The Didgeridoo

This past Christmas, one of the gifts my parents gave to the boys was a subscription to Little Passports. They love getting mail (especially Cael) so the monthly deliveries are something for them to look forward to and there's a bit of learning involved, as well. Each month features a different aspect of world travel and one of the themes was music. Individuals with Williams syndrome (the genetic disorder Kieran was born with) have a special affinity for music and Kieran is no exception, so that particular month was of particular interest to him. One of the instruments highlighted in the materials that came was the didgeridoo, one of the oldest wind instruments developed by Australian Aborigines.

My mom and I went to Australia in 2001 (shortly before I met and married Seth) on a tour with a few friends. We got to see a demonstration of a didgeridoo and my friend Dan tried it out. So I pulled out my pictures for the boys, showed them Dan playing the instrument, and then we watched a few YouTube videos of people playing them so that Kieran could hear what they sound like.

A few months later, Kieran asked his speech therapist if she knew what a "hullabaloo" was. It took me a few days to realize that he really meant a didgeridoo. Since then, didgeridoos have been a chosen topic of conversation. So much so that our AV/guitar/musician guy at church, whom Kieran had apparently been chatting with, brought in a didgeridoo his family had given him and let him play it. (Just as a side note -- we are so blessed by our church family who are so gracious and loving toward Kieran and all his quirks.)

Kieran was thrilled. Of course, that increased his perseveration on the topic. Although we've gotten quite a few instruments for Kieran over the years (a piano, recorder, guitar, violin, rhythm instruments, harmonica . . .), I figured this was one we would need to forego. I couldn't imagine finding an authentic didge and then having it shipped without a lot of expense. Seth, however, told him he would make a didgeridoo for him out of PVC pipe. So he did. He put a few pieces of connectors on the top and bottom at first.

But then decided that to make it an "authentic" didge, he would need to flare the bottom. So he did. With a heat gun. And then he got some type of coupling for the top mouthpiece and painted it brown.

And Kieran now has his very own "didgeridoo" to play.


It's been a bit surprising to see Seth take an interest in playing it, too. He's never had much interest in playing instruments or even singing, so it's been fun to see him find an instrument that he and Kieran can enjoy together. They've watched a few how-to videos and have started practicing their newfound didge skills.



Is there a place for the didgeridoo on the worship team at church? As a bass for the recorders in fourth grade? As a way to make a living? Who knows. For now, they're content to enjoy the didgeridoo they made together.

Food-of-love

For Seth, cooking and baking are a "food-of-love" thing. For him, it's about the process. He could (and often does) spend hours in the kitchen making dinner or dessert. He doesn't watch the clock or try to multi-task so that he finishes faster. He tastes as he goes along and adjusts to his liking, and he's not concerned about starting over when it's not. He doesn't mind having dishes spread out everywhere throughout his process. He cleans up at the end, not as he goes along. But, perhaps most importantly, he also doesn't mind having helpers in his process. 

For me, cooking and baking are about the product. I get easily overwhelmed when flour flies everywhere and dishes find homes on every available counter space. When little hands grab the bowl and spatulas I'm trying to use. I'd rather get in, git 'r done, and get out with a finished product than enjoy the process of making it. 

So tonight, I'm thankful for his relaxed balance to my rushed busyness. And that he's able to teach the boys to enjoy cooking when I (too) often try to keep them out of the kitchen while I "work." I'm thankful for the opportunity to take deep breaths, ignore the mess, and watch them all enjoy the process. 

And tomorrow, at our annual Super Bowl party with friends, we'll enjoy the fruits of their timeless labors. And the pecan and key lime pies will be that much sweeter because they were truly made with love.  

The Honeymoon

Part 1 -- The Hayride

Part 2 -- The Interview with Seth
Part 3 -- The Interim
Part 4 -- The Rook Party
Part 5 -- The Meeting
Part 6 -- The Sign
Part 7 -- The Phone Call
Part 8 -- The Dinner Party
Part 9 -- The History Channel
Part 10 -- The Trip to England
Part 11 -- The Homecoming
Part 12 -- The Interview with Seth (part 2)
Part 13 -- The EE Questions
Part 14 -- The April Phase
Part 15 -- The Birthday
Part 16 -- The Engagement
Part 17 -- The Memorial Day Picnic
Part 18 -- The Official Engagement
Part 19 -- The Date
Part 20 -- The Family Participation
Part 21 -- The Wedding Dress
Part 22 -- The Bridesmaid Dresses

Part 23 -- The Wedding Ring
Part 24 -- The Bridal Showers
Part 25 -- The Week Before
Part 26 -- The Rehearsal
Part 27 -- The Wedding Photos

Part 28 -- The Wedding

Part 29 -- The Reception

Appendix -- The Marriage Advice

Since we celebrated our 13th anniversary the other day, I thought I'd drag out our honeymoon photo album and post a few pictures from that era of history. 

Since I did most of the wedding planning, Seth took on the responsibility of planning the honeymoon (with my help, since he's a "fly by the seat of my pants" kind of guy and I didn't think that would work out well on a honeymoon). We've both traveled quite a bit so we wanted to visit a place that neither of us had been before. Seth decided that it would be fun to go out West (or at least west of where we were currently living). We settled on a week in Lava Hot Springs, Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone.

The day after we were married, we took a flight into Bozeman, MT, rented a car, and drove down to Lava Hot Springs, Idaho. We had heard that the hot springs there were world famous, and we wanted to see them. We stayed in Greystone Manor, a B&B that had been converted from an old church. 

Note that this was in the era before selfies and selfie sticks.
We had a real live person take this picture of us.
AND it was also in the era of 35mm cameras,
where we couldn't immediately see how it turned out and try for another if it didn't.
Thankfully, the person taking this was OK with the camera. 

After we settled into the room, we drove down the street to find the world-famous hot springs. And the only thing we found was this sign and, through some gates, what looked like a small area surrounded by concrete.

It wasn't what either of us had envisioned (I'm not sure what we had envisioned since neither of us had been to hot springs before), so we decided it wasn't worth our time to visit.

Instead, we finished out our time at Greystone Manor by enjoying the heart-shaped pancakes with coconut syrup the lady of the manor made for our breakfast.
Then we moved on to Jackson Hole, WY.

We hiked up a little trail to the top of the mountain to get a good look down into the valley where Jackson Hole is located. 

We arranged to stay at a guest house of a friend of a friend. And when we arrived, we found the place was infested with earwigs. Seriously. They were everywhere. But, there were no other available places to stay, so we moved into Earwig Palace, nestled in the valley of the Grand Tetons. And worked hard not to think about them crawling in our cooler of food and around the bed and over the floor.

Our favorite memory, besides hiking through the Grand Tetons, was eating at the Gun Barrel Steak and Game House. We loved the buffalo and vowed to find a place that served buffalo for every anniversary thereafter. (We kept that up for the next year. This year, we had steak on a dinner cruise, which was also very nice, but not nearly as tasty as the buffalo.)

We were proud that we got to check off three states from the list in one trip -- Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana.

Then we started out on our way to Yellowstone, driving along the mountain chain. 

In front of the Grand Tetons

On a hike in the Tetons, courtesy of a timer on the camera

Sampling some of the fresh, mountain water.
(He didn't die or get dysentery.)

Having fun with the food storage bins that kept the bears away from the food.

After driving through the Tetons, we headed into Yellowstone and toured the park from there.

Of course, we stopped by Old Faithful and waited for it to erupt,
which it did, right on schedule!

We really enjoyed seeing all the hot springs. 

The Upper Falls

Somehow, we got the brilliant idea
that we would hike down to see the Lower Falls.
We didn't realize there were 350 steps involved.

After taking in the view from the bottom of the trail,
we realized we would need to hike back up all 383 steps.
There were a lot of steps.
A lot.
A. lot.

We tried to do what all the brochures say to do: stay out of their way.

A wildfire had gone through at some point previously. 

Our last stop was Mammoth Hot Springs. 

We had a great time traveling around together and a very difficult time coming back home and adjusting to real life (i.e., leaving each other to go our separate ways to work). I'm all for the ancient Israelite custom of the newly married man staying with his wife for a year before going off to war (or work, as the case may be). If a presidential candidate had that as a platform, I would totally vote for them. Totally.

Butterflies

We've had an annual tradition since 2011 of visiting the butterfly show at a local conservatory (this is from 2012). This year, Seth took of early from work and went with us.

 When we first walked in, a butterfly landed on my head and then another one on my shirt. So the boys were interested in trying to "catch" their own with the paper flowers we were given (you aren't allowed to touch them with your fingers).

Cael spent a few minutes holding out his flower and then, when none came to him, declared it was time to go.

This was the first year that I saw Kieran really interested in holding out the flower and having one land on him. He tried several times and really enjoyed walking around the exhibit.

He was the one that didn't want to leave.

He never did catch a butterfly, but it was fun trying.

And it was also fun trying to get the boys to both look at and smile for a family picture. (And I use the word "fun" very loosely here.)

First of the season

Yesterday, Seth decided that since more rain was predicted to come our way this week, he would mow the lawn for the first time this year. Cael helped a bit with his little lawn mower and then later with his tractor. Kieran, on the other had, banished himself inside the house because he's scared of the lawn mower (never mind that he will watch lawn mower videos on YouTube for hours). Meanwhile, I cleaned out the chicken coop and enjoyed the sunshine and greenness of the grass.

And today, Cael decided to take the tomahawk his Uncle Dan gave him (a childhood toy of his) a few months ago in the car to school. Thankfully, he agreed to leave it in the car when he got to school.

And when we got home, Kieran decided to use it to chop down a tree or two.

Have I mentioned he's easily distracted?

He rides again, too

Today was one of those days that I wish we could have year-round. Sunny, warmish, a nice breeze, and nothing much to do except take it easy and get a few things done around the house (or barn, as the case may be). 

The little chicks even got to spend the afternoon outside. They seemed to enjoy their first foray into the outside world. 

Last year, we got a bike for Cael to ride but had problems finding training wheels that would fit it, so he's had to make do with sharing Kieran's little bike. Since we've retired Kieran's 12-inch bike (as of yesterday), I took the training wheels off that one and put them on Cael's and voila! They fit. So Cael spent some time today trying out his "new" bike. 

I mentioned to Cael that I thought we'd gotten him that bike for his birthday last year. And that maybe since he's now able to ride it, we could consider it his birthday present for this year (his birthday is in May) and not worry about getting him anything else. 

"No!" he said. "Wait, I already have presents for this year! They're in the boxes!" And, that's true. His grandparents shipped his presents to us already and we have them hiding in boxes in the closet. We didn't such a good job of hiding them, apparently.

In the process of cleaning out our barn, we were finally able to access Seth's mountain bike. He cleaned it up and took it for a ride down the lane.

We had started the barn clean up so we could get to my bike so that I could go for a ride with the boys. Kieran asked about it all day. But when we pulled out my bike, the tires were flat and one popped while Seth was pumping it up. So I never did get to take a bike ride with the boys, but the rest of the family enjoyed their bikes today and I enjoyed the feeling of having cleaned up (one area of) the barn.

The Biggest Loser

Seth wrestled his way through high school. And, by that, I mean that he was on the wrestling team at his high school. Wrestling was his "thing" because his parents wouldn't let him play football (he's still convinced he could have been a star running back in the NFL). He still likes to watch college wrestling on TV (if you follow college wrestling, you may note that the coach of the Penn State wrestling team has a name that may sound familiar . . . for the record, I did not know this until after we had named our youngest son). 

A few years ago, he saw that Rulon Gardner (an Olympic wrestler) would be appearing on The Biggest Loser TV show and decided to watch the show for that season, just to see Rulon. Sadly, Rulon ended up quitting half-way through the show, which made the rest of the season less than exciting for Seth. He (we) watched a few more seasons of The Biggest Loser and then, for some reason, we stopped. This year, Seth had the opportunity to participate in a "biggest loser" contest of his own, and he jumped (but didn't wrestle) at the chance. 

In an effort to encourage their employees toward better health (and, presumably, help lower their health insurance costs), Seth's employer held a "biggest loser" contest from February 1 through March 31. The prize was about $300 for the individual who won and $25/per person for the members of the winning team. This contest held appeal for him on several levels. 

1. It was a biggest loser contest. He didn't really have that much to lose to begin with but he thought he could stand to lose a few of those extra pounds that everyone has hanging around (what? you don't?!?). 

2. It was a biggest loser contest. If you don't know Seth well, you might miss the competitive streak that lurks underneath his mild-mannered exterior. I'm always surprised when it surfaces, as it did during the past two months. At the beginning, everyone said Seth would never win, which only served to further his desire to compete in the contest. 

3. Part of his plan of attack included riding the exercise bike that's been sitting in the corner of our living room for quite some time. He figured he could work on rehabbing his knee while he exercised the weight off -- a two-for-one bonus to the weight loss. 

And so, on February 1, he weighed in at work and then set about becoming the biggest loser among his coworkers. He started by hard-boiled eggs or yogurt for breakfast, salad for lunch, and then whatever we were eating for dinner, minus any carbs in the meal. He stopped going out to eat for lunch. And he began riding the exercise bike for 30 minutes to an hour every night. He also added a "metabolism booster" tea from Celestial Seasonsings, just in case that helped. He drank only water. 

And the weight loss began almost immediately. He figured if he lost 30 pounds over the next two months, that would secure his spot as the number 1 biggest loser, and he was counting on his experience as a wrestler (and all the weight loss that goes on in order to make weight) to help him. 

At the mid-way weigh-in on March 1, he registered a 24-pound weight loss. In one month. He was out-losing to all of his competitors, except his boss, who was on his team and who is just as competitive as he is. Luke (his boss) had lost nearly as much as he had percentage-wise. 

The competition continued. He ratcheted up the intensity on his workout on the bike, wanted more salad in his salad and less "extras," drank more metabolism tea, and, during the last week, switched to eating salads twice a day. 

I noticed the weight loss around his neck and face -- and several others commented to me about it, too. 

Yesterday, after two months of hard work (and salads), he weighed in for the last time. He had lost another 10 pounds, bringing his total to 34.5 pounds loss. A 17.6% decrease. And he was back to what he weighed when we got married. His team lost a total of 77 pounds -- a 9% decrease in their weight. The other four teams in the competition didn't get above a 3% decrease. 

And no one else, apart from Luke, who lost 27 pounds, even came close to losing as much as he did. I'm proud to say that my husband Seth is the biggest loser at his company. 

(I wish I were just as proud to say that I, too, joined him and lost just as much as he did. And, although I did somewhat engage in a weight-loss program, my loss has not been nearly as dramatic or quick as his (go figure). But at least I'm on the downward spiral.) 

Congratulations, Seth! Now, how about we have a date night at Outback to spend that money you won on some good, hearty food . . . . 

A love song

One of the things that I love about Seth is his sense of humor. The other day, I posted this on my Facebook status:

Random memory (as I listen to country songs on the radio -- don't judge): I once asked Seth why he never wrote a love song for me. He said, "Because nothing rhymes with 'Stacia'." ‪#‎acacia

Several friends offered their recommendations for words rhyming with "Stacia" . . . in case Seth wanted to write that song after all: aphasia, Valencia, facia.

My multi-talented SIL Ruth took it one step further and actually wrote a song on behalf of her brother in the country genre. It made me laugh and I thought I'd share it here, too.

Stacia, Stacia, oh mah, Stacia,
Ah jus’ wanna take this occasia
Ta sing y’a little song
 Cuz Ah cain’t help but praise ya!

Ain’t a never gonna take ya on a trip ta Asia,
But Ah can grill ya’ll a steak and feed ya focaccia.
Ah’d surely take the jolt if somebody tried ta taze ya
Even though it means Ah’ll get another abrasia.

Ah love the choice o’ yer life’s vocatia.
It don’t matter to me what yer boss pays ya.
Ah don’t care what the bathroom scale weighs ya,
All ya need ta know is that I gotta embrace ya.

As time goes by an the years start ta age ya,
If ya end up with rheumatism and hip dysplasia,
Even if ya grow some whiskers on yer facia,
Ain’t nuthin’ could convince me that Ah oughta replace ya!

While I'm on the topic of Ruth and her many talents, I thought I'd share these cute button puzzles she made for Kieran. I had mentioned a while ago that he was working on learning to button with some button boards but that I thought it would be good for him to practice on buttons of different sizes. Ruth immediately had the idea of making puzzles with buttons that he could practice with. And quick as a wink, she sewed up these two puzzles out of fabric scraps and buttons she had on hand for him to use.

He saw the dragon as an elephant. Can you?

He's enjoyed putting them together and taking them apart.

 I think she could start a business out of making custom button puzzles, don't you?

How I met your father, part 29

Part 1 -- The Hayride
Part 2 -- The Interview with Seth
Part 3 -- The Interim
Part 4 -- The Rook Party
Part 5 -- The Meeting
Part 6 -- The Sign
Part 7 -- The Phone Call
Part 8 -- The Dinner Party
Part 9 -- The History Channel
Part 10 -- The Trip to England
Part 11 -- The Homecoming
Part 12 -- The Interview with Seth (part 2)
Part 13 -- The EE Questions
Part 14 -- The April Phase
Part 15 -- The Birthday
Part 16 -- The Engagement
Part 17 -- The Memorial Day Picnic
Part 18 -- The Official Engagement
Part 19 -- The Date
Part 20 -- The Family Participation
Part 21 -- The Wedding Dress
Part 22 -- The Bridesmaid Dresses

Part 23 -- The Wedding Ring
Part 24 -- The Bridal Showers
Part 25 -- The Week Before
Part 26 -- The Rehearsal
Part 27 -- The Wedding Photos

Part 28 -- The Wedding

Appendix -- The Marriage Advice

Dearest Kieran and Cael, 

We've come to the end of our tale about how I met (and married) your father. I've enjoyed revisiting the beginnings of our relationship and remembering things I'd long forgotten. 

So, your father and I were finally married. After we exited the church sanctuary, we stood at the doors, greeting people as they moved into the reception area. I remember, in particular, your Uncle Dan passing by and giving your dad and me a big hug and saying with a huge smile on his face, "I am so happy for you guys!"

And I also remember taking off the shoes I was wearing because they were very uncomfortable and putting on another pair of sandals so that the circulation could continue to my feet. 

And then it was time for us to be introduced at the reception, "Mr. & Mrs. Seth McKeever." I loved hearing those words.

This was the spread your Aunt Katy put together to feed everyone.

After we made our entrance, we sat down at a table and ate a bit and then tried to make it around to chat with everyone who had come. I don't think we were able to talk with everyone, but it was so nice to have so many of our friends and family there with us to enjoy the day. 

And your Aunt Kenda was finally able to meet my boss -- someone she'd wanted to meet in person for quite a while. 

And this is just a fun aside -- my boss sent this note to my parents after he found out your dad and I were engaged. It meant a lot to me that he and his wife came to our wedding. 

We didn't do a lot of traditional weddingy things, like toss the bouquet or garter (I wasn't even wearing one), but we did keep the tradition of cutting the cake. 

Until I saw this picture, I'd forgotten your dad grabbed a big handful of cake and pretended he was going to shove it in my mouth.

We were kind to each other.

Until the end. If you look closely, you can see a bit of icing on your dad's nose. That was thanks to me.

And then we kissed and made up.

 I like to title the following pictures, "Son, if you ever hurt my daughter . . . "

 "Just kidding!"

After most of our guests left, we opened our presents so that our family could share in the joy of that moment with us.

A long-time friend of my parents, Ruth, was ready to help wherever she was needed. This time, she pitched in to help organize the flow of the presents. My parents (and I) still treasure their friendship with Ruth and Bill.

After the presents were opened, we changed our clothes and then got ready to leave for our honeymoon. My parents gathered up the presents and took them back to our condo for us. And I think everyone who was left helped to clean everything up.

Frost and Roger again participated in our wedding by offering us the use of their Miata as the get-away car. Roger even helped to decorate it.

We drove it to the hotel where we spent the night, and then they came and got it the next day while we went on our way to the airport. 

So there you have it. How I met your father. 

And, by God's grace, we've lived happily (for the most part) ever after. 

The end.