Montana Day 3 - On the Road Again

We got up and got ready to drive the 300 some miles to Billings. In Missoula the girls got to sleep in a bunk bed, which they absolutely loved. We cleaned up stuff, I repacked the car, and we got going.

Driving through Montana is beautiful. Just the change in geology and landscape is incredible. We got thought Butte, made a quick stop in Bozeman for batteries, and kept going. The girls did great for the 5 hour drive.

We arrived at Stephanie's parent's house, just on the west side of Billings. The girls ran around and showed off their bike riding skills for grandpa and grandma.

Elaine made a great dinner and we all enjoyed catching up. We're going to hang out here for a few days and relax and enjoy family.

Montana Day 2

Yesterday we spent the entire day enjoying Missoula. We started with a visit the the University of Montana where we graduated from in 2002. It was wonderful for the girls to run down the tree lined paths of the beautiful campus. We were impressed with the new construction and improvements.

While Stephanie meet a friend for lunch, I took the girls swimming in the hotel pool.  They really love the water and we are looking forward to beginning swim lessons this summer.

Later that afternoon we walked down to Caras park and went on the famous carousal. It went really fast and Elise and Charlotte had Big Sky smiles the entire ride.

We had been looking forward to eating at McKenzie River Pizza. In fact, many of our Missoula's destinations were for food memories. On the way to pizza we walked past Montgomery Distillery... More on that later. Pizza was great, then we hit Big Dipper for ice cream. I would've gladly driven 500 miles just for Big Dipper.

After the girls went to bed, I went back to Montgomery Distillery. They create vodka and gin from local grain. The still is German made, and they really seem to have a passion for what they do. And they do it well, it is some of the best I've ever had, and I'm bringing some home.

We had a full and complete day in Missoula and were able to check almost everything off our list.

Montana Day 1

Yesterday  wrapped up the first day of our trip to Montana. The girls are four now so we felt they could handle a 1600 mile roadtrip.... The question is, can we? We prepared by getting a portable DVD player, books, snacks, and leap pad tablets. Their daycare friends have them, and Elise and Charlotte have been politely asking for the little learning tablets for months. We were fortunate to find 2 very reasonably priced ones on craigslist. The roadtrip was the perfect chance to start indoctrinating them into the personal computing world. They can't text, yet.

We began our trip at 6:30, and made great time until snoqualmie pass where we sat on I-90 for over an hour. They did some rock blasting the previous evening and were cleaning it up.

Traffic finally got moving, and we made it to Ellensburg where we stopped for brunch at IHOP. On the road again, we didn't need to stop until Spokane. The girls did great in the car, even snoozing for awhile... But truly, who doesn't want to snooze through Ritzville?

Stephanie drove through Idaho, until I finally had enough being the passenger and finished up the day pulling into Missoula.

We checked in (at the "showntell" as Elise and Charlotte call the hotel), grabbed some dinner, drove around a bit, then hit the hay.

The day wrapped up with Elise climbing up onto her bunkbed, telling Charlotte, "Charlotte, I will think of you when I asleep." To which Charlotte replied, "Why Eyese?" To which Elise made the perfectly reasonable reply of, "Because I like you."

Goodbye Emmers

Today we said goodbye to Emily, our friend for 16 years. She came into my family while I was still in high school, had yet to go to college, meet Stephanie, get married, and have Elise and Charlotte. Through all the changes in our lives she was the most consistent, loving, dependable, patient, and fun-loving dog I have ever known. She was also the bossiest!

Toby, Emily, and Holly

From Emily

From Emily

We met Emily the day we said goodbye to another dog, Valerie. The vet told us they had a young corgi who needed a home. She was the only one of her litter left alive after they were abandoned, with wire tied around their muzzles. Emily bore a scar from that her entire life. My dad and I waited, and suddenly this exuberant dog burst into the room, leaned against us and greeted us like long-lost family. She was the strangest looking dog I had ever seen - Short, brown spotted legs, a black and white body with lots of spots and a large saddle patch, a long bushy tail, thick ears ( like 1/4 inch thick!), and fur that constantly sprouted between her toes. It turned out that she was mistaken for a corgi, but was really an Australian Shepherd - our first "Bossy Aussie".

Over the years she was the part of many fun events - "Hurricane Emily" in the basement, being dressed up in camping clothes, taken on hikes, etc. Through it all she was patient with my brothers and I. I eventually left to go overseas for 1 year, and when I returned, she greeted me like I had never left. When I went to college and returned for breaks, Emily was always there, sticking her head between my knees for n ear scratch (which she taught Toby to do). When we adopted Toby, Emily helped teach him some good manners. And when my daughters were born, she greeted them with enthusiasm.

From Emily

Over the past few months, she has slowly declined. It was time for the toughest, most responsible thing that goes with owning a dog. The end was peaceful, and when we finally pulled ourselves together this afternoon, and left the vet's, the weather had turned from grey overcast, to sun.

Thank you Emily, you were the best.

From Emily

Tuesday Evening Play Time

Do You Want Fry With That?

From 55 Gal Aquarium

Yesterday I noticed one of my platys was about ready to give birth. Platys are live bearing fish and really easy to breed - they just do it. I put her in a little hatchery. Good timing, because this morning there were a whole bunch of little platy fry swimming around!

From 55 Gal Aquarium

The mother hadn't eaten them yet, so I took her out before she could. I counted around 35 fry. I put in a plant clipping for shelter and fed them. The angel fish will not leave the floating brood tank alone, they just see a yummy snack. Each fry is less than 1/4 inch long. I am hoping that I can keep most of them alive and have a ton more colorful fish swimming around.

From 55 Gal Aquarium

Pudding Time

A Play Day

Today was a great play day around Port Orchard.

From Play Day

First we had a great time playing at home with the bubbles, walkers, and the big orange fabric tunnel. That thing is awesome!

Then we went to a new place here in town. The "Imagination Station" is an indoor play area for kids up to 6 years old. It is big, open, and full of interesting and exciting toys.

From Play Day

From Play Day

It also has A/C for those really hot days! I hope this business bucks the trend of businesses that close after a short period of time - there seem to be quite a few here in Port Orchard. There is a similar play place in Gig Harbor, but I really did like this one better, and it is a lot closer to home. The girls really had a great time and were definitely ready for nap time when we got home. I am sure we'll be back soon for more!

After nap time we took them over to Long Lake park to swing and wade in the water. The weather is finally nice and the park was very busy. Elise and Charlotte loved the swings and sunshine!

From Play Day

Rock 'n Roll 1/2 Marathon

Last Saturday I ran the Seattle Rock'n Roll 1/2 Marathon, 13.1 miles from to Tukwilla to Qwest Field. I failed to train very well at all, so finishing was a reasonable goal. Almost 3 three years I completed the Seattle 1/2 marathon in 2:01, so I thought that maybe I would be around 2:20 or 2:30 for this one. I finished in 2:25 and still had some gas left in the tank.

It was a beautiful run, especially around Seward park and Lake Washington Blvd. Lots of bands and watering stations were set up along the route and it really made it more fun. In the I-90 tunnel the loud music from the DJ set up there echoed and made running through the tunnel a really unique and fun experience.

Three of my friends who I went with ran the entire marathon. I was just fine with the 1/2, thank you. Although, it was inspiring to watch them cross the finish line after such a long distance. On the way home we stopped at Claim Jumpers in Southcenter. It was really great food, I hadn't been there in years.

I think I am up for the event again because it was so well organized and fun - hopefully next time I will find time to train. I'd like to finish sub 2 hours, maybe even around 1:45 - 1:50.

Daddy on Duty!

Stephanie left last Monday for a conference in Los Angeles - Daddy has been on duty! Luckily, my mom was able to come over and help with the girls for a few days. We had a really wonderful time playing and just being happy! Tuesday was spent at home, all day. WE just played and played until everyone was tired. The girls has really made some developmental strides in the last month or so. Cruising around the furniture, walking while someone holds both hands, eating preferences, lots and lots of expressive babbling from both. Both girls have grown and worn out their old shoes, so Wednesday we sent shoe hunting. We also ended up buying some other goodies like a fabric tunnel and bubble blower. My mom left last night, and today has been bust as well with a trip to Gig Harbor and a late nap time. Stephanie returns tonight, but so late the girls will be asleep. There will be a very happy reunion tomorrow morning! Enjoy the photos from June!

Birthday Birthday!

Last Friday we celebrated Elise and Charlotte's one year birthday! At 9:44 and 9:45 pm the girls were sound asleep, but Stephanie and I were fondly recalling all the events of one year ago. What a change a year has made! Charlotte is crawling all over, and Elise is close behind. It is a little bittersweet as they grow up and leave "baby" behind. We both took Friday off to get ready for the big party on Saturday. Over 20 friends and family came over to celebrate a successful and wonderful first year. Charlotte and Elise both enthusiastically ate their little cakes and received many fun toys and cute clothes. Thanks to everyone for your support, encouragement, and love over the past year.

Spring Break Video Short

Spring Break 2010

We had a wonderful Spring Break this year. Although we stayed close to home, each day was filled with fun, laughter, and adventure with Elise and Charlotte.

On Easter Sunday we went to church at New Life in Silverdale. The worship and message were powerful and right on target for Easter. It would be awesome if every Sunday was the celebration that Easter Sunday is! Elise and Charlotte stayed with us during the service and were very well behaved, even when the fire alarm went off! A ceiling tile had fallen somewhere and caused the alarm to trigger, but it was soon off, and the Easter celebration continued. After church we gave the girls their Easter baskets which they enthusiastically emptied. Later that afternoon we headed over to my parent's house in Kirkland for a get together and Easter dinner. The girls had a great time playing with Jacob & Madelyn and all the little girls ended up in the bathtub together after some delicious carrot cake.

Monday was chores and a Costco trip. Check out the cart - it has two baby seats!

On Tuesday the girls had their first dentist appointment! They basically just looked in their mouths and counted teeth. I wish my dentist appointments were like that.

After that we headed back over to Kirkland for a surprise visit to Nana Darragh at preschool! Everyone was so happy to see the girls - it really made her day. On the way home we stopped at Denny's Pet World, the best pet store I know of. I bought two blue angelfish, and we quickly headed home to put them in the fish tank. Unfortunately, one of them did not survive the stress of moving and died that night.

On Wednesday we spent the day at home doing chores and playing with the little ladies. We had to clean up the house because we had a baby sitter for Wednesday evening. We went to dinner at the Hub in Tacoma, it was alright, but a little underwhelming. Then we went to Tacoma Mall for a little walking, talking, and shopping. We don't get a sitter very often, and it was great to just spend time together without worrying about naps, bottle, diapers, etc...

Thursday was an at home day, doing a few chores. We did run out to a party store to buy stuff for the girls' first birthday party! We can hardly believe it has been a whole year. They have changed so much!

On Friday I went back over to Kirkland to deliver a birthday cake pan to my mom who is going to make the cake for the big bash, and also to return the dead angelfish and get a replacement (cause they aren't cheap!). I brought the new angelfish home, along with two black angelfish. They have acclimated to the tank wonderfully and are just beautiful to watch. While I was on the Eastside, Stephanie took Elise and Charlotte to Gig Harbor for a play date with Joy and her son Cooper. They met at Play-a-Latte and had a wonderful time. The girls entertained everyone with their "fish-flopping" on the floor.

On Saturday I went and bought some new plants for the front and mowed, but I had to fit in in between watching the Master's Tournament. I love watching it every year. I am horrible at golf, but when I see the amazing golf course at Augusta National, I can dream that I am at least decent. I am happy that Phil Mickelson won. It was beautiful when he met his wife after he finished the 18th hole.

On Sunday we returned to New Life church. The focus for the next few weeks is "Help Heal This World." I really like to focus so far, and think it will be very powerful. “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ Matthew 25:40 (NLT) After church we came home and I watched the final round of the Master's, then mowed the back lawn.

We both agreed that we had a wonderful Spring Break, made even sweeter by our little girls. We can't wait until summer!

They're Growing Fast!

Elise and Charlotte are growing so fast! Every parent says it, but these little girls are growing and changing so fast. Each day is a special blessing with them. Every moment I get to hug and snuggle, and play and laugh with them is precious. I was browsing through my iTunes library tonight and ran across "Fingerprints of God" by Steven Curtis Chapman. These little girls are just covered!

They just had their 9 month check ups and are doing great. Both girls have more than quadrupuled their birth weights! Wow - good thing that doesn't happen to adults! They are more and more expressive with their voices and are close to crawling. Right now they are rolling experts and can move across the entire floor really fast.

We had a lot of fun a few nights ago. We put them in their bumbo chairs in the bathtub together. Elise and Charlotte had a blast splashing and playing, and we had a wonderful time playing with them.

The final night launch

This morning the Space Shuttle Endeavor lifted off for a mission to the International Space Station. This was the final night launch before the shuttle fleet is retired. Night launches hold a special place for me. Even though I have never been to Florida to see one in person, I have fond memories of getting up early in the morning with my dad to watch them on television. A few years ago I wrote this short story as an example to my students of a short personal narrative.

T-minus…

By Pete Darragh

A firm but gentle hand shook my shoulder, as I slowly became aware of my dad. “Peter, do you still want to get up? We only have a few minutes left.”

“Yeah dad, I’m ready.”

As I rolled out of bed, I noticed that it was still dark outside. The orange streetlight was glaring into my room, and I could just tell everything was quiet. Our cat Moonshadow prowled across my bedroom floor. There were only a few reasons I woke up when it was still dark out. Either my uncle was taking me fishing, or my dad and I were going to watch something special happen. I put on my robe and slippers, and went out to the front room.

My dad was already in the kitchen making hot chocolate. The light from the kitchen was so bright, but my eyes were slowly adjusting. My mom was still asleep because it was around 3:00 AM. This was a school day, and I knew I would be tired later, but my teacher would understand.

My dad came out with the hot chocolate. The mug was really hot. We turned the television on and switched channels until we found what we were looking for. The news broadcast showed a blue sky over Florida. There were birds flying around and a huge clock with a countdown timer going. There was less than one minute left on the clock. Dad sat down next to me, and we sipped our hot chocolate together. I wondered if he was burning his tongue too.

Closer and closer – I knew what would happen, but was really excited anyway. Sitting on the shelf nearby was a model of the space shuttle. In just a few seconds we would watch the real space shuttle thunder off toward space.

T-minus 10 seconds. 9, 8, 7, 6, 5… I sat closer to the edge of the couch, dared a quick glance at dad and smiled.

“Main engine start, 2, 1.. Liftoff of the space shuttle!” Announced the commentator, the excitement rising in his voice.

Dad and I watched as the space shuttle slowly cleared the launch tower, climbing towards the heavens. Birds scattered from Cape Canaveral, and white smoke billowed out from the thrusters and main engines. The shuttle began to roll around, gaining ever more and more speed. Soon, it would be going over 2000 miles per hour and then the thrusters would drop off the sides. The astronauts onboard must be having quite a ride!

After less than a minute, cameras could no longer follow the shuttle, it was too far away. The hot chocolate in my mug was cooler now; I forgot to drink it during the launch. Dad turned off the television and I headed off to bed.

“When is the next one dad?” I asked.

“I don’t know, but we’ll be sure to watch it!”

I laid down in my bed to catch a few hours sleep before school. As I fell back asleep, I thought of the astronauts on the space shuttle, looking down at Earth. Maybe they thought of all the people watching the launch, from their televisions, like my dad and I.

Update: My Planted Aquarium

I've had my new "hobby" up and running for a few months now. Generally, it is going very well and I haven't had too many problems. I put a stronger full spectrum light with more wattage on it and most of my plants are growing like gangbusters. I installed a more reliable heater and put in two powerheads. The soil under the gravel seems to be working and it hasn't made a mess. There have been a few unfortunate fish deaths, but not many, and I have around 40 fish in the tank. I think I could add a few more, but everyone is happy, so I'm not going to mess with it. Besides, my platys had a few babies! There are two that have survived the wild world of big fish and hide almost all the time. One is featured in the video below (a little out of focus). It is really small with gigantic eyes. Some of my favorite fish are my clown loaches. These were a little tough to keep happy at first. Two died, and I got two more and they are doing really well. They are very shy but interact with each other a lot, and almost have a little personality. I have a snail population explosion going on, and am in the process of culling the herd. The loaches eat baby snails, but just cannot keep up with the little hermaphroditic egg layers.

In the video you'll notice the water looks a little green. My filter that I got with the tank off craigslist is lame. The filter material clogs up quickly and I have to frequently buy new ones - from WalMart. I hate shopping at WalMart. So, I ordered a new canister filter that will be here on Thursday. It has very good reviews and should clear up the water quickly. I actually read that it will "polish" the water. We'll see. When I started this I was a little worried about the time commitment for a 55 gallon fish tank, but it has been totally manageable. Besides, Charlotte and Elise love sitting in their high chairs and watching the fish.

It is nice to have a hobby besides astronomy. There just have not been clear nights lately. I would love to pull out my telescope and check out Mars and some winter sky stuff, but that darn El Niño!

I used my new Flip video camera for this and the flip video editing software - so no fancy iMovie stuff. It is basic and quick and works. Enjoy!

Seattle Aquarium Visit

On Sunday we met my parents, and Tim and Meghan in Seattle for a visit to the aquarium! Steph and I were quite adventurous and walked on to the Bremerton ferry - with just the girls and their stuff - No car for us! It was really great to take my daughters somewhere where I spent many hours as a kid. There have been many changes to the aquarium over the years, but it is still a place where family can enjoy the animals and each other. The looks on the girls' faces were priceless! We had a wonderful time and finished with lunch at Red Robin and a stop at Magic Mouse toys in Pioneer Square. Finally it was time to end the day with the ferry ride home and two very tired, but happy little girls.

Holiday Spirit

Getting ready for Christmas has never been so much fun! Charlotte especially thinks so! Enjoy her holiday spirit - you may need to adjust your computer's volume...

Fish Tank - Up and Running, Finally

I've been working on a 55 gallon freshwater, planted tank for about 3 weeks. After tons of research, I planted it with some nice little freshwater plants and started a "fishless cycle". This involved adding pure ammonia until enough bacteria multiply and can convert the ammonia to nitrite. Then... I had to wait until there were enough bacteria to convert the nitrite to nitrAte. A few weeks, lots of water chemistry tests, and a little dose of patience later it was ready. It is pretty amazing that there are enough bacteria to completely neutralize a tablespoon of ammonia in about 8 hours. I went to Petsmart this weekend, for lack of a better local fish store, and bought 35 fish. There is an amazing pet/fish store near where I grew up called Denn'y Pet World, but it is just too far to go. I added the following fish:

- 6 Zebra Danios

- 6 Buenas Aires Tetras

- 3 Honey Gouramis

- 3 Clown Loaches

- 4 Cardinal Tetras

- 10 Neon Tetras

- 3 Green Corys

So far, after 24 hours, I have had 4 casualties (3 Zebras Danios and 1 Cardinal Tetra). The beauty of doing a fishless cycle and waiting is that the tank was ready for a large fish load all at once. There are no "sacrificial" fish that are used to get it going - they usually die and it is a waste of money and cruel. Tonight, everyone seems happy, and helpfully I won't have too many more fatalities. Charlotte and Elise really enjoy sitting and watching the fish - I'm glad because I want them to enjoy it!

From Pete Darragh

Charlotte and Elise - Almost 6 months!

Our beautiful girls are almost 6 months old! This Friday we'll celebrate the big day with their first servings of rice cereal and lots of hugs. Stephanie and I enjoy each and every moment that we spend with them - the blessings continue to grow each day. Both girls have made it through their first colds, are doing wonderfully at daycare (They call them the "Happy Twins"!), are purposefully playing and watching us, and laughing a bunch of cute baby laughs! I'll be posting something special on Friday. In the mean time, here are the honey o'bunnies in a bunch of cute photos!