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Living 950 rugged miles from home can ward off or strand even the most seasoned traveler. The less courageous (stupid?) don’t even think about it. Therefore, I must conclude we were partially crazy, or perhaps just homesick, when the forecasted rain/snow throughout eastern Washington & Oregon as well as all three of the mountain passes in Montana merely persuaded us to pick up some tire chains and toss a sleeping bag in the back of our 4-Runner. Leaving Friday after I returned from work and expecting to be back in Oregon the following Tuesday morning, we embarked upon one of the quickest, yet one of the most fulfilling, Christmases I have encountered in several years.

After driving 15 hours through nearly constant rain and a little slush (but no ice!), we arrived weary but happy in Park City at 9am Saturday morning. We promptly crashed. At 11:45am, we dragged ourselves out of bed to pick up Eric’s grandma in Laurel on our way to meet his mom in Billings at 1pm. By 3:30pm we had eaten, exchanged gifts, and said our Merry Christmases and goodbyes to Eric’s mom, mom’s husband, grandma, and uncle. We then set off for Teresa’s house for Christmas Eve with Eric’s dad beginning at 5pm. Teresa’s homemade chili was delicious, her family was welcoming and friendly, and overall I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in good conversation, wonderful food, and (of course) presents! Around 10:30pm we left in search of Kean and his wife at their new house in Laurel. By midnight, all I could think about was sleep, so we drove home to get a night’s sleep on a twin-sized deflating air mattress in my mom’s basement.

Fortunately, my mom and Aunt Linda went to Sunday mass (an 8:45am service) on Christmas morning, giving Eric and I a couple of extra hours of much needed sleep. However, TJ used all of our wrapping paper and therefore I finished wrapping gifts that morning around 9:30. By the time we’d both showered and the remaining gifts had been wrapped and placed about the tree, Mom and Aunt Linda returned from church. We opened presents, and I daresay I was blessed with far too many gifts for what I could give in return. I guess hacking Santa’s naughty/nice list worked out alright, eh? *grin* Around noon I wandered across the street to Melissa’s new apartment to visit them and play with the kids. Miles was a little cranky and therefore wary of me, but Meryn was rather upset when I put her down, so we played for about an hour before I was due to leave for Becky & Bob’s house. Arriving at the Hughes’ on King Ave. around 2:00pmish, we met with “the monster,” Shiloh, their 2 year-old pure white German Shepherd who was determined to assert his dominance over Eric by barking continuously at him. Needless to say, Shiloh, who stands over a meterstick tall at the shoulders, spent most of the day outside or in the back bedroom. Dinner was delicious as usual, and spending time with my “Montana family” really did create the perfect day, although I did miss Joe. Devin and Sami wore me out playing all afternoon, fueling themselves with cookies, fudge, and my birthday cake. By 8:30pm Eric and Becky had each won a round of spoons and the party was packing it in…the “parents” are getting old and the kids have early bedtimes yet, which was perfect for us to spend some time with Russ and Mandy later that evening. Russ’ living space, located in a garage, is always an interesting experience, and this year didn’t disappoint. A high-speed chase led over 25 police cars past his house at one point while at another he pulled out his pet rattlesnake. After dealing with Shiloh earlier, I was content to look at it through the glass. By 12:30am we realized the drive home would suck if we stayed much later, so we trundled home to sleep in my mom’s bed (while she slept on the couch) for a better night’s sleep.

Before driving home, we planned a luncheon at Perkins with anyone and everyone we might want to see one last time. Therefore, we and the strangest group I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating lunch with arranged ourselves around a series of tables at 11:30am. Clockwise, from me, sat Mandy, Kean, Rachel, Jeannie (Teresa’s mom), Teresa (at the head of the table), Tom, Eric, Bob, Becky, Aunt Linda, and my mom. Many of these people had never met let alone speak with each other over lunch. By and by though, the lunch went more smoothly than I expected and I wound up enjoying myself and the experience. Fortune had smiled upon us yet again. Following lunch, we visited Mandy’s apartment on Montana Avenue and chatted with Mandy and Russ for about an hour before leaving for Kean’s for an episode of Aeon Flux (the 80’s cartoon). Following that we picked up some buffalo meat from Eric’s uncle at his grandma’s house, and we arrived back in Park City around 3:45pm. We packed and said our goodbyes to my mom and aunt in the sprinkling rain and left on our return trip to Oregon around 4:15pm.

Plagued by torrential rain (again) and horrendous, patchy fog (but no ice!), we traversed the mountains, prairies, and bridges of three states in about 15 hours (again) to arrive at our house at 6:30am. Asleep within the quarter-hour, I arose at 9:30am to make myself presentable and gather my belongings for work, which I arrived at near 11:15am. The trip was over; we had made it on time.

Back to the daily grind, but with sensational memories and a warm heart.

Just a quickie (that will be replaced by a Christmas update) to let everyone know we made it safely to both homes.

Happy Birthday to ME!

My supervisor, Linda, was out sick today, developing an otherwise ordinary Monday into my first stressful day at work. I knew it was peeking around the corner, waiting for the thrill and settling in of a new job to wear off. Everything, and I mean everything, I did this morning was hampered by a lack of something.

The Printer

One of the jobs Linda printed last Friday didn’t print correctly to a printer I’ve never printed to before. Sounds easy, but the printer isn’t well named and it is indirectly connected to our computers, so you must print through a RIP system first. Mission accomplished via the guess & check method. Normal time to complete: 5 mins. My time: 1 hour.

The Display

I’ve never seen the floor/counter displays I was asked to assemble. After 4 unanswered phone calls and 2 people with the luck of running into our shipping manager, actually attaching and delivering the finished product was a cinch. Normal time to complete: 5 mins. My time: 1.25 hours.

The Label Changes

Having never entered a job into our database, I was presented with 6 new special formula jobs that needed to be entered. Thinking I knew what I was doing, I set about to update the labels as I have been. Wasted about 10 mins looking for labels that didn’t exist. Deferred project to Linda, since she’s already working with the company.

The Web Photo Update

Would have been easy, but don’t have Flash in our office. Contacted IT guy to either have him do it or get Flash on my machine.

The Film/Printed Labels

The print shop had multiple labels that, since we don’t keep a list of which companies carry which products, I missed when updating the labels. As he was running all the labels for certain products, he needed a quick turnaround from me. Also was in for a scare when one of the print shop guys thought he had run labels with a mistake on them, wasting precious ink, film, developing chemicals, plates, and paper.

After such a stressful, intense struggle to finish even the simplest of tasks, I was feeling inefficient, overwhelmed, and a little anxious, but I was rewarded with several compliments that brightened my day.

The afternoon was a wonderfully quiet reprieve from the morning. I was left in peace to do web updates that I know how to do.

While in Green Bay last weekend, I realized (again) how badly I want to move back to a smaller place where strangers are friendly and neighbors aren’t competing for social status.

Sure, for the most part they’re Bush (George W.) loving republicans who don’t necessarily recycle, but they have a heart of gold. In four days I casually conversed with more people than I have in five years in Oregon. Commenting on a snippet of overheard conversation brought smiles and inclusion rather than glares and scoffs. Over $40 in dropped cash was returned to me by a fan of the opposing team. The colors I was wearing (green and gold, of course) caused a number of spontaneous greetings & chats…”Great game, huh? Where you from? This your first game? Have a good night.” The strangers I was standing next to in the stands became acquaintances by the end of the night. One of our cab drivers gave us his business cards and offered to get us Packer tickets whenever we wanted. Instead of sneers and averted eyes, people waved and greeted each other fully understanding that their limited connection would most likely have no payoff for the rest of their lives. Folks were genuinely interested in what others were saying. No fear amongst strangers existed; everyone was a friendly face. Doors were held open for others to enter FIRST.

It was so wonderful to be immersed in a society where the common good came first, courtesies were extended, and the community, rather than faraway places, were the priority.

For all the love, peace, and environmental sustainability many Oregonians typically claim to encourage, their actions belay their selfishness. I find it disheartening that these words are thrown about to procure social status and that strangers halfway across the world are more important to this state than their own people.

Of course, not every Oregonian behaves in this fashion, but the overwhelming majority tend to act selfishly and rudely. Some I cannot blame, for they are the product of their environment and have no knowledge of the kind-heartedness of their landlocked neighbors. They act without realizing their lack of common courtesy.

After 4 wondrous days in Green Bay, Wisconsin, we have reluctantly returned to the Pacific Northwest. Allow me to describe our sensational trip:

Day 1 12.10.05
Arriving in Chicago O’Hare at 5:30am CST (3:30am PST), we stumbled through through the coolest walkway (airport or otherwise) we have ever had the pleasure of enduring. Though our bags tugged our shoulders and the sleep filled our eyes, we stared (and listened) in wonder as a curvy, colorful display of lights and ethereal music awakened our senses. It was like something out of Disney World. After 3.5 hours and 1/2 a Cinnabon each, we took off for Appleton Outagamie Airport in Appleton, Wisconsin.

I remember nearly none of this hour-long flight except the stewardess politely waking me to return my seat back to its upright position for landing. I don’t even remember taking off.

By 10am we arrived via taxi to the Tundra Lodge in Green Bay, a mere 4 blocks from Lambeau Field. Exhausted from travel, we rendezvoused with Eric’s dad, Tom, in our room and crashed until 3pm (1pm PST).

That evening’s events included autographs from defensive specialists Mark Roman and Brady Poppinga at which Mark asked me how I was doing and Eric shook Brady’s hand. We have pictures of us with them signing our mini-helmets, of course.

Following the signing, we decided to try the water park, but I forgot a swimsuit as did Eric. Tom brought 2, so Eric was set, but we had to go to the Green Bay mall to find me a makeshift swimsuit (a sports bra and shorts) because nobody sells swimsuits when the weather is below freezing. Finally, after about 1.5 hours at the mall, we returned to the Lodge to enjoy both the indoor and outdoor spas as well as the 2 waterslides.

Following the waterpark, we decided to go to the Yukon Jak bar (in the hotel) and use our free drink tickets. It was packed with Packer Backers preparing for the following day and involved quite a few drinks, a ruckus, and several “Go Pack Go!” chants…and WAY too much cigarette smoke. We also tried Wisconsin Cheese Curds, akin to Motzarella Sticks but smaller and breaded differently, a delicious and fattening snack.

Exhausted again, we fell into bed around 1am (11pm PST).

Day 2 12.11.05
Game Day…Nearly everyone in the city was clad in green and gold. In the morning, we walked to Lambeau to shop at the Pro Shop and take pictures of the Don Hutson Center (the Packers’ indoor facility), Brett Favre’s Steakhouse (located midway between the stadium and the hotel), and of course, the street signs (Brett Favre Pass, Holmgren Way, Tony Canadeo Drive, Reggie White Street, Vince Lombardi Avenue).

In the afternoon, we watched football, of course! It was Sunday. Around 4:30pm (sunsetish) we went back to Brett Favre’s Steakhouse for the outdoor tailgate party, filling our bellies with Wisconsin Brats, Jambalaya (not spicy), and all the free beer and screwdrivers we could consume. Considering the temperature and the amount of time we’d be spending outdoors, we decided to drink inside at the bar despite the lack of free beverages.

About 6:30pm we and roughly 35,000 other fans tramped into Lambeau Field for what would be an amazing night. The line for the Pro Shop stretched nearly the length of the stadium. As we took our incredibly awesome seats (on the corner of the “Green Bay” end zone 5 rows from the turf), we snapped photos of warmups and the filling stands and reveled in our fortune.

The game itself was fantastic, and fantasticly cold. At kickoff the temperature was 14 degrees (felt like 9) and by the conclusion it was 9 degrees (felt like 3). The existing snow in the stadium had melted, soaking our feet, contributing to their misery. RB Samkon Gado ran in for a touchdown and did the Lambeau Leap directly in front of us, the Packer defensive goal-line stand occurred on our end of the field, and the winning overtime kick by Ryan Longwell was booted through our goalpost. What a game – and the Pack won 13-10! Several unrelated sources, including the players, mentioned that the stadium was unusually loud; I know we were yelling at the top of our lungs, which in turn kept the blood flowing to my frigid toes. The walk back to the hotel returned feeling to my feet, and while my toes were sunburn red when I took off my socks, no frostbite was to be found, something I was beginning to worry about when they refused to bend at the end of the game.

I must say the score was of less importance in person than on TV despite the Packers’ dismal record this year. What the scoreboard said was less interesting to me than the big plays, because every big play included jumping and high fives with perfect strangers and the vigorous shaking of the free pompoms we were given upon arrival at the stadium gates. I got caught up in the experience: the yelling, the excitement, the cold, the drunks around us, and the awesomeness of 22 men in a 4+ hour physical struggle. A live game immensely enhances the toughness and humanness of the players. I STRONGLY recommend all football fans see a live game at least once. Lambeau Field on a night game in December with Brett Favre at the helm was the experience of a lifetime and the perfect start to what I hope is a long career of live games.

Day 3 12.12.05
Waking up early to visit the Packer Hall of Fame before Tom left that afternoon, we again bundled up for the 4 block trek to the stadium. I really enjoyed this experience as well; I learned volumes about the first Packers, the Packer greats, and the beginning of what was to become NFL football. To see what men accomplished with more desire and determination than equipment or training is always a humbling experience. After 2.5 hours of fascinating history, it was time to return to the hotel for Tom’s departure.

Eric & I slept most of the afternoon after we said our goodbyes to Tom; such emotion and excitement depletes one’s energy. We again wandered into the chilly weather (it never reached 25 degrees) for some final gifts and souvenirs before returning to the warmth of our room and Monday Night Football.

Day 4 12.13.05
Leaving from the hotel via taxi at 6:30am to arrive in Appleton for our 8:20am flight, we, for the fourth ride of our stay, talked Packers the distance of our ride. Our cab driver and die-hard Packer fan has season tickets and has never missed a home game since 1980. He gave us his business card (he owns horses & stables) and told us if we ever wanted tickets to call him in the summer and he’d get us as many as we wanted for the following year.

The flights were uneventful, again stopping in Chicago though only for 1 hour and again using the hallway mentioned before. En route to Portland we watched Cinderella Man with Russell Crowe and the woman from Jerry MacGuire – a good movie about legendary boxer James J. Braddock I had already seen once but enjoyed a second time.

I thoroughly enjoyed our trip and look forward to returning to the frozen tundra for many more games as well as embarking on other stadiums for new experiences. Go Pack Go!

So far, my initial good gut feeling about Highland (my employer) has been spot on. On top of profit sharing with employees quarterly, adhering to very strict safety and manufacturing standards, and promoting a family-like atmosphere, we are sponsoring a needy family in Mt. Angel this Christmas.

The family consists of a mother and two sons who were living in a trailer without electricity until they recently moved into a shelter. I’m buying a PacMan game for the Gameboy Advance while others are buying clothes, toys, and presents for the mother as well.

Merry Christmas (early) everyone!

Although this post is primarily aimed at “techies,” those who aren’t familiar with web standards, CSS, and php can be satisfied with my explanation that the lack thereof of certain afore-mentioned items will cost me a significant amount of time (probably double the amount of time).

Being the efficient person I like to be, I have steam-rolled through my work. Thus, I have now been assigned to web updates in addition to my allergen warning updates. Not a problem – web design is right up my alley, right? I open the site to find it well organized, and at that point I’m hoping I’m going to learn/become more familiar with web design. The first file I open crushes my aspirations: the entire site is built with nested tables! *groan* To make matters worse, all of the menu links on over 200 pages are broken, and the only fix is manual labor. I talked with the IT guy and due to the templates each page is built with, none of the menus can be written in external files and linked to with a nice < ?php include("saidfile") ?>.

Oh, the agony! The entire site will need to be redesigned for any increase in efficiency I can think of. If you have any suggestions, please comment or email me.

Yesterday we bought our Christmas tree for $10 from a non-profit lot in Keizer. While you’re picturing a Charlie Brown tree, let me tell you about it.

Our tree is a beautful, full, 9 foot Grand Noble Fir. It makes the house smell absolutely wonderful. The non-profit organization had all of their trees donated and therefore were selling them for super-cheap – a shout-out to Jacob in QC for the heads-up: Thanks! We bought a few ornaments, but have collected a surprising number of miscellaneous ornaments from various occasions. Those we bought include red & blue bulbs, red bows (and idea stolen from mom), and some fancy bulbs w/ some elk & trees and Santa’s sleigh over a cityscape, and a red w/ white fur trim skirt that cost more than all of the bulbs we bought.

Now all we need are the presents. On occasion, however, George lies under the tree, and he is a wonderful present.

I’m so proud of myself! Today I put outside Christmas lights up. I was deathly scared of falling 1) off the ladder at the peak of my roof, 2) off the roof, and 3) transferring from the ladder to the roof & vice versa.

All went well, though – no injuries – and the house looks great! All that’s left is the tree, which we’re going to get on the way back from Danny’s house tomorrow.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!