in-between

We're in-between trips right now.  Somehow, though, we're just as busy as if we weren't here.  I don't know how it is possible, but every single day of summer has had something going on.  If it isn't cousins, it's horses.  If not horses, then swimming lessons, sometimes it's all 3, and the list goes on.

The kids have seen LOTS of cousins this summer.  When we got home from Utah, Janie came from Denver to stay with us for a few days.  The girls all had fun sleeping over (a luxury since mom is mean and won't allow non-family sleepovers), swimming, going to a movie, and spending time at Galloping Grace.

I loved that Grace was inclined to play with toys other than star wars legos and video games with Janie.  Unfortunately, little sister wasn't too happy about their alliance.  However, just when I was about to be completely confused that Grace had been playing with ?barbies and princess dolls?  I found that she had instead been launching them from the balcony.  Poor Prince Charming needs hip surgery now

Who DOESN'T look cute in 3D glasses?

Last weekend, cousins Clare and Jeremiah came from San Diego and picked up Ben in Phoenix on the way to hang out for the 4th of July and Grandma Barbara's birthday.   What a whirlwind weekend.  On the 4th of July, we were lucky to come upon a gathering of WWII Navajo soldiers in Old Town Albuquerque.   They were selling and signing their books about the Navajo Code Talkers during the war.  It was so cool to "meet" a piece of history in person.

Our 4th of July weekend ended with a bunch of Chapman party-poopers who didn't want to go see fireworks.  Grace, our incredibly patriotic child who looks forward to 4th of July fireworks nearly as much as she looks forward to Santa, was dismayed to find no one, not even her sister, wanting to head out to see them.  I knew she'd be weeks getting over it if we didn't go, so I planned to take her no matter what.  In the end, she also recruited Aunt Christine to go with us.  Rio Rancho did not disappoint.  I'd go back to their fireworks again for sure.   The weekend was so crazy and busy with all of the people, activities, and extra plus extra dogs, I never thought to pull out my camera until the end of the 4th.

David just wanted one, JUST ONE weekend away from everything to sleep in a tent and commune with nature.  Unfortunately, New Mexico is pretty much on fire from all directions, so most usable open space is closed.   No camping, mountain biking, hiking, or even biking to work along the Bosque.  I like my solution - camping inside, in the air conditioning with plumbing, tv, and pizza.  The girls even made little paper camp fires!  It's not much like a nature hike, but these two are near qualifying as untamed wildlife this summer anyway.  We're heading into night #4 in the tent tonight.

Galloping Grace and swimming have kept us very busy and very tired.  I'm so grateful for both, though. The girls have relished their horsey time this summer.  Grace has a growing log of all the different horses she's ridden.  She's really loving this little red Arab named Coco (he's in all the pics below.)  He reminds me a lot of my old pony, Uni.  Harriet found herself trotting all by herself the other day.  She was great until she got scared and couldn't stop Flame.  I rescued her crying from his back and told her she'd have to tell her sister that she got Flame to trot all by herself.  All I heard in the car all the way home was Harriet chatting a mile a minute about how Flame "totally trotted" and she was riding "like, all by myself", etc. etc.  It was really cool to hear her bragging about herself and reliving an awesome moment.  It's usually Grace who does that as we drive to and from activities.

It's been really incredible to see Harriet doing some activities that she truly loves as opposed to activities she's forced into trying and enduring to the end of them.  Swimming has been amazing for her.  Harriet literally SMILES for the full hour of her swimming lesson, whether her head is in the water, or out.  She just grins ear to ear.  She has never smiled that long doing anything in her life.  She is turning into a little mermaid and getting to be a very strong and confident swimmer.

Just as David and I were commenting to ourselves that it's too bad Grace won't be braver about opening her eyes in the water and still has to stop half way across the pool; that Harriet might even be passing her up... Grace's swim instructor started up about what a natural "egg-beater" water polo kick she has and that she's never seen a kid be able to do it like that without any instruction.  She said Grace should really take a crack at doing it.  Water polo?  Really?  Of all the things in the list of activities and interests I thought my kids might be doing, Grace just keeps coming up with the strangest things - that I would have never thought of on my own.  Karate came out of nowhere, and now I'm told I have a natural at water polo.  I don't even know what water polo is!

My little treat for myself this weekend, as the kids have been literally camped in the living room - I have given up all housework.  Well, I have washed riding clothes and swimming suits, but that's it.  I haven't cooked or cleaned in about a week.  It's been great to just sit and read during the few moments we're home.  Usually, it gives me hives to try to sit in a dirty room and relax, but I have just let the house crash around me.  David has been trying to make a dent, poor guy.  I need to kick it into high gear starting tomorrow though, or we'll never be ready to leave for our next adventure.  Summer stop #3:  Boston!

Michelle went to Seattle! (with David) Summer Stop #2

I have wanted to go to Seattle since I was in my junior year of high school.  That might have been almost 2 decades ago.  I remember my driver's ed class in September of my sophomore year, this new girl named Jacqueline came into class (complete with that cool new-girl smell) and sat down at the desk next to me with her awesome portable CD player and headphones.  She pulled a CD out of her bag.  The cover was fascinating.  The band's name:  Nirvana.  She never listened to a word our driver's ed teacher said, I got to know her a little bit, but that CD, and all that went with it, would define my personality for a long time.  Enter:  Seattle grunge music.  Pearl Jam followed closely after and I was hooked.  Singles quickly became my favorite movie and still is.  The fact that Kurt Cobain killed himself just before high school graduation made the grunge frame around my high school years even more defined.  I would have loved a chance to go to Seattle during that time and see all those bands play in the little local clubs where they all started.

Thanks to David's insane travel schedule this year which included the PVSC conference in Seattle, I finally made it there.   Even if it was 19 years later, and my "local grunge music" experience was reduced to a handful artifacts and a listening station in a museum and I made it "nowhere near the neighborhood" where Singles was mostly filmed.  It was a really awesome city to visit and I had a grand time with David and our friends we've met through his school and work over the years.

Here's the photo tour of "wife day camp" (while David and colleagues were at the conference all day, the spouses, mostly wives, got to live it up in the city.)

Mt. St. Helens as we were flying in:

 Pioneer Square - someone has knitted stockings for the trees and lamp-posts?  cool.

 drawbridge at the lake lock system

baby salmon swimming upstream at the locks

neat water art

Shopping... I can't remember ever shopping that much in one weeks time.  There were just so many cool stores so close together.  I actually didn't buy that much, but got my good fill of window shopping.  My favorite purchase of the trip:  a new pair of Dr. Marten calf-height, lace-up, cherry red boots.  My first pair in about 15 years.   Now I just need the weather to cool in Albuquerque so I can break them in!

Pike Place Market - I spent hours here and went at least once every day.  I could not get enough of this market!

 Fresh fish at the market:  I ate seafood for every single meal except maybe 3 I can think of.

 G-ORGEOUS flowers at the market.  I've never seen so many FRESH fresh cut flowers in my life!  And, for like 10 bucks a bunch!

 The Gum Wall.  Made complete now with my lime green piece of key lime pie gum.  My friend's daughter gave me a piece.  Gum just shouldn't taste like pie crust.  I was glad to spit it out and stick it on.

 The Seattle Aquarium - I loved this aquarium because it really focused on all the local sea life and was so naturally done.  Most of the tanks are filled with water that just flows in from Puget Sound.

(yep, the ugliest octopus I've ever seen, wait, the only octopus I've ever seen...)

I couldn't get over the amazing anemones and tide pool creatures.

 The day camp wives:  Julie, Michelle, Sara...  BFF's see ya next summer!  (or, probably here in Albuquerque soon too.)

Glasshouse Studio - I had no idea that glass blowing was such a big part of Seattle art.  The blown glass exhibits everywhere from the hotel to the city centre to the art museum were incredible.  We stopped by this studio in Pioneer Square to watch it be done one day.  I love the dog that just hangs out on the floor as they blow glass right above him.

 Um... I couldn't afford to take home more than a small trinket of said blown glass, but it is sure pretty!

 Lake tour - Lake Union and Lake Washington - floating houses!  I've never imagined parking a sailboat at your front door.  How cool is that?

Gas Works Park on Lake Union:  I love the stark contrast between the soft greenery of the park and the harsh leftovers of industry that they have chosen to leave as a sort of monument to how far they've come in making their city one of the "greenest" cities I've ever been in.

Lake Washington, is apparently where all the rich people of the planet live.  We boated by the Bill Gates estate, his fellow Microsoft guy, Paul Allen's house (he is also the one who founded the EMP) some other dude who invented amazon.com, you know, all the important people in the world.  

 Space Needle and EMP:

The Experience Music Project is pretty amazing.  I wished the whole time that Grace was with me.  She would have loved it all, especially this tower of guitars in the center.  She would have been a great fellow band member to have in the little concert simulator since she can actually play the guitar.

Smells Like Teen Spirit... anyone recognize that sweater?  Back in the day when MTV played actual music videos?  What about that MTV video award.  (It actually is engraved "Smells Like Team Spirit.")

At the top of the space needle.  Flash off...

 Flash on...

A little rain?  Actually, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it did not rain on us the entire trip, only a little here and there.  We actually had a few sunny days, but, I was chilly most of the time.  It just seemed unnatural to spend a summer vacation wishing you had brought more sweaters.  Thanks Seattle!  I'll have to come back sometime again. Oh, and p.s. a huge thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Chapman for keeping the girls alive and well while we were gone!!

David went to Germany

and took 10 pictures on his iphone.  Maybe he will use this space to tell us about it.