Anderson Adventures: January 2013

For Christmas this year, we headed west. We decided to turn it into a road trip. The Executioner and The Grit were headed to Alabama for a friend's wedding. They called us (in October or so, this was planned ahead) to see if we would consider postponing our trip a little and they could spend Christmas with us (The wedding was the week before Christmas). We talked it over and I was not quick to miss seeing my family on Christmas. I don't see them often anymore, and I felt it was important to make it out for the holiday. I presented some alternatives so we could still spend time with The Executioner and The Grit, and make it to my family's house by Christmas. The winning proposal ended up being drive to Oregon together and then The Professor and I would finish the drive out to my house. The Grit's family lives just three hours from mine- so perfect! It was an away year (Anderson Christmases are even numbered years), so we all needed to get out there anyway.

We did not take a single picture the entire trip. Until we got to Utah. It was just so cold, and we were not all that beautiful, and yeah. It was a fun trip though. I got to know my in-laws a little better and remember why I don't like driving. I will say, it was nice having four drivers. Because if you drive until you are exhausted, then when your shift is over you have at least 6 hours until the next time you have drive! That's if everyone only drives 2 hours each. It was much better than switching every three hours.

Anyhow, my dad and Juana came and picked us up from The Grit's Christmas Eve morning and we drove back to The Couve. We stopped along the way to visit Multnomah falls. The Professor had never been there (he's only been to Washington a handful of times, and mostly in the winter) and I hadn't been in a long time.

With my dad in front of the falls

Just us in front of the falls

On the trail. We didn't hike the whole thing, but we walked up to the first bridge to get a closer look. If you look in the first picture, there is a bridge, that is where we walked to. About 10 minutes. As we were walking The Professor said, "I feel like I'm in the jungle!" Well darling, you are in the rainforest!

We finally made it to my mom's house and got settled in. My brother fed us dinner, and it was delicious. He has become such a nice young man :) Christmas morning, The Professor woke up and whispered, "Hey. How do you get animals off of you?"

My family keeps their house pretty cold. So the animals find ways to warm up, usually by snuggling up to somebody. And typically all the animals need to snuggle the same person. Not pictured, Louie- the 100 lb pitbull/lab mix puppy. He got up before I got to my camera. This picture is after a nap one day, but most mornings we woke up to some extra bodies in our bed.

My youngest brother gave my husband a sword for Christmas. Then showed us an Army surplus store in Portland, where they bought throwing knives together.

That broccoli bush had it coming!

For my birthday (WOOHOO!) we went clamming. If you have never been, it should be on your bucket list. It is a lot of fun, and a pretty unique experience.

The Professor and my youngest brother's girlfriend checking out the seaweed. This was only the Professor's second time to the Pacific Ocean. It's different than the Atlantic.

My dad and I layered and ready to go! Yes, those boots go to our hips. And yes- it is necessary!

The Professor trying to get his boots on. Turns out I had grabbed the wrong pair. I had my dad's extra pair on (which were way too big) and those are my uncle's (which are slightly too big). We traded and got it all sorted out before headed to the ocean.

There aren't any more pictures of us clamming unfortunately. I really didn't want to lose my camera. What you do is take your clam shovel (see picture below- it looks like a regular shovel, but smaller, and the spade is skinny) and you hit/poke/agitate the sand. If you see any movement, usually a squirt of water in your direction, you have yourself a clam! Then you take your clam gun (the silver thing in the picture) and go after it!

To use a clam gun, you push it in the sand as far as you can, then put your finger over a tiny hole in the handle. Then, you pull up. It works the same way as when you put a straw into a drink and then cover it with your finger. If you pull it up the liquid stays in the straw. So all that sand (and hopefully the clam) stays in the gun. Then you let go and look for the clam. Sometimes you have to go in two or three times before you find the clam. Those suckers are fast! And sometimes if you get it and then drop it they'll dig back in and you have to find them again. And sometimes if you aren't careful you accidentally cut the clam in half with your clam gun. And sometimes you keep doing it and your dad and your husband laugh at you as you put another mangled piece of clam into your net.

We went to the evening tide, and you stay really close to the water, because that's where the clams are. Well, the sun went down and we had nothing but a lantern between the three of us. We had to be really aware of the tide because though it was moving out, every once in while a big wave would come in and threaten to knock us down. We had been hit a couple times by waves that snuck in and came up to our mid thigh. Where we come from, that can be dangerous because it will pull you out to sea. In Virginia beach, or Florida, or even in California, if the water is up to your thigh you are usually ok. The waves are calmer. But in the great Pacific Northwest it can pull your legs out from under you and take you for a swim. Well, the three of us are hunched around this lantern and finally making progress on clamming. We were getting three or four between waves. I saw a clam and went after it. I pulled it up right as we noticed a HUGE wave coming in after us. My dad quick reached down to grab the clam and then turned to run. I was right behind him and The Professor behind me. The wave came and hit me so hard I had to use every muscle to just stand still. I was up to my waist easily. My dad went down. Thank GOODNESS he had the lantern or I wouldn't have seen him. Plus, he doesn't know how to swim. I thought to myself, ok, I can't move, but as long as I can see him he'll be fine. The wave will pass and we will all be ok. I had to yell to make sure my husband hadn't been carried out to sea. He was fine :) Finally this wave passed and my dad stood up and yelled "I didn't drop the clam!" The man had a clam in one hand, a lantern and his shovel in the other. And he didn't drop a single thing.

We decided to call it a night after that. We all hiked back to the truck with boots full of water, changed our clothes and settled in for the drive back.

The next day, we ate the clams :) Then we had to pack up and get ready to go. We left early the next morning.

We ended up missing our flight but three minutes. Actually, the plane hadn't left, they had just closed the doors three minutes earlier. So we had to get a new flight. We ended up making it back to Arkansas in one piece though. And only one suitcase got lost :)

We got off the plane, drove home, REPACKED, grabbed some food, then drove to Branson, Missouri to meet up with The Mechanist MD and family. We spent New Year's with them and had a great time. I didn't get any pictures, but just believe me, it was fun.

January 1st we got home and stayed home. It was nice to travel around and see everyone, but it wore us out!

As I do every year, here are the top 10 for the Anderson's in 2012. In no particular order:

1) We discovered a bird was living in our dryer vent for the winter (she is back BTW)

Her nest falling out of the tube

2) We made some great friends, and also said good-bye to them (or will be soon)

One of our first FHE's together

3) The Professor decided to learn the banjo

4) We celebrated some milestones for the Anderson Clan including The Mechanist graduating and The Executioner getting married (A big Anderson welcome to The Grit!)

Graduation!

He was DJ for the wedding

5) The Professor was invited to help present at the APA conference in Orlando, Florida. (He'll be going again, this time as first author- in Hawaii)

6) From that conference, he was asked to help analyze qualitative research for the Director of Interns at the Federal Bureau of Prisons (super awesome contact to have made in the first year!)

7) I learned how to make some yummy cupcakes. And then I made them a lot.

8) We got to have the (almost) whole family out to Arkansas

9) The Professor graduated with a Master of Science in School Psychology! He is still working on the PhD, so we aren't leaving yet.

Another graduation! He is one of 2 men in his program and year

10) My first nanny job ended as the family moved away :( I soon found a new family and started with them. I also started working as a fourth grade math interventionist at the elementary school! I finally got a foot in the door!