The Last Lecture

I agree with Larry that Randy Pausch handled himself with dignity and courage and left his family, especially his children, with powerful, positive guidelines for living their lives. Not an easy accomplishment for living parents. It is obvious that he was a brilliant, vital person, and a long discussion could ensue regarding why "bad things happen to good people." Or, a long discussion could be had about how nobly Randy lived his last days. But, I find myself thinking instead of various death scenarios, which I don't even want to get into here. One of the most intriguing discussions I had though was with Craig describing the conversation he had with Larry about being in situations in Vietnam where Larry knew he "could" die and in a particular situation where he was "certain he was going to die." Evidently, in the situation where Larry really thought he was about to die, he felt a sense of peace and found himself on the chicken coop roof in Indiana with Craig when they were about 5 and 6 years old. If you haven't heard that story, it's definitely worth getting Larry into a story-telling mood. Anyway, the book is inspiring, and thought-and-discussion-provoking. It's too bad we can't discuss this one in person. --Jennifer

Haven't heard from anybody about our latest read. I finished " The Last Lecture " some time ago. I think I'll read it again. I was close to death a few times in Vietnam but in most situations my involvement was measured in minutes. I didn't have a lot of time to contemplate. The author on the other hand had months to ponder his waning mortality. He faced it with courage and dignity. Quite a legacy for his family. Good choice Kara. May add more later. Larry

Happy Holidays!

Just a quick hello to everyone to say Happy Holidays. Even though we may not get to see everyone during the holiday season, we still think of all of you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Snow Day

Happy Birthday Emerson!!

On December 10th Emerson officially became a big 4 year old. She had her 4 year check up at the pediatrician yesterday. She weighed 37 lbs and was 42 1/2 in tall. Everything checked out great UNTIL the very end when nurse Camille entered the room and had 4 shots ready to fire. To say the least things got a little tense, but we both survived. Of course receiving 4 stickers, one dinosaur ring and a Christmas pencil didn't hurt either. She had a great birthday party and her all time favorite gift was her drum set.. thanks to Nana Karen and Papa Phil. She is a regular Tommy Lee from Motley Crue :)

Hello from Gig Harbor

Hi,

Just checking in. Noticed that there haven't been any posts since 10/25. No real news here. Andrew is still in Jerusalem, and working at The Jerusalem Post. He's applying to graduate school, hoping to be in school for the 2009-2010 academic year. Lisa is happy with her job at WBUR in Boston. She's probably going to be there for another year or two. Rick and I don't have any out-of-the ordinary plans until we go on a bicycling trip in Vietnam in February. Trying to stay in bike shape over the winter here is a wet experience. Craig came up last week for a follow-up doctor's appointment and stayed a few days with us. We always enjoy his visits. He has made a buddy for life of our dog, Marley. She doesn't leave his side when he's here. I haven't read Kara's book choice yet, but I have it and plan to sit down soon to read it. It's a quick read. I saw most of the lecture on PBS. I think you can watch it on the Internet too. I hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving. Neither Lisa nor Andrew can make it home, and Rick is on call and working full days Thursday through Friday, so I'm going to have a very quiet Turkey Day. I have a gift suggestion for those of you needing suggestions: make personalized USPS stamps. Just go to PhotoStamps.com. It is sooooo easy. I used a close-up face photo of my brother-in-law John's bulldog to make one sheet for him and then used the Oregon Beavers logo for another sheet for him (the site has NFL and college sports logos you can use). Anyway, just an idea. I've got to get moving here. I am a reading mentor at our local elementary school on Wednesday afternoons. Rick and I are going to Seattle Arts and Lecture Series tonight to see John Updike. He must be ancient. Hope all is well with everyone. --Love, Jennifer