Well, it's been a couple weeks, but the hiking trip to New Hampshire turned into a hiking trip to the Adirondacks. It was a blast, even though it rained off and on most of the time. We covered about 6+ miles a day. The terrain was fairly level, and along the way we passed 15 lakes! I highly recommend this loop. Here are a few pics:

Boring Stuff

Ruby: I turned the light on in the living room for you.

Jeff: Thanks, honey. That was very thoughtful of you.

Ruby: That's OK. I know you guys like to talk about boring stuff in there after I go to bed.

Well, we're all moved in, settled in, and more or less relaxed! I wanted to get a picture up of all of us in front of the new house, but it was not to be. Not yet, anyway. We slipped away to Montreal over Labor Day sans kids (thanks Julianne!), and this weekend, I'm headed for the White Mountains in New Hampshire with some friends from work. We're planning a 15+ mile hike over a couple days. I'll see if I can get it together enough to actually take some pictures and post them. Trees are starting to change, and fall is in the air, but colors won't really hit till October I wager. 

This week, I'm taking a quick breath before I kick off a new project at work. Meanwhile, Joy's beginning massage school, as well as a starting choreography on a new dance that she'll be performing in Boston in November, working with a local composer who's put together some pretty cool music for it. Ruby started a new preschool class this week, a bit closer to the new home, and Vivian is starting daycare. Oy! So far all is going well. Adjusting to the new routine is a lot of things, but boring it's not.

Another Poser

Ruby for President

A big day today! Mother's Day and Ruby turned 4, and we all had a blast. This was the first day we could all leave the house in a week since our latest bout with the cold/flu/allergy season. So far, we're 0-4, but we try to think of it optimistically, as in "Ten or twenty more weeks like this, and just think how strong the kids' immune systems will be!"

Ruby got a Calico Critters doll house that doubles as a carrying case. The best part is that the mortgage is already paid off, so she won't have to foreclose on the two baby beavers who live in it. She was in super-cute mode today, but some days certain things just stand out. Today, she heard Joy and I talking about politics at the dinner table, and asked me what "democracy" meant. A tough one to explain to a newly minted 4-year-old, but I gave it a try:

Me: Well, do you know what a "leader" is?
She: Yeah. Someone who walks in front of people.
Me: Good! Well, in America we get to choose our leaders. Like, what if I wanted to lead your class at preschool, and I said, "I promise that if you choose me, I'll give you candy every day." Would you choose me?
She: (Thinking...) No, because having candy every day is bad for you, so I wouldn't choose you.
Me: (Floored by this. I really thought she'd go for the candy.) And what if I said, "If you choose me, I promise to give the whole class new books to read."
She: Then I'd choose you. Hey, I wanna be a leader.
Me: You can be, when you grow up.
She: No, I want to be one when I'm four. I want to be one now.

This is a smart kid. As smart as she is impatient. But seriously, could a four-year-old do worse than Bush?

Our New Home! (Hopefully)

We've been crazy busy here lately! Joy has been working on her dance for her upcoming performance at FlynnSpace. She's been blogging about it here. She'll be sharing the performance with another choreographer, both working on pieces dealing with parenting. Joy's piece deals with change from the often diverging perspectives of Ruby and herself. I'm anxious to see it after all the hard work she's put into it. I've been up to my eyeballs in work, creating a prototype of a client's website and clocking some fairly serious hours. I may have to travel to Atlanta to present it their sales force in May, and may even have to leave straight from Ohio after we all celebrate Ruby's birthday party in Columbus.

And in the middle of all this, after looking for what seems like years, we think we may have found a place to call home! I don't want to jinx it, but our offer was accepted today on a this place in Hinesburg, a small, rural town about 25 minutes from Burlington.


The town has great schools and easy access to hiking, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and any other outdoor activity you can imagine. The best part is that it's right on Sunset Lake, so access to boating, fishing and ice skating is a walk down a hill in the backyard.


We can't wait for the closing, but unfortunately, that's exactly what we'll have to do since the current occupants can't move out until July 3rd. Still, we think it'll definitely be worth the wait. Our casa su casa, so be sure to plan your next visit to your new Vermont vacation home soon...

Today I'm Four!

Hi Ruby! It's Taylor, and I'm four years old today. When I saw your dress up picture, I decided I wanted to try too.

I'm staying at my grandma's and grandpa's house today, but tomorrow I'm going to have a party for my friends at Pump It Up

How is school? I'm going to school too, and I really like it. My big brother Logan goes to my school. He's five!

Rock the Opera

I'm coming to the uncomfortable conclusion that my life is not that interesting to fill up a blog on any regular basis. Basically something interesting happens about every two weeks. This last weekend, I took a drive down to the Berkshires to visit a friend and help out with a charity event. The party raised money to support an art school there called IS 183, and he needed some extra hands behind the two bars he was running. It dawned on me a little late that this was a costume party; the theme: Rock the Opera. People either dressed in opera attire or as rockers. Since my Viking helmet was out being buffed, I decided to wear ripped jeans, a band t-shirt, and my trusty mullet wig.


That'd be me on the right. For more pics, you can go here. The costumes were pretty amazing, and I have to say, I really enjoyed bar tending. Possibly a career opportunity to explore further. We got around $400 in tips! We didn't pocket it, of course, it being a charity event, but I see it as a sign of my future earning potential. Like every job, though, there's a downside, and this one was getting to bed at 3 a.m. Not something I could do on a regular basis, and it made for a rather long drive home the next day. But hey, that's the price you pay for rock n' roll.

My New Car

To prove to Joe that I am not the wet blanket he makes me out to be, I've provided a link to a survey any of you car lovers out there can take to choose the design direction of the Venture One production vehicle. (That didn't sound as fun as it did in my head.) If I haven't hipped you to my future commuter car, here's a little taste:


It's half-auto, half-cycle and tilts when you corner. Beyond that, it gets 100 mpg, can go 100 mph, and hits 0-60 in about 6 seconds. Seats two and can accommodate a car seat. All that for between $20K and $25K. Expect it in discriminating dealer showrooms in about 2 years. There are a lot of these enviro-vehicles, but usually they're butt-ugly, look just a little too Jetsons, or will never in a million years reach production. This one seems to balance these attributes nicely and promises an exhilarating ride to boot.

Anywho, if you're interested, click on the picture and fill out a quick survey. It's mostly designed to school you more about the vehicle, but at the end you can choose which version you like best. I won't say which one I chose, but it's the one on the right.

The New Job

Well, my first week is behind me at the new job, and it was a doozy. I'm not going to make a habit of blogging about the job, but it's pretty amazing, so I'm compelled to share. Especially since, by contrast, my last job blew so hard.

So far, my colleagues seem very nice and have made me feel right at home. The office itself sits on top of a hill offering 360-degree views of the surrounding mountains, Lake Champlain, and the Adirondacks. From my cubicle, which faces northeast, I can see Mount Mansfield in the distance, watch storms roll in, and see sunsets color the snow-capped peaks pink. I'll try to post pictures at some point, but my cell phone camera just doesn't do it justice.

After a day of orientation, I was on my way to dinner with a local client - Green Mountain Coffee - at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe. They put us up there overnight to start an all-day strategy workshop the next morning. The lodge was created by the von Trapps of Sound of Music fame and features some of the best cross-country skiing in the east, if you're so inclined (I'm not, but aspire to be). I can say with all honesty that I've never before met in a conference room with a fire crackling away in the fireplace, and probably never will again.

Not bad for a first week, and this on the heels of a great weekend visit from Hope, George and Riley. We went sled riding on Saturday at a great hill at the Burlington Golf Course and then skiing at Bolton Valley. (Actually, George skied and I alternated between falling, swearing like a truck driver, and sliding downhill.) It's just been a crazy week to reflect back on, but when people wonder why we made this move to Vermont, this post pretty much sums it up for me. Once we find a more permanent living situation, the master plan will have come together.

Test Your Skill

Jeff keeps pressing the point that his intention for this blog is one of family photos, updates, connectedness, and I accept that. However, I sometimes like to share items that I find intriguing, elevating, or just plain fun!

As a lover of geography, I challenge you to take the traveler's IQ challenge and let me know how you did.

Traveler IQ Challenge

Happy Birthday Brenna

Brenna turns 25 today! I helped Ruby make a sign for her so she'll know we're thinking about her. We also came up with a list of things we love about her. I welcome you all to add your own reasons and special birthday wishes in the comments.

Why Ruby, Vivian and I love Brenna

• She's funny
• She likes us
• People say she looks like me (Joy) which heightens my self esteem
• She's nice
• She gave me (Ruby) that toy dress thingy and the shell purse
• She rocks the mic

We love you and miss you sweetie!! Have a great birthday!

Introducing Mrs. Pitch

I'd like everyone to meet Mrs. Pitch. She'll be staying with us for a while. As you can see, she dresses impeccably, though she has a taste for the flamboyant, and she doesn't go anywhere without her toy terrier. She looks a bit stern in this photo, probably because she has a touch of laryngitis that makes her sound like a young Brenda Vaccaro.

Well, it's official. I quit my job at Keane last week, and I'm back home here in Burlington. For those keeping track, in the span of 10+ years, that means I've worked at 4 consulting companies through 3 turbulent acquisitions, 2 by Indian firms. More importantly, it means no more weekly road trips to New York, no more crappy hotels, no more parenting via cell phone from Laguardia airport during yet another flight delay. My new job is at a local company called C2. We're pretty thrilled about the opportunity to both live and work in Vermont.

Rice Dreams

It's been too long since I've posted, so here's an update from my neck of the woods with video! We got the girls to bed on the early side tonight, amazing considering how hyper they were. Ruby was playing with her doctor kit and Vivian--scream queen--was shrieking, as she does now with no prompting. She isn't upset, just happy to use her new-found voice. Lately, she seems to be testing how loud it can get. She's got a tooth in and a couple more on the way, and tonight she sampled her first solid food: Rice Dream. I'm no child psychologist, but from the looks of her face in the video, I doubt she'll be dreaming of this stuff.

Another snow storm's heading in, a Nor'Easter in New England parlance, so our first winter in Vermont has definitely been "as advertised" on all the local brochures. If you ski or have ever thought about skiing, time to plan a visit! I've made a goal to go skiing at least three times this year, and I may possibly try snowboarding. Again. The first time I did a few years ago, I was very, very sore the next day.

We have been doing a lot of snowshoeing and sledding though. We had an incredible hike at Niquette Bay State Park, about 15 minutes from our house. The trail winds around Lake Champlain and up through some wooded areas. The trees were loaded with snow. Ruby got some snowshoes shaped like dinosaur feet for Christmas, but she wore them about 20 feet before asking me to carry her, so I threw her in the child carrier backpack and away we went. Sorry, no pictures. I am still kicking myself for not having our camera with us.

By the way, THANK YOU ALL for the Christmas gifts. The girls had an amazing Christmas. Ruby has worn all her new clothes (miraculously, they all fit!), and she's been playing nonstop for the last three weeks.

That's all for now. I fly back to New York tomorrow. Week 8 or 9 of this project, I've lost track. Hopefully the last week for a little while. Happy Belated New Year!

Please Remember Those Who Can Not Speak

Dear Joseph,

"It's the most important wildlife conservation legislation in history," said John Kostyack, NWF's wildlife policy expert.

"Really?" I could see this question in the eyes of many in the room.

Could this new global warming bill--the Climate Security Act--really be as big as the Endangered Species Act...or the Clean Water Act...or the Clean Air Act? How?

"Well," said John, "Global warming has the potential to wipe out all of the conservation victories of the last century."

Endangered wildlife on the road to recovery could face new challenges as global warming alters their habitat and way of life. Waters that we once fought to protect could dry up from extreme drought.

This is why passing the Climate Security Act is the #1 priority for the National Wildlife Federation.

This bill, introduced in the Senate by Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and John Warner (R-VA), will be voted on in the next few months.

Not only does the Climate Security Act take big steps to cut the pollution that causes global warming, it also provides billions of dollars to help wildlife survive a changing climate.

The National Wildlife Federation will be working on all fronts to pass this legislation. And we are going to need your help in getting this done!

Please stay tuned to find out more about the Act and how you can be a part of the campaign. Together we can make a difference and protect America's wildlife and wild places.

Thanks!

Kristin Johnson
Grassroots Mobilization Coordinator
National Wildlife Federation
alerts@nwf.org

Muse

There exist jars of dreams that preserve
Life's unknowns and always-have-knowns.
When the lids are unscrewed and twisted
Off the confines of our minds,
Strawberry robins and blueberry
Jays dart speedily into a world
Of nymphs and silver linings,
And our lives then bear much fruit and seed.

Watch now, little dream bird, for the skies
You swim can drown even you!
They'll open up great and wide
And welcome your wings to move
Like the wind and flap like a blanket
Hushing a fire. A hypnotist's crystal,
You'll hit balls like Mantle and birth
Word as Shelley once did.

You'll realize there's more jam in your jar
Than can be seen through glass walls and shudder
In knowing it's been there all the while.

Carrie Spirakus

Simple Goals for 2008

Compost to be Cool!: Composting is easy and important. Why waste room in a landfill?

Go Native at Home!: Make sure to plant native species in your garden and around your home. Also try to remove invasive plants that choke out habitat.

Feed the Birds!: Create a wildlife friendly backyard by providing birds with a food and water source that promotes a natural habitat.

Furnish to support the Forests!: Buy furniture that is made from sustainable wood such as oak or bamboo.

Help a Child Go Wild!: Take your kids outside to foster their connection to nature.