them very often.

We celebrated Joe's dad's 81st birthday. Emma was smitten with the Mrs. Backer's cake and managed to swipe her finger through the frosting just after this photo was taken.

I came down with a stomach bug Friday night. Yuckster. I hear it's going around. Hated getting sick during vacation. Plus Emma went from person to person at the birthday party and cheerfully announced "Mama throw up!" Her language skills really are getting quite good.

The next day I felt a little better. We drove to Snow Canyon and admired the red rocks...

...and the red sand. [Note: Some may say my legs look pasty; I prefer to call them alabaster.]

We visited the grounds of the St. George temple. So very peaceful and lovely.

Emma had a good time scampering around on the lawn and the steps.

It was a fun trip. Emma did great on her first overnight outing and it was wonderful to see lots of Joe's family.

Is It Ever Gonna Warm Up?

Emma's new Easter dress compliments of Aunt Julie
Yesterday at Sugarhouse Park

Also yesterday, at the U of U Easteregg hunt

We ran into our friends Kris and Michelle up at the U. Emma was keeping a close eye on everybody

Out at Aunt Barbie's for the annual "EEH"

This post is brought to you by "Peeps" the official candy of Easter. After the initial immediate sugar rush, it drops the subject into a stupor that can (in this case) lead to napping. Emma is growing out of the nap-stage of toddler hood, so this is a little unusual. It gives me a chance to bring you all up to date.

As you can tell by the title, I grow weary of the cold weather. We ventured out to the park yesterday afternoon because it was so sunny, but the sun was quickly counterbalanced by the brisk wind out of the North. Nice weather to head South and sit on a rock like a lizard, I think.

Emma has taken advantage of two different egg hunts this week. The first was at Aunt Barbie's, where Denny said she had a blast, and enjoyed playing with her cousins. The second was yesterday morning at the Huntsman Center at the U of U. Kat told us about it, so we went up to participate. It started at 9 sharp, but we arrived at 9:04. Big mistake. Next year we will get there early. Many kids had baskets brimming with the colored eggs, while Emma's seemed almost empty with the seven or eight eggs found in the nether regions outside of the big round dome. Some of the other kids took pity on the empty-looking basket, and put some of their booty in her basket. I am assuming that it was because of her basket, and not the fact that it looked like Emma was being followed by her grandfather. Pity works. Everybody else's parents all look so young!

Denny has been working like a mad dog on the organ for the choir number today in church. She did great, even though I could tell the E key above middle C was sticking on the upper manual. It wasn't her fault, the organ needs work. She does a great job and works so hard.

Well, Denny just arrived home, the dog barked, and Emma woke up, so my time here is done. Time for some malted milk eggs! Ok then.