Edmonton, Eh?!

Baking and Sledding

2011-12-05T13:16:00.004-07:00

We Still Exist! Update: Summer 2011

2011-09-16T13:51:00.006-06:00

Don't worry; we're still here! Things have just been crazy. Ian feverishly prepared for, took, and passed his doctoral exams at the University of Alberta. He is now well on his way toward completing his PhD in Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel...'only' the dissertation left to go (a big 'only'). Sally is now working 2-3 days a week as a home-health nurse in Edmonton. So she and Ian get to split spending time at home with Ruth, which the little one really appreciates, they think. And Ruth is walking, talking, and generally wreaking havoc everywhere she goes :) But she's adorable doing it. Here are some summery photos (pun intended):

(Somehow Ian avoided having his image captured all summer long...)

A Visitor!

2011-05-21T20:48:00.003-06:00

While Ian is in quarantine in our bedroom, with the stomach flu, I decided to have a date with the computer and update our blog about my sister's recent visit.

My sister decided to take her vacation time to come visit us here in Edmonton and decided on the 2nd week of May. I was a bit nervous this might be a bit early in the season to ensure good weather in Edmonton, but it turned out to be great weather! It rained a bit the day she arrived, but was sunny and warm the rest of the time. The trees even started to bloom and she caught a glimpse of what summer in Edmonton is like.

As you can see from the photos below, we had a great time and stayed busy. Ruth had a wonderful time with "Auntie" and was so worn out by the end of the visit that she literally feel asleep in her lunch after we dropped my sister off at the airport. I also had a wonderful time and noticed we were on the go more than I am used to, but I managed to keep from falling asleep in my lunch. :)

Ruth walked the entire 4 blocks to this park near our house, although she didn't quite make it the whole way back. She didn't want to be carried home, but rather kept wanting to sit down in the middle of the sidewalk to rest. Needless to say, this wasn't going to work and I ended up carrying her, although she protested a bit.

We also spent some time inside just hanging out, catching up, and playing with Ruth.

We spent one morning at this great rec center. Their indoor pool area is quite impressive. As you can see, they have two indoor slides and the blue one Ruth enjoyed! She was able to sit on our laps and go down. She kept wanting to go down time after time and we finally did something else after almost 10 times down in a row. We also spent time in their toddler splash park area and floating along in the lazy river. I explained to my sister that when winter lasts 6 months out of the year here, you have to build fun stuff inside.

Ian offered to stay with Ruth one evening, while we had a nice time out at the Edmonton Art Gallery. I love the building itself.

I think we both look a bit odd in this photo, but I couldn't resist posting it.

This photo shows the west end of downtown in the background and the N. Saskatchewan River. We were just finishing up a very long, but enjoyable walk.

During the same walk above, we stopped for a break at the University. Ruth, on the other hand, was ready to get out of the stroller and conquer the stairs.

Thanks for your visit Amo.

Time Flies in Alberta

2011-04-22T17:52:00.004-06:00

Whoa, the last month+ has just flown by. Lots of big events up here in the great white North. (Yes, until last week the ground was still white; we had about four inches of snow on April 14!) In the last few weeks, Ian finished up his final semester of courses, Sally finally got her provisional Canadian nursing license and got a job doing home health care, and Ruth has become quite the walker and talker (well sort of...she babbles a lot and likes to say "ball" and "shoes" constantly, among other random things). So lots of big changes in a short amount of time. The last day of classes at the U of A was Sally's first day at work, so there was no rest for the weary; Ian went directly from coursework/TA duties to stay-at-home dad. Sally is working 2-3 days/week for now, so for the next couple of months Ian will be a part-time house-husband/dad while preparing for his doctoral candidacy exams, which happen in July and August. (Then *only* the dissertation is left...) Sally has some studying ahead of her as well. The last step in her licensing process (which has dragged on forever) is to take the Canadian nursing boards in October. If all goes well then she will finally be a Canadian RN after 2+ years of sending stuff to Ottawa and waiting. Here are some recent snapshots:

p.s. Ian turned 30 this month.

February

2011-03-02T11:09:00.006-07:00

Posing for the camera after a nice long walk through the neighborhood

As you can see from the above photos, we are still in the throes of winter. We haven't seen temperatures above zero F in a week or so. Therefore, after feeling a bit housebound and rubbery from lack of exercise, I decided it was time to try out our new Chariot and go for a walk. The Chariot, although a little long and sometimes a bit awkward getting out of an apartment complex, is a great piece of equipment. Ruth was fast asleep in less than 5 minutes, snuggled in her snow suit and sheltered by the wind. I probably could have used a face guard, since I later noticed I had quite the wind burn, but I was mostly comfortable and found it easy to pull her along in the fresh snow. I'm not sure how much we will use the Chariot this winter, but we are hoping to get a lot of use out of it this summer. It can be converted to a bike trailer and Edmonton has a great bike trail system.

Here are some other snap shots of our February.

Ruth "reading"-- you may notice the book is upside-down. She does know the correct way to flip through a book though.

Ruth's Justin Bieber look

The day Ruth learned how to stand and walk without a prop

One Year- January 16, 2011

2011-01-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

It is really quite amazing to think that one year ago this little girl came into our lives and we become parents. As any parent knows, it is hard to put into words this extraordinary journey. One thing I can say though, is this year has been filled with lots of joys, cries, amazement, learning, laughs, smiles, and wonderment. Along with practical points of parenting: poos, walks, story times, rocking, burping, feeding, soothing...

Thanks for sharing this year with us.

January 2010

February 2010

March 2010

April 2010

May 2010

June 2010

July 2010

August 2010

September 2010

October 2010

November 2010

December 2010

January 2011

More photos of Christmas 2010

2011-01-20T19:29:00.007-07:00

Here are some more photos of our time during Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's.

Cooking with Grandma

Playing in the kitchen

Walking with Daddy

I can't title this one. I just love it!

The "perfect" family photo- ha, ha

Here's till next time (wink).

Dedicated to our friends J & L... THANKS!

2011-01-16T20:23:00.005-07:00

In connection with our last post I thought it appropriate to dedicate a special post to our dear friends J & L, entitled Thanks!

As previously noted, our return trip from Christmas break, took a total of 24 hours from door to door.

It started off with Ian's mom graciously driving us to the airport, which was approximately a 2 hour drive. Our first flight went smoothly; we landed in Chicago and had a 3 hour lay-over.

The 3 hour lay-over was a bit longer than I wanted, but not a big deal. We had a nice lunch, fed and changed Ruth and were all ready for leg 2 of our trip. After hearing our zone called, we boarded the plane and settled into our seats, Ruth in my lap. I knew Ruth was tired, so I was very happy when she fell asleep in my arms and I too closed my eyes and was quickly asleep.

However, after awakening after what felt like a long time, I opened my eyes to realize an hour and a half had gone by and we had not gone anywhere! The plane was apparently over weight by 1100 lbs! Five people were taken off board, as well as their luggage and almost 2 hours later we on our way. However, right as we were taking off Ruth awoke, with just enough sleep not to fall back to sleep, but not enough to be rested. Needless to say, our 3.5 hour flight to Calgary was not fun. However, we made it and I was very happy to be on the ground.

After going through customs, we had to recheck our bags, which unfortunately included a 45 minute session of standing in line. Once we arrived at the desk, the clerk informed us that we had in fact missed our flight to Edmonton (not surprised), but that we would be placed on stand-by for the 10 pm flight, three hours from then. Again, three hours was longer than I wanted to wait, but it would have to do.

When it came time to board the 10 pm flight, three stand-by passengers were called ahead of us before we heard the dreaded words "The 10 pm flight to Edmonton is now full. No more passengers will be accommodated at this time." I was distraught! We were all tired and Ruth was hyper/fussy and on the verge of a major melt-down! So, Ian and I did the only thing that we could do, and took turns walking Ruth up and down the airport hallway as we waited for the 12 am flight. Luckily, we did make this flight and I have to say it was thankfully a quick, painless flight. :)

As we arrived in Edmonton, although now almost 2 am, I was happy to be home and very happy we had good friends here that were willing to pick us up in the middle of the night.

I wish I could say the story ended there and we were in our beds within the hour, but that is was not the case. As you may remember from our previous post, I mentioned the airlines had lost our car seat. The airlines had given us a loaner car seat to use until ours was delivered to us at our parent's home. However, it was never delivered and deemed "lost". So, the instructions given to us was to return the seat on our way home and we would be given another loaner in Edmonton until ours could be replaced.

As I am sure you have already guessed, there were no loaner car seats in Edmonton. It was 2 am and all I could think was "Couldn't one thing go right?"

While I was panicking and on the verge of a melt-down myself, Ian was calm and collective. (I love my husband!) We quickly talked about our options and the only one that we seemed to have was to borrow one from our friends who were waiting to pick us up. So, Ian drove back with our friend to his house to pick up a car seat, while Ruth and I waited at the airport. Thankfully, our friend was driving our car, so he was able to "drop himself off" at his house, while Ian drove back to pick Ruth and I up at the airport.

It is a 25 minute drive one-way from our friend's house to the airport, so we finally arrived back to our house around 3:30 am (5:30 am EST), making our trip 24 hours. Whew~!

However tired we were and frazzled after Ruth finally had her melt-down in the car from the airport to our apartment, we were overwhelmed by the generosity of our friends to help us out when we needed it. Our friend J finally got into bed at 2:30 am, after originally committing to pick us up at 8:30 pm! (He apparently had a busy week and I'm sure getting into bed late didn't help).

So, to you J & L, we dedicate this post to you, with a Huge Thank You!

Lots of blogging to do... Christmas 2010

2011-01-16T19:43:00.006-07:00

Despite missing multiple flights, having our credit card number stolen while stranded in Chicago, having the airlines lose our car seat, and having a 24 hour travel adventure home we had a wonderful Christmas. :) (We seriously did).

We spent one week with my family and one week with Ian's family, taking full advantage of the end of my maternity leave and Ian's break from school. We ate and talked and laughed, went on walks, played with Ruth and her toys, played some games, but most of all enjoyed each others company.

So, although our travels were not as smooth as we had hoped, we come away VERY thankful that we had the chance to go home to see our families for the holidays! (Although getting onto an airplane right now doesn't sound too appealing). ha, ha

Hope you all enjoyed your Christmas too. :)

Opa opening his gift from Oma- a picture of the with the grandkids

If you want a picture with Oma, you have to join her in the kitchen. :)

My sister loves to cook!

Ready for our walk

This is my new friend

Priceless

* Our camera died, so I'll have to get some pictures of our time at Ian's parents from "Grandma"

Recent Snapshots and Videos of the Little One

2010-11-12T08:10:00.012-07:00

New stuff at our house

2010-11-04T19:14:00.005-06:00

There are lots of new things at our house to share. We find there are new things everyday. Of course I am talking about new things with Ruth. What else takes up all of our time these days?

She has begun clapping her hands, rocking to music, signing "more" (kind of), and the big one for us is she has begun to crawl. We spent last weekend baby-proofing our house, which has made this week a lot easier for me. However, she learned how to climb over my blockade today, which was supposed to keep her away from the bike that sits in our living room. (That's what happens when you don't have storage space). Also, just yesterday we saw a tooth coming through.

This news can only mean one thing, our little girl is growing up! I sometimes wonder how this has all happened, although I have been here to witness it all. So, although some days are inevitably long, I am acutely aware that these times are precious and in 2 months my maternity leave will be over! Therefore, we continue to enjoy our time together and hope you all enjoy our sharing it with you.

eating

2010-10-21T21:56:00.003-06:00

Pureed peas

Plus canned pureed pumpkin and unsweetened applesauce

Equals one happy girl!

Second Trip to SC

2010-10-03T14:43:00.005-06:00

Here is the post that I promised some of you all awhile ago. Time really does fly by!

Ruth and I made another trip to SC just 2 weeks after arriving home with Ian from his parent's home. It was a last minute decision to go, but we decided to make the trip when we found out that my brother and his family were flying in for a visit. It's not too often that we get all of us together these days, so Ruth and I flew down for a surprise visit. It really was a great trip, minus not having Ian there. It was very sweet of him to let Ruth and I go play for a week, while he was in Edmonton working. Thank you darling!

Here are some photos that captured just a bit of our fun:

Amy, Dale, and I with Ruth and Micah along the boardwalk

Oma and Opa with the grandkids!

Ruth and I enjoying the view and the great beach weather.

Opa and Micah hanging out (literally for Micah!)

Moira, Emma, Aunt Amy, and Ruth

* Great Gramps and Norma, along with Willy and Brigid (Moira's sister) were there, but my computer won't let me post anymore photos. You'll just have to believe me. :)

long time no blog post

2010-09-07T10:47:00.009-06:00

Hello to those of you who check our blog. Sorry about the long delay. I guess we have just been busy, or I've just been slack. Maybe a bit of both.

To catch you up, since our last post we had a wonderful trip to SC. We enjoyed a great 2 weeks at Ian's parents. Grandma and Grandpa loved being with Ruth, while Ian and I loved having an extra 2 sets of hands. :) Ruth also met her Great Grandma Kate for the first time and was introduced to her "Aunt Briahnna" and "Uncle Tim", along with their two children, Jadyn and Isaiah. We also had Ruth meet several of our friends that live far away (although we sadly only remembered our camera for our visit at the Smith's). We also had the privilege of seeing Aunt Amy and Mr. Willy again, along with a short visit from Oma and Opa (Sally's parents). What a great trip. Here are a few snap shots:

Ruth and Grandpa

Ruth and Grandma

Our dear friends: Derrick

and Meghan

Ruth at the Greenville Children's Museum

Falling asleep while eating

Since returning to Edmonton, life has been full as Fall begins and summer ends.

I, Sally, have enjoyed playing kickball this summer with our great team "Just Kick It". We have lost every game so far, but have had a blast. We have our last game tonight and although we still have a chance to win one, I'm not holding my breath. :) It's been a great time for me to have an evening out, while Ian has had Dad time all to himself.

Sorry no photos

Ruth and I have also continued to enjoy the other moms and babies in our amazing mom's group. We continue to get together one to two times a week for a walk, time at the park, or just hang out time. We have discovered that Ruth loves to swing and that like her mom, enjoys being out and about. Things will probably start to change (we probably won't have the freedom to meet twice a week), as moms start back to work after maternity leave, but it's been a great ride so far. We moved around furniture and had everyone here last Friday. It was a blast.

As for other days, life has been filled with small, but joyous moments with Ruth. It's been a great summer, but I'm excited about Fall with new routines and things ahead.

Jasper and Folkfest 2010

2010-08-08T15:33:00.008-06:00

Last week was a busy one. We spent three days camping in Jasper National Park and then spent Saturday at Edmonton's thirty-first annual folk music festival. The Folkfest is a pretty big deal. This year the event featured Van Morrison, Ben Harper, Jakob Dylan, and lots of other very talented performers on seven different stages over five days. Taking a six-month-old to an outdoor music festival presented some challenges, as did tent camping in the Canadian Rockies, but Ruth did really well. Here are some photos from our week:

ruth sitting

2010-07-31T08:33:00.002-06:00

our days...

2010-07-26T17:27:00.004-06:00

Life as "mom" has been lots of fun.

Museums, Museums, Museums

2010-07-02T08:48:00.009-06:00

Last week Sally's parents ventured up to Canada for a visit. We had a very nice time and were able to see a bit more of what Alberta has to offer. We made our first visit to the newly opened Art Gallery of Alberta, which currently has a nifty M. C. Escher exhibit. Here's a shot of the building in downtown Edmtonton, a work of art itself:

We also made a drive down to Drumheller in the Canadian badlands, about 4 hours southeast of Edmonton. Drumheller is home to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology. The museum houses one of the largest collection of dinosaur fossils in the world. Drumheller is a sleepy little town in the middle of nowhere, but the museum is tremendous and well worth the drive. Here are some photos from the museum and our visit to the badlands:

On our way back from Drumheller we made a pit stop in Wetaskiwin to visit the Reynolds-Alberta Museum, a collection of machinery from the 19th and 20th centuries: cars, bicycles, tractors, airplanes, you name it. As we often do, Sally and I forgot our camera in the car, so no photos from this leg of the trip. Oh well. Instead, I'll leave you with a cute photo of Ruth hanging out in her new high chair:

Happy Summer Solstice

2010-06-22T09:43:00.004-06:00

Happy Summer Solstice one day late. I wanted to get this on the blog yesterday, but it ended up being a busy day and I didn't get a chance.

Here in Canada the summer solstice is very apparent. Officially the sun rose at 5:04 am and set at 10:07 pm. However, I notice it is already light around 4 am when I am up feeding Ruth and it finally gets dark around 11 pm! We have adjusted as well as one can, but it still feels odd. The other night I was looking out of the window of our apartment and was wondering why it was so quite outside. Then I remembered that it was 10 pm at night. It felt like 6pm. I took a photo, but don't know if it really quite captures the moment.

Happy Summer Solstice!

Ruth 5 months!

2010-06-17T17:25:00.004-06:00

Just Married

2010-06-16T21:34:00.003-06:00

You got it, re-married at 86! Ian and I recently returned from our trip to Cincinnati, Ohio, where we were privileged to watch my 86 year old grandpa get married to his sweet-heart of 5 years, Norma. It was a wonderful celebration of life and a great reminder to live each day to it's fullest.

Here are some other photos of the wedding. We love you Gramps!!!!

Victoria, BC

2010-05-11T19:46:00.004-06:00

This past weekend Sally, Ruth, and I headed to Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, so I could present a paper at the regional AAR/SBL/ASOR meeting, and so we could have a little getaway after a long winter in Edmonton (it snowed here on May 4!). My talk on Judean Pillar Figurines went well and I got some very positive feedback from the ASOR folks. Plus, we got to see the infamous University of Victoria bunnies.

The weather was spectacular while we were there: a little cool and brilliantly sunny. Our home for the long weekend was the Ocean Island Inn, a fun (and clean) hostel right in the heart of the city with very reasonable room rates and a quality, inexpensive café. We were a little worried about taking Ruth to a hostel, but it worked out great (we had a private room, of course). If you're ever in Victoria, you should check it out. The weather was so nice that we just walked around all weekend, not bothering with any of the typical tourist attractions or spending too much cash; it was a restful, rejuvenating weekend. Here are some photos:

Doing the Dishes

2010-04-25T11:02:00.005-06:00

Ruth and I have been enjoying our mornings together. We normally wake up, or should I say Ruth wakes me up, and I feed her. Then I change her diaper, hopefully get her to have a few minutes of "tummy time", and put a new outfit on her for the day. We then head to the kitchen where Ruth will sit in her chair and 'play with her friends'--the dog and the cat that hang from a bar attached to her chair--while I make some breakfast for myself. After this we try to read a few books and then it's time for a nap.

This morning, after our morning ritual, we enjoyed reading some poems from "Where the Sidewalk Ends," by Shel Silverstein. I found that once you get into a silly mind frame it is easy to think "sillilly". :) So, being inspired by Mr. Silverstein, here my thoughts followed.

Ruthie, Ruthie, Ruthie Diane wouldn't stop eating the frying pan.

She licked and she smacked the grease and the crumbs

from day old eggs and a bit of chewing gum.

When the eggs where gone and the pan started to shine

Ruth's bottom lip went out and she started to whine.

Oh no, Oh no "What should I do"?

I guess I will give her a bit more to chew.

So, I gave her some bowls with crusted oatmeal

and a plate with bits of dried banana peal.

She enjoyed so much the sticky juice cup

and the milky spoon with a cereal clump.

I do have to say I enjoyed her new find

It was less chores for me, she was so kind.

So she continued chomping away at cold, stuck spaghetti

made last Thursday in a hurry to get dinner ready.

She licked ten day old stew stuck to the crock pot

and turkey dumpling that was no longer hot.

This continued a few days and at night

I must admit our kitchen no longer looked like a fright.

Then this morning Ruthie let out a burp

and moaned with distress "my belly hurts"!

3 months old!

2010-04-19T11:45:00.004-06:00

Hey Everyone. My parents can't believe that I am already 3 months old. They love taking pictures of me and telling me that I am the cutest baby ever! It really is a great life. :)

Playtime!

I have just discovered my hands

... and how to pose for the camera!

I am now sleeping in my crib. No bassinet for me!

See you guys later

some more photos of Ruth...

2010-04-05T16:59:00.001-06:00

April Fool's

2010-04-01T20:52:00.002-06:00

Earlier this morning, while in our apartment, checking my email I thought "My is it hot in here!"" I looked at our indoor digital thermometer and it read 80 degrees F!

There are many things that I enjoy about our current place of residence, but one thing in particular is that we have large windows that face East making our apartment nice and sunny and also apparently very warm. So, that being the case, Ruth and I enjoyed our morning in short sleeves, windows open without a second thought.

Later that day I decided I wanted to get my exercise, but I also knew I had to do some grocery shopping. So, I combined the two, strapping Ruth into her stroller, we headed out the door to the grocery store on foot.

(Another benefit to our current apartment is it's location. We are just on the edge of downtown. Sure, that comes with some drawbacks; noise, odd characters sometimes walking around.., but it makes for easy access to stores, restaurants, etc. something I have really grown to enjoy).

Along the way, with only a light jacket on and our grocery bags clipped to the stroller, I decided to give Ian a quick call just to say "hello". We exchanged our "hellos" asking each other about our days. Since Ian is inside all day he also asked about the weather. I told him it was nice and sunny, fairly warm (I guessed around 50 F), but with a cool breeze and chillier in the shade. We had our quick chat, since we only pay for 25 minutes a month for our cell phones, and "parted ways".

It is about a mile walk to the grocery store one-way and I had wanted to get my exercise. So, I picked up the pace and quickly warmed up taking off my jacket, leaving me wearing a short-sleeve shirt and jeans. The perfect pick.

We did our shopping and were finishing paying when the cashier noted some clouds had rolled in and that it was darker than usual at this time of day. She said "I wonder if it is going to rain," to which I responded "I hope not because I have to walk home." She wished me well and we were off again.

I did put my jacket back on when we stepped out of the grocery store, but by this time I had a sufficient cool down while shopping, so the jacket wasn't odd. However, I was starting to get a little concerned when I looked up at the sky and did notice the dark clouds over head, as the cashier had noted. The breeze had also picked up quite a bit and it did look as if it would storm. So, I bundled Ruth a little better and started back home at even a faster pace than I had walked to the store.

As we were about half-way home the wind had picked up intensity and we were headed into a very strong head wind. Although I have been told that you should wait one year to jog with your baby, I couldn't help myself and began to jog, hoping to beat whatever was coming. I even considered breaking out into a full out run, if I thought I would be in good enough shape to do so.

Suddenly little things started hitting me. I thought to myself, "maybe some flower petals are falling from the trees with this strong wind (although nothing is yet in bloom here)," when it occurred to me it wasn't flower petals, it was Snow!

The fact that it was snowing on April 1st was not what surprised me, since we do live in Edmonton, AB Canada and we often got April snow storms in Mass. What surprised me was that not an hour earlier it was Spring!

It was now snowing very hard when I finally got to our front door. I was out of breathe and thinking about how unprepared I was for this weather in my light jacket.

Then out of the blue I heard the weather say "April Fool's!" and I couldn't help but smile.

Tickle my Tum!

2010-03-16T21:44:00.002-06:00

Here are a couple recent videos of Ruthie playing on her mat:

Photos!

2010-03-07T10:00:00.005-07:00

Hello folks. We have been out of the loop for a while, trying to settle into parenthood. Stay tuned for a more thorough update from Sally... In the meantime, here are some recent photos:

Ruthie Diane!!!!!!

2010-02-08T15:06:00.002-07:00

Twas the day before Monday when all through the flat
Not a creature was stirring except on her mat
The diaper needed changing with tender care
In hopes that no diaper rash would ever be there.

Ruthie was happy to look up at Mama
While cooing contently in pink pajama
With Mama changing baby I donned my cap
And had just settled down for a short cap nap

When at the mat there arose such a clatter
I sprang from my couch to see what was the matter
Away to the changing mat I flew like a flash
Grabbing at baby wipes on my mad dash

The diaper was undone on baby's rear end
Providing no blockage to what she would send
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But poop, poop, and more poop both far and near

With little legs flailing so lively and quick
I knew I was too late for Ruth's newest trick
More rapid than eagles her squirts they all came
So I whistled and shouted and called her by name

Now Ruthie! Now Ruthie! Now Ruthie Diane!
Oh Ruthie! Oh Ruthie! Oh Ruthie Diane!
The end of the table, the rug, and the wall
Were covered with yellow blobs, dripping over all.

It took three people to clean up baby's mess
And how it had happened was anyone's guess
So off to the bathroom Ruthie Diane did go
To be dipped in water, cleaned high and low

And then for a whole day we had only pee
Until Monday night when Ruth was with me
As I changed her diaper and was wiping her bum
Another explosion and my brain went numb

She was covered in yellow, from her head to her toe
And her clothes were all wet so I said, "Oh, no."
A pile of baby wipes I had flung around
And Ruth looked with big eyes not making a sound.

Her eyes how they twinkled, her dimples how merry
Her cheeks were like roses, her nose like a cherry
Her sweet little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the hair on her head was as white as the snow (kind of)

She had only pink gums where there would be teeth
And blankets encircled her head like a wreath
She had a thin face and a cute belly button
In fact, I'd say she was lacking for nothin'

Bright eyed and cheerful, a jolly little elf,
I smiled whenever I saw her, in spite of myself
Both morning and evening, I would give kisses
But probably not as much as the Misses.

And so our routine continued day and night
Feeding and changing Ruth with nary a fight
Another explosion on Tuesday night, too
Caused us to give big laughs instead of boo-hoos.

Piles of snow lay outside our apartment door
But we remained cozy not asking for more
Thanked God Almighty for our beautiful one
And closed our eyes peacefully when day was done.

written by Becky Kukla-- a good summary of our first few weeks with Ruth, our little love. :)

Ruth at 12 days old

2010-01-28T20:05:00.002-07:00

Here are some photos of Ruth at 12 days old:

Ruth Diane Wilson

2010-01-19T14:25:00.003-07:00

Our little girl arrived on Saturday, January 16, at 3:20 PM. She was 7 lbs. 15 oz. and 20" long. Mom and baby are doing very well. I'm sure we'll have more to say in the near future; right now we are just resting and diving into parenthood! Here are some photos:

Prayer for Haiti

2010-01-15T16:15:00.004-07:00

As Ian and I are in a very exciting time of expecting our first child, I am not unaware that there is much devastation and hurting people all around the world and especially in Haiti right now.
Having experienced Hurricane Katrina from the best/safest possible place in New Orleans, Ochsner Hospital, I have been able to experience a small portion of what a natural disaster, such as an earthquake, brings. There are logistical hurdles, emotional turmoil, and most of all after shocks that come days and months down the road.
So, what are we to do? Send help: resources, extra hands, supplies? Yes! And along with this, we can pray.
I know for me, to know people were stopping to mourn for the losses we were experiencing in N.O. and were asking God to sustain us made a world of difference. I can't answer why these things happen, but I believe our prayers are heard by a loving and mighty God who wishes to bring his love to all people.
So, in my thankfulness to read how many countries from around the world have responded to the needs of the people of Haiti and to participate in an extremely small way through our church I know there is much more that will be needed and many hardships yet to come. Therefore I will continue to pray and hope you join me in expectation of what our God will do.

Only 9 More Days...

2010-01-14T20:59:00.002-07:00

...till the due date. Our little girl could be here any day now. Here is a photo:

Christmas 2009

2010-01-08T12:22:00.005-07:00

After returning home from a great trip to High River, AB and then to Calgary, AB where we spent the holidays with some good friends and their families we started to look for our camera. We unpacked our suitcase and emptied the car, but did not find our camera. After thinking about where we had last seen our camera I figured out that I left it at our table during a hot beverage break in the provincial park of Kananaskis. ( This park is just east of Banff National Park, but still in the Canadian Rockies).
I was so sad that we had lost our camera and to loose it at such a time as this- right before our child is going to be born! We had also taken some great photos of our time in Kananaskis that we were hoping to share with you all. Instead of giving up hope, however, I decided to try and call the lodge where we had enjoyed our break to see if by some chance it might have been found. To my delight and relief the gentleman on the other end did in fact have a camera that matched my descriptions. And so today, I went to the post office where I received a small package with my camera inside! Yeah!
All that to say, we can now share with you all some of the photos we took during our Christmas here in Canada and we will have photos to share when our little one arrives.

Christmas:

As I mentioned previously, we stayed here in Canada for the holidays, being it so close to my due date. Therefore, some good friends invited us to join them and their family for the Christmas celebration. Although it was not our family, it felt very much like we were with them, since we spent our time doing much of the same things we would have with our own family. We spent the days eating lots of great food, playing lots of games, resting, laughing and eating some more. I guess Canadians like to celebrate like us Americans. :)

While we were in Calgary, however, we did take a break one day from eating, resting, and more eating and had a day outdoors. The Canadian Rockies are only about a 45 min- 1 hr drive east of Calgary, which is a pretty awesome sight to say the least. So, we took advantage of the opportunity and headed west. We couldn't have planned for a better day. The sky was a magnificent shade of blue without a cloud in the sky. There was fresh-powdered, pure white snow about 1-2 feet on the ground with a covering on the evergreens and the sun was sparkling off of it. There was also no breeze and the temperature had risen to right below freezing, which in this drier climate makes a perfect day to be outdoors for winter recreation.

Our friends and their family had brought their own or had rented snow shoes for hiking. Ian and I had our CC skis which would have been great to use, since there were groomed trails ready for our use a short distance from the lodge. However, deciding this was not the wisest idea for me to do with baby in tow, we opted to hike behind the snow-shoers and enjoy it at our own pace. It worked out well, since the snow shoes packed the snow just enough to make the hike fairly easy and enjoyable. We turned around about halfway and again enjoyed a nice hike back to the lodge at a slow pace with lots of rests and photos. Ian pushed me up the hills and held my hand when we went down a hill, not wanting to put me into labor in the middle of the woods. It was a great way to spend the day and I would certainly hike again at 8 1/2 mo. pregnant if given the choice. :) Enjoy.

I got down on my hands and knees so that I could get a closer look at the simple beauty of the icicles on this plant and the top layer of snow. Getting up wasn't so easy, but I made it.

Resting on our way back

Looking revived after my rest

The end of our hike...

Merry Christmas, 2009!

2009-12-24T08:27:00.002-07:00

Sally, Ian, and Baby W. wish you a very merry Christmas and happy New Year
We hope you are having a wonderful holiday season
Love and Peace to you all

Update from Ian

2009-12-21T10:40:00.002-07:00

I am officially one semester closer to a PhD. My first term at the University of Alberta was a good one. I learned quite a bit and got to know some wonderful people whom I hope to work with for many years to come. Perhaps the most important thing I learned was this: I have a lot more to learn. I'm constantly reminded that having a graduate degree (especially an M.A.) doesn't really mean that you have mastered a subject. It only means that you have been given the right (by some institution of higher learning) to sit with a book (and/or computer) and think about/struggle with ideas that you don't yet understand, and then write/talk about them as a way of understanding. For some, I'm sure, this probably sounds like torture, but I love it and look forward to the day when I can share my understandings with students and hopefully make them think. Anyway, all that was to say, I am on Christmas break, but there is always something to be reading, something to work on.

Things I'm working on: I am writing two entries for a Bible dictionary that will be published in late 2010 (in academic-speak a "dictionary" is more like an encyclopedia). My topics are "kingship" and "King of Tyre". I am grading about 90 papers for a Religion 101 class--some good, some not so good. And I hope to continue working on my seminar paper on Judean pillar figurines. I submitted the paper to the Pacific Northwest Region of AAR/ASOR/SBL, and I hope to present it at their meeting in May. Oh yeah, and most importantly, I'm preparing to be a dad!

Next semester I will continue my study of German and take the following two graduate seminars:

RELIG 504 Literary Studies in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible
Winter | Lec B1 | Wed 1400-1650 | Francis Landy
Taught in conjunction with RELIG 404 B1.
The Topic for this year's seminar is Trito-Isaiah (Isa.56-66), which is conveniently regarded as the last major section of Isaiah to be composed, as well as being intimately involved in the final editing and shaping of the book. Trito-Isaiah has a clear concentric structure, which historical critics attribute to different redactional stages, from the early fifth to late fourth centuries. The approach of this course will be primarily synchronic and literary. We will be concerned with the major themes of Trito-Isaiah: universalism v. particularism; the marriage of YHWH and Zion; the problem of ending; and the struggles and conflicts of the post-restoration community. We will also examine how Trito-Isaiah develops and transforms motifs from other parts of the book, such as the commission scene in Isaiah 6, and the motif of the servant from Isaiah 53. Trito-Isaiah contains some of the most intense poetry in the Hebrew Bible as well as some of its most radical statements. Close readings of the text, with an eye to its rhetorical structures, its metaphors, its sound patterns etc, will enable us to explore the imagination of the poet(s) who composed the text, as well as its ideological implications.

CLASS 522 STUDIES IN ANCIENT HISTORY *3 (0-3S-0)

B1: Periclean Athens
This course will focus upon Athens’ “Golden Age,” from the end of the Persian Wars to the beginning of the Peloponnesian War. Special emphasis will be placed on the foundation of the Delian League, the political careers of Cimon, Ephialtes, and Pericles, the “tightening-up” measures of the Athenian Empire, the prosecutions of Pericles’ friends, and the causes of the Peloponnesian War. The course will be conducted through a mixture of lectures by the instructor, in-class discussions, and student presentations. Students will be expected to consult primary sources, but all are available in translation (no knowledge of Ancient Greek is required). Prerequisite: consent of the Department. Taught in conjunction with CLASS 481.

34 or so weeks

2009-12-14T19:28:00.003-07:00

Hello all. I have lost count as to the exact week I am in my pregnancy, but I know I am less than 6 weeks away from my due date! I get more excited by the day as the New Year approaches with Jan 23rd right around the corner. However, with the busyness of the holidays as well, time is flying by. Sometimes I get a little nervous when I think about all the things still yet to be done, but Ian and I are slowly, but surely, doing piece by piece.
Here is a recent photo of my belly for all of you who are far away. We love you all!

A little girl...Our little girl!

2009-11-11T16:12:00.005-07:00

For my birthday Ian surprised me with a 3D ultrasound appointment. We had not been able to tell the sex of our baby during our last US, and we probably won't have another scheduled one through our OB. We also had been a little disappointed by our previous experience altogether. The tech was not very personable and didn't seem to care that we had a baby on the way!

So, Ian being very thoughtful, decided to give me my "dream ultrasound experience." You know, the one you see in the movies.

Well, our experience at UC baby was just that. It was a comfortable atmosphere and our tech did a great job showing us all of the details of our baby with enthusiasm and kindness. There was a big screen on the wall, which gave us a good view of our little one and joyfully brought me to tears. And, as you can tell from the title, our tech pointed out that our little one is a girl!
We are so excited to meet her and wanted to share our news with you all.

Although, you will still have to wait till she is born to find out her beautiful name. We have to have at least one surprise! :)

Enjoy the photos!

She is flexible- notice her hand on the left and foot on the right.

Our little girl apparently likes to put things in her mouth, even her feet!

Here is her foot pressing on the inside of my belly. Now I know why my whole stomach moves when she kicks!

"Fall" in Edmonton (a.k.a. Winter)

2009-10-18T11:17:00.004-06:00

The cold has settled in. We had our first snowfall on October 8, and then it continued to flurry/snow till October 14, seven straight days! Temperatures rarely went above 30F during that stretch. Yesterday and today we are having a bit of a heat wave--it's about 50F right now. You can check out the current Edmonton weather here, on the Canadian Weather Network's website.

(Of course, in Canada they use centigrade for temperature, which we're still getting used to. So during our snowy stretch the temperatures were below zero. There's something about negative temperatures that makes it feel even colder...)

Yesterday we took advantage of the brief warm up and visited the Edmonton Corn Maze. It was the last day of the season for them, and you could tell. The corn stalks are all dead and many of them are falling down, but it was still fun to wander around in the field for a while. Starting next week the corn fields and adjacent barns will become some sort of Halloween fright fest thing...not sure that we'll visit that one.

Here are some photos from the last couple of weeks:

On a walk on a very cold day in Edmonton--that's the river valley behind me, and you can see the University in the background

Looking out our living room window at the falling snow

Lost in the maze

pregnancy continues and I continue in the enjoyment of it!

2009-10-07T20:56:00.006-06:00

I guess it is about time for me to post another pregnancy photo...

From following other blogs it seems like this is what is expected. I also love seeing the progress of friend's abdomens during their pregnancies, so I only think it is fair to post mine. :)
Regardless of maybe following what I think is expected or feeling an obligation toward posting, I really enjoy posting this really cool event. I know it happens everyday, but it really is such an amazing thing! Watching my abdomen get larger by the day and feeling this new person move inside of me is miraculous, especially since I am not really doing anything to make it grow besides my normal eating and sleeping. Therefore, if you haven't yet guessed, posting these photos is one way I can express my amazement and awe.
So, family and friends, I hope you enjoy the photos once again-- we love you all.

Taken by my mom while shopping for maternity clothes-- my things continue to get smaller and my shirts now cover only 1/2 to 3/4 of my belly-- not appropriate for out in public or at work. :)

The Muttart Conservatory

2009-10-06T19:09:00.003-06:00

This week we were able to visit the Muttart Conservatory here in Edmonton. I tried to write an explanation of the Conservatory, but I couldn't really explain it. So here's the description from the website:

The Muttart Conservatory is Edmonton's premier horticultural attraction, featuring four beautiful glass pyramids filled with rare and wonderful plants from all over the world.

Three of the pyramids are dedicated to specific climate zones: arid, temperate, and tropical. And the fourth pyramid has rotating, seasonal exhibits (for example, next month they'll display poinsettias for Christmas). Sally's parents were kind enough to purchase an annual pass for us, so we plan to enjoy the gardens throughout the winter--the very long winter! Here are some photos from our first visit:

Baby Photo!

2009-09-17T19:17:00.004-06:00

Alright, here it is, the long awaited ultrasound photo:

Isn't she/he cute!!! The little nose looks more like a Sally nose than an Ian nose. And we're not sure if the little blob above the chest is a hand or the umbilical cord. That's all we have for now. We should have been able to find out the sex today, but the little goober wasn't in the right position. Oh well. We'll have to wait till the next ultrasound...or the birth!

20 Weeks

2009-09-07T19:54:00.003-06:00

Sally is now 20 weeks pregnant, which means we're half way there. Her belly (and our little baby) is slowly but surely growing. Sally feels the baby move on a regular basis, and I felt her/him give a little kick the other day after Sally had some Reese's peanut butter cups. It was my first time feeling the little one move around. Our little girl/guy must really like chocolate--not a big surprise! In a couple weeks we will have our first ultrasound (we're a little behind schedule because of the international move). If the little tyke is in the right position, we might be able to tell if it's a boy or girl. Here are some new photos of Sally:

Oh, and here is a photo of some white chocolate cranberry scones that we made after our trip to Jasper. Sally's mom bought the mix for us, but we unfortunately did not get to make them till after she and Sally's dad left. Sally says thanks to her mom for the mix. It was wonderful!

Jasper National Park, Canada

2009-09-07T08:42:00.009-06:00

A couple weeks ago we visited Jasper National Park with Sally's parents. It was fantastic. Here are some photos:

Fall Semester Studies for Ian

2009-09-02T13:29:00.003-06:00

The Rutherford Library at the U. of A.

Fall classes at the University of Alberta start today, so I am now officially a Ph.D. student. This term I am taking three classes: two graduate seminars in the department of History and Classics, and a German reading course that will continue into the Winter term. (Here the "Spring" semester is called "Winter" and the first "Summer" session is called "Spring". That's what happens when winter doesn't end till early May.)

Here are descriptions of my seminars from the department website:

HIST 605 TOPICS IN THE NATURE OF HISTORICAL CONTROVERSY

Interpreting Material Culture
While material culture has long been an area of academic interest – particularly in anthropology and archaeology – traditional research in this area was largely descriptive. Recently, however, scholars have begun to explore the influence of material culture in the formation of identity, cultural practices, and ideology, drawing on contemporary social theory to open up these areas of social praxis to academic interpretation. This course explores the fragmentary literature in this emerging area of scholarship, emphasizing recent work on the construction and reading of visual meanings in material and popular culture in a variety of historical contexts. It draws on work from a wide range of disciplines, including archaeology, classics, anthropology, cultural studies, and history, and a variety of theoretical perspectives such as semiotics, gender theory, and Foucauldian scholarship.

HIST 627 TOPICS IN INDIAN HISTORY

State and Society in India 500 BCE-300 CE
This Period sees the formation and consolidation of first state and empire and the spread of state formation on the Indian subcontinent. Taking the example of the Mauryan and Satavahana polities this course will address various dimensions of the social basis of early state formation. It will empirically examine the extent to which forces of diversity could be harnessed to make the first experiments of centralization of political power possible both at the pan-Indian and regional levels. Topics for the Seminar will include reading parts of the Arthasastra, the first Indian text on state-craft, the first imperial Edicts of emperor Ashoka and the earliest inscribed coins of the Satavahanas as symbols of state power. Taught in conjunction with HIST 427.

Some of you may be saying, "those courses don't have anything to do with biblical studies." And you are mostly right. The nature of the program here is such that you are required to take an interdisciplinary approach to your subject. I am interested in historiography in the ancient world, specifically in the writings of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), so these courses will expand my knowledge of historical issues in general, and hopefully expose me to additional theories and methods that might be applicable to biblical studies.

In addition to these classes, I'll be working independently with my supervisor, Ehud Ben Zvi, whom I've mentioned before. Throughout the semester he'll send me readings and then we'll get together to discuss and to trade opinions, critiques, etc. (We've already started, in fact.) I'm excited about the above mentioned classes, but I'm most looking forward to these one on one discussions with my supervisor.

It should be a good semester.

p.s. Last week we took a trip to the Canadian Rockies with Sally's parents. We'll post photos soon!

Stuff Update

2009-08-19T08:43:00.006-06:00

As Sally said, we are getting more and more settled. Here are some current photos of our apartment, so you can compare them to the ones I posted last week:

The living area, with a relaxed Sally

Our "office". We got the nifty desk/bookshelf combo from Ikea.

And finally, the dining room, which is still empty!

17 weeks... update

2009-08-17T21:16:00.006-06:00

Hello to our dear followers. Sorry we haven't posted more frequently--things have been busy. The pregnancy seems to be going just fine. I see the OB Sept 11th and get an Ultrasound Sept 18th. My belly seems to grow more each day, although I am probably the only one to notice. Ian says I am consumed by my new belly and often catches me looking at it in the mirror. I say, "It's not every day that your belly grows noticeably with something living inside".

So, as you can tell, I am continuing to enjoy the process. Ian has been great putting up with me and the changes. For example, I have started using 3 pillows while I sleep. Ian is slowly getting less room in our bed and I'm not even half-way there! :)

Settling in is coming along. We are getting closer every day. Our apartment is starting to look like a home. Ian has also been great about moving everything into our apartment, mostly by himself. I am not much help (Ian insists I do not pick up anything over 10 lb-- what a great husband)!

We have also become more familiar with Edmonton. We have started to visit a church, which I think we will continue to visit for the time being. It is very small, but has a great community feel. One thing we enjoy is a pot-luck meal every Sunday prior to the service. They meet in the evening (I like sleeping in as much as possible, so this works for me).

Hope you all enjoy the photos. We'll post more after my parents visit (this Wed to the following Wed.) and more of the apartment soon.

I decided to wear the same top so you could compare to the previous photos at 14 weeks

Here is the "belly" in a normal t-shirt

New Stuff

2009-08-11T08:36:00.008-06:00

Before leaving Boston, Sally and I sold or donated almost all of our old stuff, so a good portion of our time in Edmonton has been spent acquiring new stuff for our apartment. Last week Ikea became one of our best friends. The furniture is cheap, and the kitchenware is even cheaper. We purchased glasses and cooking utensils at prices comparable to yard sales and Salvation Army (we've done our share of yard sale and thrift store shopping, too). Tomorrow a local pastor that we've befriended is giving us an old sleeper sofa, and another couple has offered their old dining room set. Soon our apartment will be well-furnished, but right now it looks like this:

We love the huge living room window, but we haven't yet found a set of blinds that fit the size. We placed the boxes there primarily to block some of the sun during the hot part of the day! Here is a photo of our view out that same window:

While the weather is nice, I plan to ride my bike to and from campus. The ride is about 2.6 mi (4.2 km) one way. It's mostly flat, but there's a little down and up as I cross the river valley. Since I don't want to take my road bike to campus and tempt the university thieves, I bought an old Trek mountain bike to use. Here's a photo of my new ride, complete with bell and U-lock:

Sally is not a coffee drinker. This creates a challenge for me, because I only need to make small quantities of coffee in the mornings. There's no sense in making a large pot. A couple years ago Sally bought me a 4-cup French Press for Christmas, and I used it every day for over a year. The French Press was a nice alternative to drip coffee. Unfortunately, we left it and our drip machine behind. This was sad, but it also provided an opportunity to try something new in the coffee world. My ongoing fascination with all things Italian led me to a Bialetti Moka pot. This is what virtually every Italian uses to make coffee at home (unless they can afford an absurdly priced espresso machine). My friend Evan introduced me to one a few years ago, and I've been wanting to own one ever since. Now I do! I purchased it at a little Italian grocery store here in Edmonton. Here's the Moka pot in action:

Mmmmm... fresh Italian coffee!

14 weeks and counting!!!

2009-07-26T21:38:00.005-06:00

So, for those of you who don't yet know, Ian and I are expecting our first child in January! I am currently feeling much better, since I have entered the 2nd trimester. I still continue to snack quite a bit and am still enjoying a nap almost daily (those are things you can do when you are unemployed-- hopefully not for long however).
I know some of you wanted to see some pictures of "the belly", so here it is. It is not too impressive yet, but it is fun to have a little bump forming.
We are still waiting to get an ultrasound, so seeing my belly get bigger is very exciting for me. Sometimes I wonder if it is because I ate too much, but I don't think so. Everything else confirms it is a baby!!!!! :)
We will hopefully be getting an ultrasound in the next week or two, so we'll post those when they are available.
In the meantime, we are praying that baby Wilson continues to grow and will be a healthy boy or girl we can meet in 6 months! So exciting!

Some photos of our new home, Edmonton!

2009-07-26T21:08:00.008-06:00

Here are just a few photos of Edmonton to give you a small taste of what we are experiencing. Enjoy!

This view is from the edge of the north side of campus. There is a nice road that wraps around the perimeter of campus. Along this road there are bike trails and walking trails that slope through the woods to the Saskatchawan River. It is a great place to enjoy in the warm weather. There are also some nice views of the city directly across the river along the road.

These two pictures I took while walking through campus about 9 pm. Ian and I have been enjoying late evening walks with the extended daylight. I like that Edmonton has lots of trees, esp on campus!

The top photo is the inside corridor of a mall on campus, where we are temporarily staying.
The last photo shows our apartment door which is directly off the corridor. If you were to look left from the viewpoint of the top photo, you would see our door.
We like our temporary housing, but we're looking forward to getting into our own place. We still feel like we are living out of our suitcases and in a hotel.

I hope the photos help to give you some idea of what Edmonton and the U of A campus is like. I know there are only a few photos, but we will post more as we go along :)

Oh Canada

2009-07-18T06:14:00.003-06:00

Here are some thoughts and comments from Ian after a couple days in Alberta:

Edmonton is a big, sprawling city, bigger than Sally and I imagined before arriving.

Canadians seem to be very friendly, for the most part. Example: the other day we went to this huge mall downtown (not the famous West Edmonton Mall, but another one), and we walked up to a directory to find the store we were looking for. Within 5 seconds (I'm not exaggerating), a mall employee approached and asked if we needed help finding anything. This would never happen at, say, the North Shore Mall in Peabody, MA. On the other hand, I have seen Canadian drivers give the finger (or, as I like to call it, "the Boston wave").

Edmonton has a very European feel to it. Distances are in kilometers, and their money is colored brightly. Temperatures are in centigrade, and people wear trendy eyeglasses and designer shoes. Sometimes I feel like we are in Italy again.

Yesterday I had coffee with my professor, Ehud Ben Zvi. It went very well. I'm excited about starting the program and getting back to the school grind. I'll post more about my schooling and grad student work as the fall semester approaches.

Canada has two official languages: English and French. This is very apparent when you are grocery shopping. Everything is labeled with both languages.

Either the US dollar is continuing its steady decline, or the Canadian dollar is getting stronger. Or maybe the US dollar is just declining at a faster rate. I'm not an economist, but I can spot a trend. Not too long ago, $1.00 US = $0.80 CAN. Now $1.00 US = almost $0.90 CAN.

Last night the sun officially set at 9:52 PM, but there was still light outside at 10:30. Wow.

Some Photos from the Big Move!

2009-07-15T22:34:00.001-06:00

We Made It!!!

2009-07-15T20:18:00.000-06:00

We are now in Edmonton on the campus of the University of Alberta. The city gave us a good first impression. We've begun to settle into our temporary apartment here on campus, and tomorrow we'll begin the search for our permanent place.

Photos from our trip are on their way...

Update: Soggy Stay at Yellowstone

2009-07-14T09:01:00.000-06:00

On Sunday morning we left Jackson Hole and the Tetons, and went north to Yellowstone. The National Park service website suggests arriving before 11:00 AM if you want to snag a first-come-first-serve tent site. So we rolled into a campground around 9:30 in the morning and set up our tent. At this point the weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky. We drove through the main geyser basins, saw Old Faithful do its thing, and then hiked down into the Yellowstone Grand Canyon to see the Lower Falls (absolutely incredible view). Around dinner time, as we headed back toward the campsite, huge thunder clouds rolled in from the south and it began to pour. Because the weather was so beautiful earlier, we left the rain fly open on our tent--not smart. Surprisingly, when we got back to camp, things weren't too bad, just a little damp around the edges of our air mattress (we tent-camp in comfort!).

That night the thunder storms returned. It was pretty amazing to see the flashes and hear the thunder echo throughout the valley. We stayed dry in our tent, but Monday morning was very soggy. The sun was out, so we opened up our tent and laid out the air mattress, etc., to let things dry out. Then we decided to go for a walk. As we were walking, more thunder clouds rolled in and it started pouring again!! We rushed back to stuff our tent and air mattress into the car, but we were too late. All of our stuff was completely soaked. Later in the day we parked our car on a mountain ridge that had a stiff wind, and we dried out all of our stuff. Before leaving the park, we had a nice lunch at Roosevelt lodge and saw the Mammoth hot springs. It turned out to be a good day, despite the sogginess.

Right now we are making our way through Montana, and tomorrow we will arrive in Edmonton! Sorry for the delay in posting photos. We know some of you are anxious to see them. We will have them up either tomorrow or Thursday.

(And by the way, we wish we had taken that photo of the Tetons, but we didn't. We grabbed it off the internet :-)

Update: Casualty #2

2009-07-11T07:37:00.000-06:00

On Thursday night we stayed in Lusk, WY, at a little motel called The Rawhide. It was a nice place with very reasonable rates. If you are ever on the road between Mt. Rushmore and Jackson Hole, we recommend it. Unfortunately, though, the Rawhide Motel is now the proud owner of Ian's beloved Red Sox hat. We failed to do a thorough walk-through when we departed yesterday morning, and the hat was left behind. Oh well.

Otherwise, things have been wonderful. Today we are resting in Jackson Hole, WY. We are going to tour Grand Teton National Park and then see Yellowstone tomorrow. After some long days on the road, the break will be nice.

Update: Illinois to Wyoming

2009-07-09T21:18:00.000-06:00

Over the last two days we've spent time in four states: Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota, and Wyoming. We've also seen the Mississippi River, the Corn Palace, the Great Plains, Badlands National Park, the Black Hills, and Mount Rushmore. Whew! Thus far the scenery has been spectacular, and we haven't even made it to the Rockies. Tomorrow we'll head toward Jackson, WY, and the Tetons. Stay tuned...

Update: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois

2009-07-08T06:12:00.000-06:00

We set out from northeast Ohio at 10:30 AM yesterday. It was nice to get a late start--we needed the extra rest. After a lunch break with Sally's uncle in Columbus, we made our way through Indiana and into Illinois. Somewhere along I-70 in Indiana we had our first casualty: we lost a front-right hubcap. We hit a pothole and heard a faint clang, not knowing what it was. At the next gas stop we noticed the missing hubcap. Oh well. In Illinois we hit some torrential rain, and around 8:00 PM we made our pit-stop in the Champaign-Urbana area. Today we'll make our way out of Illinois, through Iowa, and hopefully into S. Dakota.

The Big Move in Progress!!

2009-07-07T07:36:00.000-06:00

Quick update: We are on our way to Canada! Yesterday was our first day on the road. We left the Boston area at 6:30 AM and headed toward OH, our first pit-stop. We planned to arrive at Ian's cousins' home in northeast Ohio around 5:30 PM, but the Pennsylvania DOT thwarted our plans with a ridiculous amount of road construction. We finally made it to OH about 7:30 PM. We'll spend the next couple of days driving toward the Badlands and Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. Stay tuned for some photos. You'll get a kick out of our car--it is packed to the max!

Big Brother is Watching

2009-06-12T09:47:00.000-06:00

I (Ian) just reread George Orwell's 1984, one of my favorites, and today as I walked past our neighbors' front steps I saw this sitting on their bushes:

How strange is that?! Placing labels on trash bags is not common, let alone a label that reads, "Big Brother". Maybe he is watching. Maybe the neighbors saw me carrying the book back from the library the other day and decided to play a good practical joke. Who knows. I'm sure there is a perfectly good explanation....

Robert Frost

2009-06-07T17:28:00.001-06:00

Including today, we only have 8 more days left in New England! Our move to Edmonton is approaching quickly. Today we spent the afternoon with two of Sally's cousins and their families, who live here in New England. We met them at the Robert Frost farm in Derry, NH. Neither of us are poetry nuts, but we really enjoyed learning about Frost, possibly America's most famous poet (nearly everyone knows at least "The Road Not Taken"). His farm in NH is a typical old, New England farm home, nothing spectacular, but the tour guide did a great job of sharing some interesting tales from Frost's life and from his time at the farm. Here are some photos I snapped with my cell phone:

We couldn't figure out why the privy would have two seats. Any suggestions?

Italy, Part III: Venice

2009-05-31T05:49:00.000-06:00

Our final day in Italy was spent in Venice. It was a wonderful way to wrap up our journey. Our goal in Venice was to enjoy the setting and each other, so for most of the day we just wandered around, getting lost and taking in the sights. We did a quick walk through of St. Mark's Basilica, but otherwise we skipped most of the main attractions. We had only two complaints about Venice: too expensive, and WAY too crowded. The local Italians probably have mixed feelings about all the visitors. The mobs of tourists definitely take away some of the city's charm, but they also keep the city alive. Breaking away from the crowds and finding some peace and quiet was not easy to do. Eventually, however, we found some empty sections of town and really enjoyed strolling along the canals. Here are some photos:

Just outside the train station in Venezia

Sally striking a pose

The famous Rialto bridge

Gondola, gondola, gondola...

St. Mark's Basilica

The Grand Canal

A typical Venetian "street"

Riding down the Grand Canal on a vaporetto (water bus)

On the train back to Bologna

Italy, Part II: Bologna

2009-05-24T16:21:00.000-06:00

We spent most of our time in Italy in Bologna, the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region. Bologna (pronounced Ba-lone-ya) is home to some of Italy's most famous food dishes, including lasagna, tortellini, Bolognese ragu (meat sauce), and of course bologna, which is nothing like the American Oscar Meyer variety (in Italy it is called mortadella). The famous Italian motor sport companies Lamborghini and Ducati are also based in Bologna. We loved the city. Unlike Florence and Venice, it is not teeming with tourists, and most of the attractions/museums are free. We ran into very few English speakers in Bologna, which provided a fun challenge. And the architecture was amazing. Almost every sidewalk in the city is covered with beautiful, arched porticoes. In fact, Bologna has more covered walkways than any other city in the world. The Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca, which sits on a hill overlooking the city, has a covered walkway that leads from the edge of town all the way to its doors! (See the photos below.)

Spending time in Bologna was a wonderful way to experience Italian culture. Here are a bunch of pictures:

An example of the covered sidewalks

The view from the top of the Torre degli Asinelli. You can barely see the Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca on top of the hill behind the city.

Sally with the Torre degli Asinelli in the background

Mmmmm...gelato! We had gelato every day in Italy, sometimes twice!!

A Lamborghini police car

The Sanctuary of the Madonnna of San Luca

The Emilia-Romagna countryside, from the top of San Luca. You can see the Alps in the background.

The porticoes leading up to San Luca

More San Luca porticoes

One of the old city gates from the Medieval period

Sally resting in a palace courtyard. There are lots and lots of palaces in Bologna. Now many of them are museums or government buildings.

The public library--in an old palace, of course!

During WWII Bologna was the center of a major resistance against the fascist government and the German occupation. Thousands on Bolognese citizens were murdered for their dissent. They are memorialized on this wall in Piazza Neptune in the city's center.

The Basilica di San Petronio in Piazza Maggiore. It is one of the largest churches in the world. Originally, it was supposed to be bigger than St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. This upset the Pope, apparently, so he cut the church's funding! The facade remains unfinished.

The infamously lewd Neptune Fountain

Italy, Part I: Florence

2009-05-17T06:34:00.001-06:00

As you know, we took a trip to Italy last week. It was wonderful. We flew from Boston to Rome to Bologna, which served as our base for the trip. On the morning of our second day in Italy, we hoped on a train to Florence. We had afternoon reservations for the Accademia (home of Michelangelo's David) and Uffizi galleries, so we spent the morning walking around the heart of the city, admiring the architecture. Thanks to Rick Steves' advice, we climbed Giotto's bell tower and avoided the long line to climb the famous dome at the Duomo. The climb provided spectacular views. After a quick cafe lunch, we toured the famous galleries, and then we finished the day with pizza at a small ristorante. More photos and stories to come...

Bologna Central Train Station
(Stazione Bologna Centrale)

Waiting for our connection at the Prato train station

Arriving in Florence

The Duomo

The Baptistry, Duomo, and Giotto's Bell Tower (left to right). In the picture the bell tower looks like it's leaning, but in reality it is not.

On top of Giotto's Tower

View of the dome from the tower

Florence

Street artists

Replica of Michelangelo's David in front of the Palazzo della Signoria, where the original stood for several hundred years. (The original is now inside the Accademia Gallery--no pictures allowed.)

Perseus slaying Medusa

Sally with the Ponte Vecchio in the background

Wicked Warm Weekend

2009-04-29T16:58:00.000-06:00

Temperatures in New England reached the 90's last weekend, so on Saturday we decided to hit the beach. Our friends Ehren and Jen came along and brought their $5 kite from Target. It was a perfect beach day, and we had a blast. Here are a few photos:

A busy day at Crane Beach

Ehren, master of $5 kites

Ehren and Jen

Sally

Marathon Monday

2009-04-20T13:22:00.001-06:00

Whoa. The last three weeks went really quickly. We've been super busy with work, so not much to report, but here's a quick post:

Today is Patriots Day in New England, also known as Marathon Monday because of the Boston marathon. Sally had the day off, so we enjoyed a relaxing morning watching the race on TV. It was very exciting. This inspired us to go on a run of our own, but we only went about one tenth marathon distance. That was plenty for us!

I've been working a lot at historic Park Street Church in Boston. I work as a substitute teacher for their preschool and elementary school. The younger kids are a lot of fun, and I actually get to do some teaching, unlike the high schools and middle schools that I work for, where I'm pretty much a babysitter. Every time I go into Park Street I'm amazed by the location. I can't imagine going to elementary school at the foot of Beacon Hill, in the heart of Boston. Here are some photos I snapped with my phone as I walked to work the other day:

Park Street Church

The Massachusetts State House

NYC

2009-03-31T06:37:00.001-06:00

Last weekend Sally and I took a quick trip to New York City. Sally's brother Dale, his wife Moira, and their baby Emma are moving to California next week, so they did a driving tour up the East Coast to say goodbye to family. We had a great time with them in the Big Apple. On Saturday we took a drive down to Liberty State Park in NJ to see the Statue of Liberty. Unfortunately we missed the last ferry of the day by about 5 minutes, so we settled on a stroll along the river, which provided some spectacular views of the Statue and the NY skyline. Next we ventured into the city with our car. This was my first driving experience in Manhattan. It was crazy, definitely a thrill ride. First we went to Little Italy for a bite to eat. For dessert we had "the best cannoli on planet earth" (according to the sign). It was good, but I'm partial to Boston's North End.... Next we drove into Times Square. At times we were the only non-taxi car on the road. I didn't do a lot of looking because I was trying not to ram our car into a cab or a wandering pedestrian! Sally said I should give up academics and be a cab driver. After all the craziness we drove back to our NJ hotel for some rest. On Sunday we had a nice, lazy morning at the hotel. Then we drove back into the city and spent some time at FAO Schwarz. (By the way, on Sunday we miraculously found a free parking spot on 58th St., one block from Central Park!) We capped off our stay at a classic NY deli, where we met two of Moira's nephews for lunch. It was a great trip. Here are some photos:

Official Decision...

2009-03-31T06:22:00.000-06:00

I've accepted the offer from the University of Alberta! We are really excited. It feels good to finalize this long process and to know where we are headed. The next few months will be busy with packing, finding a place to live, preparing for coursework, etc. We'll keep you posted.

Some Friday Thoughts from Ian

2009-03-20T06:50:00.000-06:00

No substitute calls for me today, so I'll post some recent happenings:

As you read below, we are going to Italy in May. Over the next few weeks Sally and I will attempt to learn some Italian. I've read and heard that Italians are mostly friendly to tourists, but I bet that learning a bit of the language will make our trip a lot smoother. The BBC has a great language website that has beginner to intermediate lessons for over 30 languages. Thus far I've only worked on lesson one. I also came across a website called Life in Italy that has a collection of helpful articles on Italian culture. Here are a few interesting facts: (1) Italians, especially Northerners, take fashion very, very seriously--we won't be packing any old, worn out t-shirts; (2) One should never order cappuccinos or lattes after 10:00 AM--those are breakfast drinks only; and (3) Most Italians don't appreciate sarcastic humor--very interesting. I'm fascinated by Italian culture and really looking forward to our trip.

Sally made corned beef and cabbage for her ladies discipleship group from church. According to a few Irish folks we know, this is an Irish-American tradition, and not a common meal over on the Emerald Isle. In New England it seems that everyone eats the stuff on St. Patty's day, even the non-Irish folks. Why? It's not even that good...

I still don't know where I'll be taking my Ph.D. My gut says that we'll be in Canada next year. The U. of Alberta offered me a generous financial package, and I'm excited about the opportunities there. Prof. Ehud Ben Zvi, who would serve as my primary advisor, is a top-notch scholar. You can check out his CV here. He also has a website with lots of good info and links for his students. I am still waiting on official info from Baylor, Emory, and Penn State. We've been waiting for 15 months now, and we're ready to move on to the next step.

Today is the first day of Spring! Unfortunately, in New England Spring doesn't really get going for another month...

Previous post update: I'm still working on my hurricane Katrina memoir, slowly but surely. I'll post it one of these days. Subbing has really picked up lately, and it's been hard to carve out spare time to work on things like that.

I'll leave you with a photo of the Neptune fountain in Bologna, one of the many points of interest in the city:

Destination Bologna

2009-03-14T15:19:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. Things have been pretty busy, and life has flown by. Here's some news for you:

This year for Valentine's Day I wanted to give Sally something special. So I went all out and booked a May trip to Italy! Needless to say, she was shocked and thrilled. Our destination is Bologna: Italy's food capital and home of the oldest university in the western world (founded in the eleventh century). We will spend most of our time there, soaking up as much culture and food as possible, but we are also planning day trips by train to Florence and Venice. It should be an awesome trip. Bellissimo!

Peanut Butter Bread

2009-02-23T06:24:00.000-07:00

I don't think we've mentioned this on the blog. Back in January I (Ian) lost my job. You may recall that I was working for an engineering recruiting company, doing research and such for the recruiters and sales team. Well, the fourth quarter of 2008 didn't go so well for my former company, so they started the new year by laying off several employees, including myself. Thus the Wilsons have felt the effects of the economic downturn.

All this is to say that I am now substitute teaching, which is much more enjoyable than my previous job, and it gives me some free time to get ready for the Ph.D. One thing I've done with my extra time is bake bread. (I know, baking doesn't exactly prepare me for working on my doctorate! Don't worry. I'm doing some reading as well.) A couple of months ago, Sally purchased a bread machine at a rummage sale at the Baptist church just up the street from us (you can see their steeple from the front of our house). The machine cost a whopping $4, and as far as we can tell the only thing wrong with it is a broken support leg, which we've fixed with a high-tech, wadded up piece of paper:

Recently I used our $4, broken machine to make some peanut butter bread. It was excellent. Here are some photos:

If you have a bread machine, and you want to give it a try, here's the recipe:

3/4 cup warm water (80 deg. F)
1/3 cup peanut butter (we use natural--not as sweet)
1 tbsp honey
2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp active dry yeast

Put the ingredients into the machine, following the above order. Use the basic machine setting, medium darkness. Press start. (I can handle this type of baking.)

Enjoy!

Alright, back to reading...

Moses and Me

2009-02-19T10:56:00.001-07:00

Here's a cute phone snapshot of Ian with baby Moses. No, we didn't find him floating down a river in a basket. Derrick and Meghan, our good friends, are his proud parents, and last week we had the pleasure of babysitting for them. You can see more cute photos of baby Mo' on their blog.

PhD Application Status

2009-02-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

Well, it's mid-February, which means that the PhD results season has begun. Even though it's early, I've already heard from a few schools. Last weekend Baylor had me down for an interview and campus visit. The visit went well, but I've heard that they offered admission to another OT applicant. They haven't officially notified me, but I gather that I'm on the wait list. UC Berkeley also contacted me. They said no. My chances at Berkeley were slim because of the economic crisis in California, so it wasn't a complete surprise. I do have some good news to report, however. The University of Alberta has offered me admission! Alberta, I think, is a great opportunity, and I'm excited about getting a positive response. My hard work has finally paid off.

Here is my list so far:

Baylor: interviewed, awaiting a response
UC Berkeley: No
Emory: ???
Harvard: ???
Johns Hopkins: ???
Penn State: ???
University of Alberta: Yes!!!

We'll keep you posted as I receive additional results.

Phone Photos of a Cold Walk in Beverly Central Cemetery

2009-02-03T08:31:00.001-07:00

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

2009-01-31T09:41:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Sally took the day off, so we decided to head out to the movies for a mid-morning showing of Benjamin Button, one of this year's nominees for Best Picture. It's a very good film; we enjoyed the fantastical story of two lives headed in opposite directions, and the performances and cinematography are superb. However, what really struck us was the primary setting of the film: New Orleans.

The story begins in a modern hospital room in New Orleans, during the days leading up to hurricane Katrina. As the storm approaches, a woman sits by the bed of her dying mother and reads to her the diary of a man named Benjamin Button. The film cycles between scenes in the hospital room and flash backs to Benjamin's life, most of which takes place in the Big Easy. For those of you who may not know, New Orleans was our home in August of 2005, and we rode out the storm in Ochsner Medical Center, one of the city's largest hospitals. Numerous moments in the film were nostalgic for us. For instance, there is a scene where Benjamin and a friend have a conversation on the Peristyle in City Park. I almost proposed to Sally on the Peristyle; but she sensed that it was coming, so I got nervous and couldn't do it! I ended up proposing later that evening on the Pontchartrain lakefront, a place that also plays a prominent role in the film.

For us the film was a rollercoaster of New Orleans memories, some good and some not-so-good. We could probably write a book about our time in New Orleans. (I can't imagine that anyone has had a crazier first year of marriage!) Maybe we will some day. In the meantime, Benjamin Button has inspired me to write a brief memoir of our Katrina experience. I should have done it long ago; I guess I was just waiting for the right time. This week I'll begin working on it, and sometime soon I'll post it on the blog.

I do have one major complaint about the movie: the accents are mostly wrong. Take note Hollywood. Not all Southerner's have an antebellum Charleston/Savannah, Gone with the Wind-type drawl, especially not the people of New Orleans.

A Driveway is a Double-Edged Sword

2009-01-19T09:06:00.001-07:00

Today I spent almost an hour shoveling snow in our driveway. Sally and I shoveled it yesterday after the first 6" or so, but this morning we woke up to an additional 4-5". I told Sally to go ahead and back out, and that I would take care of the shoveling later. This was a bad idea. Sally got stuck and we were forced to shovel out her tires; then I had to give the car a little push. She was free in about five minutes, but that's not a fun way to start the day. Anyway, we are growing tired of shoveling, and we are running out of places to put our ever-rising mounds of snow. However, we are very thankful for a driveway, and for the ability to park in it when there is a "snow ban" (that's when you can't park on the street so that the plows can do their work). We live in a very densely populated area of metro Boston, and parking is often scarce.

Here are some photos of our driveway's current state:

The view up the street

Looking down the driveway

The view down the street

Looking up the driveway

Oh, and happy MLK day!!!

Holiday Photos and Snow

2009-01-14T17:35:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are some photos from our Christmas trip to SC:

Santa the stuffed leopard

Our niece, Emma, meets Mr. Nutcracker

Sally and Emma with Aunt Charlotte, Gramps, and Amy (Sally's sister)

Sally's dad, Bob, juggling with Amy

With Ian's college roommates, Walt and Casey, and their families

Ian's dad, mom, and brother--Gary, Diane, and Eric--on Christmas day in SC (note the short sleeves and beautiful weather!)

Okay, now here are some MA pictures. This winter we've had a whole lot of snow, and it looks like more is on the way this week.

Happy 2009!!!

Movie Quote Answers

2009-01-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

1) Ocean's Eleven
2) 2001: A Space Odyssey
3) Braveheart
4) All About Eve
5) Raiders of the Lost Ark
6) The Godfather
7) Forrest Gump
8) A Charlie Brown Christmas
9) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
10) Meet the Parents
11) Star Wars
12) The Shawshank Redemption
13) The Matrix
14) Alien
15) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
16) Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
17) The Wedding Singer
18) This is Spinal Tap
19) Good Will Hunting
20) Citizen Kane

(Again, these are in no particular order, and they don't necessarily represent my 20 most favorite movies. These are just the ones that came to me while I was making the list.)

Quotes from Some of Ian's Favorite Movies

2008-12-31T09:18:00.000-07:00

Our dear friends the Hutchins have posted a list of quotes from their favorite movies and asked their blog readers to guess the source of each quote. I've decided to follow their lead and post a few of my own. See if you remember which movies these quotes come from, and post your answers in the comment section. But no cheating!!! (By cheating I mean using a search engine or movie database of some sort.) Here they are, in no particular order:

1) Ten oughta do it, don't you think? You think we need one more? You think we need one more. All right, we'll get one more.

2) I know I've made some very poor decisions recently, but I can give you my complete assurance that my work will be back to normal. I've still got the greatest enthusiasm and confidence in the mission. And I want to help you.

3) The Almighty says this must be a fashionable fight. It's drawn the finest people.

4) The minor awards, as you can see, have already been presented. Minor awards are for such as the writer and director, since their function is merely to construct a tower so that the world can applaud a light which flashes on top of it. And no brighter light has ever dazzled the eye than Eve Harrington.

5) Asps... very dangerous. You go first.

6) Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.

7) He was from a long great military tradition. Somebody from his family had fought and died in every single American war. I guess you could say he had a lot to live up to.

8) Please note the size and color of each item, and send as many as possible. If it seems too complicated, make it easy on yourself: just send money. How about tens and twenties?

9) Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.

10) Well they say geniuses pick green.

11) If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.

12) I must admit I didn't think much of Andy first time I laid eyes on him; looked like a stiff breeze would blow him over. That was my first impression of the man.

13) Dodge this.

14) You still don't understand what you're dealing with, do you? Perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility.

15) ...Our files are confidential, Mr. Barish, so we can't show you any evidence. Suffice it to say, Miss Kruczynski was not happy and she wanted to move on. We provide that possibility.

16) So much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it.

17) Hey, psycho - we're not gonna discuss this, OK, it's over. Please get out of my Van Halen t-shirt before you jinx the band and they break up.

18) It's like, how much more black could this be? and the answer is none. None more black.

19) See you Monday. We'll be talking about Freud and why he did enough cocaine to kill a small horse.

20) You know, Mr. Bernstein, if I hadn't been very rich, I might have been a really great man.

p.s. Stay tuned for some holiday photos and snow pics.

Tidbits

2008-12-15T18:12:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent happenings from the Wilson household:

Taking a Christmas photo can be lots of work! (Especially if I am not cooperating)

Okay... I will be serious

Our final product, after some editing

These are the ladies from our church small group, my dear friends. Every other week before church, we enjoy breakfast together and each others company.

The view we encountered by surprise as we left for church

It ended up snowing all day, but never accumulated on the road. Therefore, we did not have to get out our shovels... not yet anyway. :)

Thanksgiving = A Work Day

2008-11-27T07:15:00.000-07:00

Sadly, for Sally, Thanksgiving has often been just another day at the office. This year is no different. In order to have Christmas and/or New Year's Day off, Sally has to work on Turkey-day. She plans to skip as much paperwork as possible and get back to the house by 2:00 pm. Later this afternoon we'll be sharing Thanksgiving dinner with the Malioneks, some good friends from church.

There is one good thing, however, about working on Thanksgiving: Sally gets to wear her turkey scrubs! Here are some photos from early this morning:

SBL Boston

2008-11-27T05:47:00.000-07:00

This weekend the Society of Biblical Literature gathered in Boston for its annual meeting. At the annual meeting, scholars give papers on their latest research, publishers market their wares, and professors and students get together for interviews, social gatherings, and schmoozing. For me, the meeting was primarily an opportunity to make some new friends and to catch up with some old friends from Gordon-Conwell and Harvard. I did hear a few papers--some were very good, some were terribly boring. I also met with a few professors from Baylor University and the University of Alberta, two of the schools to which I'm applying. For the most part, I had a great time at the annual meeting. Hopefully, it was not my last one. Next year's gathering is in New Orleans, and I hope to attend as a first-year doctoral student, not as an engineering recruiter with a master's degree in biblical studies!

All of this reminds me that our first substantial blog post related to this same topic. About a year ago Sally and I had just returned from the annual meeting in San Diego, our minds full of ideas about what the next year might hold. Here we are again, on Thanksgiving, wondering where we might be next fall. If anything, the last three years have taught us that one can never tell....

Home Prices

2008-11-04T14:12:00.000-07:00

Sally and I were surfing the web the other night, looking up info on the various cities where we might land next year. While searching, we stumbled upon Yahoo's real estate site and looked at some home prices. Here are the median home prices for each city, as of Nov. 3, 2008:

Atlanta, GA (Emory): $210,000

Baltimore, MD (Johns Hopkins): $184,900

Berkeley, CA (Cal): $684,900

Cambridge, MA (Harvard): $539,000

Edmonton, Alberta (U. of Alberta): not listed

State College, PA (Penn State): $252,800

Waco, TX (Baylor): $114,900

Sooo, we probably won't be buying a home in the San Francisco or Boston areas any time soon....

Family time in South Carolina!!!

2008-11-01T14:52:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, Ian and I enjoyed some time in SC with our family, celebrating birthdays and new life! Ian's grandma turned 85 (you couldn't tell by looking at her) and his mom 55. The whole family bought Grandma a Wii so she could enjoy bowling and other sports at home. It took a few minutes, but she was soon a pro! We also got to see our new, 4 week old niece, Emma. I, Sally, hogged her the entire day, admiring her cuteness. It was also, of course, great to see Dale and Moira, my brother and sister-in-law, who drove up to see us.

Grandma cutting her cake!

The "official" 2008 Wilson Family Photo

Isn't she cute!

Us with Dale, Moira, and Emma

Assyria and Italy in Boston

2008-10-13T16:08:00.000-06:00

This weekend Sally and I trekked down to Boston to visit the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA). The MFA currently has on display an exhibit of Assyrian art (and artifacts) on loan from the British Museum. This was a treat for me; museums are often full of Egyptian artifacts, but pieces from Mesopotamia are harder to come by, at least here in the US (The MFA, for example, has several halls of Egyptian art, but only one very small room devoted to art of the "ancient Near East"). I'm sure there are some US museums out there with larger collections of Assyrian and Babylonian materials, but I have yet to visit them. Sally really enjoyed it as well. I think it gave her some perspective; now she has seen seen some of the stuff that I ramble about all the time!

Our trip concluded with dinner and dessert in Boston's North End, home to some of the country's finest Italian restaurants and bakeries. It seems like most of our trips into the city end up there.... Sally had a giant plate of Tortelini alla Bolognese, and I enjoyed a large helping of Spaghetti Puttanesca. We finished off our meal at Caffe Vittoria with coffee, hot chocolate, and a canoli. Bellissimo!

Camping

2008-09-28T18:22:00.001-06:00

I, Sally, really like to camp. We hadn't been yet this year, so I asked Ian if we could go sometime soon. He responded "sure" and we placed a date on the calendar and asked our good friends Jen and Ehren to join us. So, Jen and I planned our meals, made up our shopping list, and did a joint grocery store run. Ian and I packed our stuff Thursday night so that I could pack the car when I got home from work on Friday. Then we could leave right when Ian got home from work. It is getting dark here about 6:50, and we wanted to be at our site before dark.

Thursday night I started to have a slight sore throat, so opted to head to bed early. I wasn't going to take any chances on feeling a little under the weather for our camping weekend. I woke up Friday feeling fair and headed to work. As the day wore on I started to feel worse and worse, but was denying every bit of it. However, by the end of the day I knew I was sick. I called my friend Jen and told her I wasn't feeling great, but still wanted to go camping and would call her before we came to meet them.

When Ian got home he could tell I wasn't feeling very well and asked how I was doing. "Well.." was all that came out of my mouth before Ian said that we shouldn't go and that we would play it by ear as to whether or not we could camp on Saturday night. Needless to say I was heart broken, but knew he was right and ended up going right to bed.

It was forty degrees Friday night, so it's good we didn't go! And Jen and Ehren didn't make it either due to a dead car battery! They did go on Saturday, though, so Ian made me pancakes on Saturday morning, home-camping style, and then that night we went out to the camp ground to join them for dinner and smores by the campfire. We came home around 9:00 pm and had a good night's sleep in our warm apartment.

I ended up staying home from work on Monday, and I still have a sore throat a week later. It was a good idea to stay in last weekend, which makes me thankful for my caring and concerned husband! :)

Enjoy our photos:

The Ph.D. Progress

2008-09-18T13:09:00.000-06:00

Today was an important day in the long journey toward a Ph.D. Finally, after three tries, I earned a very good score on the GRE. My previous scores were "good", but they were on the bottom end of the "good" spectrum. Now I am firmly in the middle to upper end of that spectrum, and that makes me happy. The GRE has been a source of much grief in my life, especially during the last few months, and so it is good to have it behind me. When I saw my scores I felt like this old man at the top of a Scottish mountain:

(Coincidentally, my beard is beginning to look like that old man's.)

Here are some other thoughts on the application process:

More and more I am realizing that this year of uncertainty is a good thing for me. I am, of course, disappointed that I am not in school right now, but the interim is helping me to improve as a student in many ways. I've raised my GRE scores. I'm reading books that I've wanted to read for a long time. I'm studying Ugaritic. And I'm being published (by the way, my essay should show up in print sometime in 2009). This time around I'll be a more attractive applicant, and--more importantly--I'll be better prepared.

Also, my list of schools has shrunk a bit. There are five schools to which I am definitely applying. Here they are, in no particular order:

University of Alberta: Religious Studies
Harvard: Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations
Penn State: Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies / Ancient History
Baylor: Department of Religion
UC Berkeley: Near Eastern Studies (I've decided not to apply to the joint doctoral program with GTU)

Emory, Johns Hopkins, and Toronto are on the "maybe" list. Their programs are excellent, but I haven't done a very good job of making myself known to them. There is still time, however, so I may end up applying to one or two of those schools as well.

As you can see, there's no telling where we might be in a year or so.

So that's the latest scoop on my applications, etc. The GRE is done. Now it's time to refine the purpose statement, the writing sample, etc. Onward ho!!!

The Look and Other News

2008-09-03T16:04:00.000-06:00

After a several month hiatus, the beard is on its way back in. Check it out:

In other news, Sally and I recently played Bocce (or some form of it) for the first time. Our good friends the Flynns and the Connellys taught us how to play. Here are some photos:

Hold that Tiger...

2008-08-27T19:38:00.000-06:00

Clemson's football season kicks off Saturday with a nationally televised game against Alabama. Ian can't wait.

In related news, US News & World Report just released its annual college rankings. Here's how our Alma Mater fared:

National Universities: #61 ("Tier 1")
National Public Universities: #22
'Up-and-Coming' National Universities: #2

Harvard regained the #1 overall spot, which Princeton held last year.

Weekend of Softball

2008-08-20T16:00:00.000-06:00

Ian and I played in our church league softball playoffs last week and weekend. We won our game on Monday night with Ian in left field and me, Sally, as catcher (for some of the game at least). We won the game fairly easily, which made it a nice laid back game. For a church league we are usually pretty competitive.

So, we happily advanced and started our next game at 9:30 Saturday morning. We were there an hour early for warm-up and batting practice. There was an excitement in the air and we were ready to play. We battled it out for 7 tight innings and ended up coming out with a win by 1 run! So, again we were advancing!

We broke for lunch and a rest before our next game at 1:30 pm. I am not sure what everyone did during our break, but we came back with one less player, one injured player, one sick player and many players stating they wanted to "take a nap." To say it lightly we were "obliterated" in the next game! I stopped counting the runs as they passed me at home plate. It was a disheartening way to end, but you have to go someway I guess! :)

Anyhow, it was a great season, one filled with great laughs, great plays, and great fellowship. I sure am glad I decided to play. Our friend Matt Newby will probably post some photos soon.

The Divine Name

2008-08-14T09:04:00.001-06:00

I (Ian) don't usually post about issues related to my studies, but I think many of you (our faithful readership!) might be interested in this blog post I read the other day: Yahweh or Adonai? The post is from Charles Halton--a young Christian scholar who trained at Hebrew Union College (a Jewish school) and now teaches at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. My opinion on this matter has gone back and forth. I usually refrain from using the name Yahweh in conversational settings, but I often (perhaps hypocritically?) use it in academic settings, as do most of my professors and fellow students. What do you think?

Manny-less Fenway

2008-08-03T13:14:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, on a whim, Sally and I decided to go see the Sox play, sans Manny Ramirez. (Well, mostly I decided and Sally agreed. :-) Since we hadn't bought tickets ahead of time, we were forced to scour the internet in order to find some last-minute, reasonably priced tickets (by "reasonably priced" I mean "absurdly priced" instead of "absolutely ridiculously absurdly priced"). I could rant on and on about how difficult it is to find face-value tickets, but I'll save that for another time. Anyway, we found 2 tickets for some great seats in straight-away center field, and we had a blast. The Sox won 12-2, and Jason Bay--the former Pittsburgh Pirate whom we acquired in the Manny trade--hit a three run home run in the first inning. It's safe to say that the Fenway Faithful are pleased with the newest member of the team. As a long-time Manny fan (since the Cleveland days), I was sad not to see him wandering around in left field. As a Red Sox fan, however, I think the move was best for the team. Here are a couple photos:

Danvers 5 Mile Race!!!!

2008-07-20T17:36:00.000-06:00

Running a time of 44:20, Ian and Sally Wilson crossed the finish line in true racing glory!

(Ian thinks I am so cheesy.)

Seriously, we signed up for the Danvers Kiwanis 5 mile run at the beginning of the summer and sort of trained. Therefore we were a little nervous about the race, although we ended up having a great time running together, stride for stride. Here are some photos of the finish- hope you enjoy them.

(The above photo is from our good friend Matt Newby [copyright 2008]. He is an excellent photographer. Check out his website here: www.mattnewby.com)

Team Wilson, complete with matching t-shirts!

Independence Day Weekend

2008-07-20T08:53:00.000-06:00

We had a very nice July 4th weekend that consisted of a parade in Danvers, fireworks in Salem, and a trip to the Franklin Park Zoo.

I know these are pictures from a few weeks ago, but our life seems to be a little back-logged :)

Ian and I at the "Horribles Parade" in Danvers. Our church had a float with an Indiana Jones theme, as you can tell from the next few photos.

Ian meeting Indy and the "bad guy".... aka fellow churchgoers

It's been in Danvers all along!!!!

How did our mascot get into the zoo? (Go Clemson!)

The King of the Jungle seemed not to be impressed by our visit.

I told Ian not to jump the fence. Ha, ha

Hope to see you all soon!

Coming Soon to a Theological Library Near You...

2008-07-16T16:09:00.000-06:00

...Ian's first academic publication!

This past weekend I learned that the journal Restoration Quarterly has accepted a condensed version of my master's thesis for publication. The article deals with the five "face to face" (panim el-panim in Hebrew) encounters of the Old Testament (check out Genesis 32:30; Exodus 33:11; Deuteronomy 34:10; Judges 6:22; and Ezekiel 20:35). These encounters have always fascinated me. In fact, my very first academic paper on the Bible surveyed several interpretations of Jacob's famous "face to face" encounter--the wrestling match with God at the Jabbok River (Gen 32). I'm not sure when the article will actually make it to print, but I'll let you know.

In other news, Sally and I are enjoying the mostly mild New England summer. Soon we will post some pictures of our recent activities.

Recent Pics

2008-06-25T19:14:00.001-06:00

Beverly is slowly improving our neighborhood decor. These trees along the sidewalk are newly planted.

Our landlord maintains some lovely flower gardens around the house, and she recently picked some roses for us.

Our new home, with a very pink door.

Ian as a bobble-head.

Champs!

2008-06-18T05:30:00.000-06:00

Another Update from Ian

2008-06-12T07:52:00.000-06:00

Praise God; I finally got a job. I know that right now jobs are hard to come by all over the country, but it seems to be especially difficult here in the Boston area. A number of our friends here have had a hard time securing jobs. Anyway, I will be recruiting engineers to do contract work. My first day is Monday. Obviously, this doesn't have anything to do with the Bible or ancient Near East. My goal is still to enter a PhD program in the fall of 2009. This job, however, will provide a nice change of pace in the mean time. I think my mind needs a break from ancient languages and paper writing. (Well, it won't be a total break. I will, of course, continue to read and work on my languages, but it will be at my own pace, not the breakneck speed of the academic semester.) Speaking of PhD programs, I have been compiling a preliminary list of schools to which I might apply. Since it is a preliminary list, it may shrink or swell over the coming months. I'll keep you posted. Here's the list, with links to the department sites, in no particular order:

UC Berkeley/Graduate Theological Union: Near Eastern Religions program (this is a joint doctoral program between two schools; see UCB here, and GTU here)

Baylor: Dept. of Religion

Harvard: Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations

Johns Hopkins: Near Eastern Studies

Michigan: Near Eastern Studies

Penn State: Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies/Ancient History

Univ. of Toronto: Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations

Univ. of Alberta: Comparative Literature/Religious Studies program

Emory: Dept. of Religion

History

2008-06-05T06:17:00.000-06:00

This year I'm really excited about the NBA Finals. In fact, I probably haven't cared this much since Michael Jordan retired. You see, I was born in LA, and the "Showtime" Lakers of the 1980's--with Magic, Worthy, and Kareem--created some of my earliest sports memories. Back then it was good to be a Lakers fan.

Things change, though. My family transplanted to the East Coast, and it was hard to be a Lakers fan 3000 miles from the Great Western Forum. It was also hard not to enjoy watching Jordan single-handedly dismantle the mighty Lakers in the 1991 Finals. (I knew something special was happening.)

Ironically (or perhaps 'tragically' in the minds of my mom and my West Coast family members!) I am now a fan of the Boston Celtics, the Lakers' biggest rivals during the 80's. Not long after Jordan retired I lost interest in the NBA. For some reason it just wasn't the same anymore. My heroes were all gone or about to go, and I just quit paying attention. A few years ago, however, I decided to give basketball another shot. I live in Boston, so I decided to be a C's fan. Please don't get the wrong picture. I'm no bandwagon jumper. When I adopted the Celtics, they were mediocre, at best. And then last year, they were absolutely terrible. But deep down I knew that things would turn around. I thought to myself: This is the most storied franchise in NBA history, so surely they can't be terrible forever, right? Well, I was right. This past summer we made some blockbuster deals, and now we are back in the NBA Finals. Our opponents?: the LA Lakers. History repeats itself. I can't wait.

Life Update

2008-05-29T09:17:00.000-06:00

This week Sally started her new nursing job--no actual nursing, yet, just a bunch of paper work and orientation stuff. She starts seeing patients with her preceptor on Monday. I, on the other hand, am still looking for work. The search has been frustrating at times, but I have a dear old friend to keep me busy while I wait to hear from places where I've applied. That old friend is the GRE. It's been two years since we last got together, so we have a lot of catching up to do. I could go on and on about how this old friend fails to do his job (i.e. determine my aptitude for grad school), but I've decided not to complain about this old buddy. Instead, I am going to make the best of our relationship, and approach it with a positive attitude.

Anyway, we are settling into our new home nicely; Sally is back to working, which she has been looking forward to, and I am starting the long process of reapplying to doctoral programs. Sometime in the near future I'll post a list of the schools to which I'll apply this fall, so you all can have an idea of where we might be in a year or so. Stay tuned.

Me and the GRE, hangin' out:

Walking in New England

2008-05-24T15:10:00.001-06:00

Last evening after Ian and I had eaten dinner that we conveniently got around the corner (Chinese Take-out), we decided to go on a walk. We walked 2 blocks east and crossed over the main street where we walked another 4 or so blocks to the ocean. When we arrive at this spot in our walk, which we do quite frequently, I always have to remind myself that the sight I am seeing is real. The ocean is tremendously big looking in comparison to everything around, with the sky and clouds hovering over allowing sail boats to float along. It seems to me the ocean does these boats a favor of allowing them to join in.
Ian and I then proceeded down the street parallel to the water passing all different people enjoying a walk because the weather is nice. I love to see people come out from wherever they hide to enjoy the weather whenever it is remotely warm outside.
After walking past historic homes that have signs stating they were built in 1725 and walking past cemeteries that hold very worn graves we again crossed back to our neighborhood where the homes are divided into individual apartments and the road is a little rougher. However, when we passed 3 guys playing baseball in the road and yelling "Ca... game off...ca passed... game on..." I smiled thinking of the character of where we live and the adventure of walking in New England.