Happy Birthday Baby Boy

Tomorrow is baby boy’s birthday, as he lives in Asia he is already celebrating.

The thing is, Tyler doesn’t do birthdays – he does birth months. He’s a bit of a chameleon who always makes friends from a wide range of cliques. When he lived at home this usually meant a party with the jocks, followed by a party with the drama kids, followed by a party with the math geeks, followed with a party with the exchange students, followed by a party with the home boys, followed by a party with the family, and on and on it goes. What can I say, baby boy likes a good party.

Happy birthday baby boy, we love you!

Mom, Dad, Tex and Maggie

The Incredible Journey

I’m glad it’s Saturday, as this week got off to a rocky start in our little household. On Monday both Tom and I had to leave on separate business trips. Tom went to Vancouver Island with a group of airline executives while I headed to Pittsburgh for a conference.

When I called Tom from the Chicago airport ( where I was stranded for over 7 hours due to bad weather on the east coast), I found out that he had dropped something really, really heavy on his big toe. Imagine the roadrunner dropping a hundred pound weight on the coyote and you get the general idea. I assured myself that things had to get better and continued on my journey.

I really wanted to like Pittsburgh, but the truth is I just wasn’t feeling the love. Part of the problem was the fact that I was stuck downtown in a depressing conference hotel. Like many American cities, the downtown core of Pittsburgh has a 9 to 5 feel to it, becoming a ghost town at night. I was feeling more than a little homesick.

During the conference someone casually mentioned that Falling Water was only a few hours drive from Pittsburgh. The wheels in my head starting turning, if I could just find my way there I was pretty sure this whole bad experience would lead to redemption. The main obstacle was you can’t just show up at Falling Water and ask to borrow a cup of sugar, you need a reservation to visit Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece, which is often completely booked at least a year in advance. The hotel concierge assured me that the whole idea was impossible.

To make a long story short, I ended up meeting a PR chick who hooked me up. Not only did I make it to Falling Water but I was also able to visit Kentuck Nob, another FLW house. It was a magical, life affirming experience. The clouds parted and the sun shone as I drove through the beautiful Pennsylvanian countryside - the small towns I passed through reminded me of a John Cougar Mellencamp song - not to mention that Falling Water was everything I hoped it would be.

It has been my experience that the best things in life are unplanned - I guess my trip to Pittsburgh PA wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Tom's Amazing Photo

Tom Does Chewbacca

My Little Bunny

When Tyler was a little boy, one of my favorite rituals was the bedtime story. There’s something sacred about it – the warmth of the covers, flushed cheeks, that unmistakable little boy smell.

The Runaway Bunny was one of our favorite books, but eventually we stopped reading it, due to the fact that it always brought a lump to the throat. The story is about a little bunny who decides to run away from home. If he threatens to leave on a sailboat, his mother says she’ll be the wind in his sails – if he intends to run away to the circus, she becomes the tight rope he walks on – anyway, you get the general idea.

Tyler is now a beautiful young man, living on the other side of the world. He’s doing exactly what he should be doing at his age; exploring, asking himself the big questions, making a life. And even though I may not email or call him everyday, he is always in my heart.

I carry the image of the runaway bunny with me, and like to think that our love will follow him everywhere.

Catching ZZZZZ's

A few days ago I decided to pamper myself with a visit to the spa. After a few hours of a heavenly stone massage, my handsome masseuse pointed out that I was a first for him. Apparently at some point in the procedure I dozed off and started snoring……loudly snoring.

This whole snoring thing is getting out of hand. Don’t even ask me about sharing a tiny berth with Carla while sailing in the Queen Charlotte's – let’s just say that I owe her – big time.

Throughout my life I’ve been known to sleep walk, talk in my sleep and experience lucid dreams. Several times a week, during a deep sleep, I jerk upright and emit a piercing shriek, scaring the hell out of my family. But until this year I never snored.

I realize I’m not an easy person to sleep with – kudos to Tom for not giving up on a me. I’m just not sure what to do about the snoring thing. My Dr. suggested that I strap a tennis ball to the back of my head – which would force me to sleep on my side. Surely there has to be a better solution!

The Other Man

As much as it pains me to admit this, my husband seems to have developed a man crush on Tiger Woods. I try to make light of it, but in all honesty it would be easier to deal with another woman. The only way I’m going to be able to compete is with a killer golf game - and we all know that’s never going to happen.

Mount Robson on drugs

Just a fun shot taken by Tom, while on board the Rocky Mountaineer.

Spring Tides

During our recent pug walks, we’ve noticed a dramatic fluctuation in the tides. Some of the highest highs and lowest lows we’ve seen since living on the seawall. Apparently the earth, sun and moon are all aligned – increasing their pull on mother earth’s oceans.

A reminder that everything really is connected….

Pugs for Obama

Several of the people who read my blog have commented on the strange and unusual noises coming out of Maggie. Even though her little vocalizations are usually a precursor to either breakfast or dinner, Tom, Tyler and I have always managed to convince ourselves that she was actually trying to say “I love you”.

Over the past few days we’ve noticed that her “I love you” has morphed into “Obama”. Granted it’s a little strange, but no surprise considering Tom has been glued to CNN, watching all of the recent Democratic election coverage.

Even though our family doesn’t always agree on politics, we're all very excited about the idea of Obama for President. I hate to resort to using a cliché, but it really does feel like we are entering a new era.

The truth is, whoever wins the general election is facing difficult times. It will take our world years and years to recover from the damage inflicted by the Bush Administration.

But for the Ryan family, President Obama will signify a return to intelligence, respect, diplomacy - and hope for the future.

Cody

The coolest Haida watchman on the planet.

QC - The Movie