Caught up!

To our faithful readership (I guess that's you, ghd3):

We have finally caught up with posts dating all the way back to July 7th so settle in and enjoy!

Sincerely,

Wall Blah Blog Editors

Happy Birthday JWDT!

Happy Birthday to a wonderful sister, aunt, mom, wife, daughter, and friend! We love you and hope you have a wonderful day and a spectacular year. Celebrate!

Pow-wow

The Wall clan headed out to the Franklin county fairgrounds to attend a Native American Pow-wow being held there. There was a really great vibe, albeit an eclectic demographic, at the event. No one was in a hurry - the point was just to be and to be together. eaw loved the traditional drums and singing circles, and the elaborate dress of the dancers during the grand procession. I love exposing him to new ideas, images, and people and watching him embrace his surroundings. He got his face painted for the first time - a wolf paw print on his cheek, and was completely mesmerized during its application. He seemed to love being outside, despite some late summer heat, and had some fun playing around the hay piles that served as public seating. We're going to try to make it to the Greek Festival tomorrow to see what he thinks of baklava.

Clowning around

eaw has accompanied me to a dozen house showings over the past few days. We are closing in on one, in particular, and have a few back up options, so we'll see how it all plays out. mtw, eaw and I decided to go out to dinner after a second showing at our top choice home to list pros and cons of the property against others we had seen. eaw took the opportunity to blow off some steam, mugging for the employees and patrons of the retro burger joint:

From dud to stud in seconds flat!

All aboard!

We are thoroughly enjoying the waning days of summer, taking advantage of late summer festivals and early autumn gatherings. mtw headed out to Philadelphia this weekend for work and eaw and I had no trouble filling the time. We spent Saturday at the Train Depot in Columbus for a train festival. It was awesome - trains, trains, trains as far as the eye could see. Hundreds of model train sets up and running (with unique interactions from the slightly odd, but wonderfully passionate owners of the train sets); rides on kid size replicas of steam engines; and musical acts that sang the most unusual, but entertaining songs about trains. eaw was enthralled with one performer in particular. He listened attentively to his act for about 45 minutes, dancing and clapping to the music, laughing at the jokes, and even upstaging the performance one or two times. eaw's seems a natural performer!

Utah or bust!

We headed out on our 2200-mile trek west only two days after returning from North Carolina (a 700 mile trip itself). The trusty Volvo was tuned up and topped off with a cargo unit, and packed full with mtw, mdw, eaw, and the puppies. The road trip out was awesome, save for a few stitches in Laramie, WY.* Eaw is quite the traveler, amusing himself with books, cell phones, music, naps, and snacks. He had about a two hour maximum in the car before needing to stretch his little legs, and the dogs were on the same schedule so it all worked out. He really only got truly frustrated around nap time. We took the northern route out on 1-80, dividing the three days of driving into a 12 hour stint, taking us into Council Bluffs, IA; followed by a 10 hour shift into Laramie, WY, and then a 5 hour ride into the city of Salt. It was awesome to watch the terrain shift and eventually rise. I started sobbing in Wyoming once we saw mountains and red rock. I am aware of how much place and landscape can affect me, and have longed for the mountains.

*Odin got too near to Samantha while feeding them dinner (mdw’s fault) and Samantha let Odin know how she felt about that. Fortunately, our hotel was walking distance to an emergency vet who sewed Odin up right away. Unfortunately, it happened to be Odin’s birthday. All are healing well thanks to the mountain air…

We arrived to my parent’s (who were in Alaska) beautiful home in Emigration Canyon. It was nice to have a few days as our little family, but it was really great when Grandma and Grandpa returned. eaw clearly remembered them, and enjoyed their doting and attention.

We stayed for three weeks in order to spread out the visits and activities, but the time was action packed, and flew by. I was able to participate in a week-long workshop with one of my mentors from graduate school. It was truly amazing, rejuvenating, and a good release for me. The remainder of the time was spent with family, friends, and nature. We were able to celebrate Grandma Durham’s birthday with her, Grandpa Meaders, and the Tolks – which is no small miracle as mom is usually out of town on her birthday. Mfd and I made the banana cake in the shape of a hear, receiving rave reviews for our efforts. Grandpa Durham took some time off from work and shared time with us at the Capitol, Temple Square, the zoo, and Tracey Aviary. We learned that eaw loves loves loves birds, and took him to two free flying bird shows. He was delighted to see the birds flying overhead, and continues to point out birds everywhere. He continues to love trains, and I had a blast taking him on the Hogle Zoo train, although I swear it was a much longer ride when I was a kid:)

Grandpa Meaders broke bread with us often, sharing a meal at Red Lobster, a family meal at the Meaders (where eaw met is cousin Paige - they really hit it off), a meal at the Church Office Building (where you get your ice cream free if you guess it’s correct price by weight), and a meal in Park City (where we met up with our North Carolina friends, the Crumplers).



The Tolks were very busy, but we were able to sneak in some time with them at their house, playing Wii and blowing up water balloons for one of jwdt’s primary activities. We also shared time with the Tolks at their cousin’s house, but unfortunately missed the performance at the end of the evening. eaw and his cousin shared a few laughs and squeals (both of delight and dread) at the water fountains at Gateway.

We also spent time with friends, reconnecting with the Woodruffs, the Sowerbys, and the Erikssons. We went swimming at the Sowerby's pool, amazed at the view and embrace by the mountains; and enjoyed the company of their 5 year old daughter who is so good with eaw. The Sowerby’s later joined us for an overnight at the cabin and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly, including a walk around mirror lake, an encounter with a family of deer, and a very heated game of Scrabble. We felt much love from and felt much love for our family and friends in Utah. Maybe a future move is possible…

Thanks to mom and dad for the incredible generosity and hospitality in letting us stay with you. We so loved being with family and friends in such a beautiful place. We decided to take the southern route home along I-70 to prolong the stunning scenery. The drive back was uneventful, except for the breathtaking landscape, an amazing lightning storm in Kansas, and the longest final 30 miles ever.

We are safely home in Columbus. Thanks for the memories!