Hanging out with Alan Alda

So, did I tell you that I met Alan Alda last month?? No? Oh!! Well, sit down and I'll fill you in.

I don't think it is any sort of secret that I grew up in a MASH-loving home. Even long after the show was off the air, my brother and I would sit together watching episodes. I'm not talking right after the show was off the air. I mean going on 15 years after the show was done, we were still watching the show together. If we happened to turn on the TV and found a rerun playing (and, let's face it, there was a time in our not-too-distant past that there was ALWAYS a MASH rerun on!) we'd compete to figure out who could name the episode the fastest once it began or by watching the still images shown during the closing credits (if we missed the actual episode). 

My admiration of Alan Alda's work isn't strictly for his work on MASH (although, that was the beginning of it). I've admired his portrayal of countless characters, both on the big screen and on TV. Heck, I learned how to core a head of iceberg lettuce from him in the movie "Sweet Liberty". I kid you not!!

A number of years ago, Alan Alda was in town while promoting his memoir "Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: and Other Things I've Learned". Naturally, I went to the reading and was nothing but incredibly impressed with his way of interacting with the audience and his personable nature. At the end of the reading portion, he signed copies of his book. I bought 2 copies -- one for me and one for my brother Troy and asked for the inscription to read "Merry Christmas, Troy. Alan Alda". 

Fast forward to last month. I got a call out of the blue from Troy saying that we were going to a VIP reception with (and for) Alan Alda, who was in town to promote another book he wrote. I was floored and (yes, I'll admit it) giddy! After the reception, we'd get to hear Alan Alda speak to the audience about his book that discusses effective communication.

The next day, Troy and I met at a small Mercer Island restaurant, had a quick bite to eat, and headed to the reception. After wandering around a bit looking for the right building, we got to go right in and bypass the non-VIP people (tee hee hee... we were VIPs!) and join the other VIPs at the reception. We walk in and BAM! There was Alan Alda sitting at a table signing books. Troy and I giggled about how many times he must write his name during one of these events and how tired (bored?) he looked.... not to mention what his internal monologue must have been.

Waiting in line to meet Alan Alda

Hey, look!! It's Alan Alda!

We received our copies of his book and joined the line of others waiting for their turn to get their books signed. As we neared the table, I have to admit my giddy-o-meter when from "holy moly" to off the charts. 

Before too long (the line was kept moving at a really good pace), it was our turn to have our books signed. I told Alan (yea, we are totally on a first name basis now) that being there was my brother's birthday present to me. He (Alan, not Troy) very sweetly wished me a happy birthday. (YES! Alan Alda wished me a happy birthday.... booyah!) I also told him this was the second time I was at one of his readings, which (according to Troy) put a genuine smile on Alan's face. Pet Troy, he seemed touched that I was a repeat audience member! We shook hands, and then moved along... me with my feet a good 6-8 inches off of the ground.

Signed books selfie

Following the reception, we were ushered to the larger area where the presentation/interview would take place. Troy secured us some great seats earlier while I held our place in the book signing line, so we were probably no more than 10-15 feet away from the stage and dead center. During the interview, a local Seattle Times reporter and Alan talked about his work with scientists and researchers to help medical professional and other scientists improve their communication skills, especially when conversing with non-scientists and patients. 

Hey, look! It's Alan Alda

Mid-interview

Sharing a story with the sudience

Thank you, Troy, for a truly wonderful evening. Yes, it was amazing to interact with Alan Alda (squee!) and listen to him speak (in person), but beyond that, sharing the experience with you means the world. You know me well enough to know that event would make me beyond happy and it would give us yet another moment to reflect back on with fondness and smiles. Also, thank you to Eric and Staci for being willing to take care of our respective kids solo so Troy and I could have a night out. 

Conor's Latest Funny

A few days ago, the kids and I were driving home from Ballard and were stuck at a red light heading. To pass the time, Annika and Conor started reading the signs on the nearby buildings.

I heard them struggle with a word; they kept trying to sound it out, but without any luck. Because the light was so long, I was able to start looking around and realized they were trying to read the word "psychic" on a building. I helped them figure out the word and asked if they knew what a psychic is.

Conor replied, "Yes! It is a super hero's little buddy."

At that moment, I was so grateful that I could grab the steering wheel to within an inch of its life to help control the giggles that wanted to erupt from the core of my very being. After taking a few slow breaths, I was able to say, "Close, but not quite. That's a side kick, honey, not psychic."

Psychic ... side kick ... tomato ... potato

Sugar Bowls Experiment

One day last week, Eric headed out to trivia night with his buddy, so the kids and I had an evening to fill. As if by divine intervention, earlier in the day, my co-worker sent me a link to a tutorial that shows how to make bowls out of melted sugar. I told the kids that after they were done with their homework, we could do a fun project but it was a surprise until then. (They are so easy to manipulate!!)

They diligently worked on their homework and as soon as they were done, we got to work making our very own edible bowls. We melted the ingredients (sugar, Karo syrup, and water) and cooked them until they hit the right temperature. It was a nice opportunity to teach the kids about reading a non-digital thermometer ... learning never ends! Once the mixture was hot enough, we turned off the flame and added our colors -- Annika chose red and Conor chose blue, so we got a nice purple-ish stained glass effect. I carefully poured the mixture over the water-filled balloons and we set a 30-minute timer to let them cool. I quickly realized that I should have made 1.5x or 2x batch to cover all three of our balloons, so I whipped up another partial batch to ensure the bowls would have tall enough sides. Looking back, I probably should have just used smaller balloons because our bowls were huge!! (Note to self: make smaller balloons next time and prop them up on cross-sections of an empty paper towel tube instead of the ramekins.)

Eventually, the bowls were cool enough that I felt confident we could separate them from the balloons. While I held a bowl, the kids helped snip a small hole in the neck of the balloon so we could let out the water without getting the bowl wet. (Easier said than done!!) Fortunately, the balloons released without difficulty (only some random spray) and I was able to put some ice cream in the kids' bowls. They were in heaven... ice cream AND a bowl made out of sugar that they could nibble on. Kitchen fun win for all!

Our cooling sugar bowls

Pretty colors

"Mom, stop making us smile so we can eat these, please!!"

Conor's sugar bowl creation

Annika's sugar bowl masterpiece

My sugar bowl ... too sweet to eat, but fun to make!

Kids' First Ski Lessons

This winter, our kids have started expressing an interest in learning how to ski. Their school has a ski bus program, but we didn't get our proverbial ducks in a row in time to get our kids equipped in time, nor did we know if they would enjoy skiing, considering they had never gone before. We decided to punt on the ski bus for this year, but didn't want to squash their interest in skiing. So, we arranged for the kids to take a 1-day lesson at Snoqualmie, just to give it a try and get a feeling for how much they enjoyed this new sport.

Needless to say, they loved it!! Both kids' instructors were marvelous. They had the patience of Job and were great at teaching the kids in a way the kids were able to (a) understand and (b) enjoy. Kudos to the program for hiring such good personnel!

The only snag of the day was the gear pick up. We were instructed to arrive 30 minutes ahead of time to pick up gear. It was true mayhem in the gear shop. We got there 50 minutes ahead of time and the kids still got to their classes late ... and there were a bunch of people in line behind us at the gear shop. I'm not sure if they shop was understaffed, but whatever the cause, it was nuts.

We could not have asked for a more perfect day for going to the mountains. It was cold (15 degrees F, but felt like 4 degrees with windchill) with clear blue skies and no precipitation whatsoever. Correction, there were little "glittery" snowflakes, but I think that was just the wind kicking up the snow, not falling snow.

The kids started out learning how to put on their skis and then moved on to learning how to maneuver on a single ski. Eventually, they donned both skis and ventured onto some gentle slopes. Part of Annika's class (the part that was clicking with skiing, including Annika) moved up to the "Magic Carpet" (think moving sidewalk up a slope) to try longer runs.  Conor's class didn't make it to the Magic Carpet, but he did try it out after class was over.

Before we knew it, the 2.5 hours of lessons were up and the kids were itching to keep skiing. (Good sign!) We decided that lunch was a wise choice, so we ate lunch (with about a billion of our closest skiing friends) in one of the restaurants and then headed back out into the cold for some more snow fun.

The kids went on some hills they could climb up, as well as the slope associated with the Magic Carpet. After about another 30-45 minutes of skiing, they decided they were completely wiped out and ready to call it a day. I don't blame them!! They worked really hard all morning long.

On our way home, they declared that skiing is awesome and were already asking when they can go back. Looks like I might be spending more time up at the pass than I have in a long time! Totally worth it ... maybe next time, I'll actually get some reading done (or not ... let's see if the weather cooperates with photography). :)

Veterans' Day 2016

This morning, the kids, Eric, and I headed to the local cemetery to meet with some of our school friends and many of our community members to place flags on the many veteran graves. It was truly a humbling experience.

I'm so proud of our kids for being willing to roll out of bed on a day they could have lazily slept in (no school), but they understood the importance of paying our respects to those who served our country.

After listening to a brief set of instructions, we headed off with flags in arms to pay tribute to those who served our country. The kids were diligent in their efforts, only stopping now and then to read the names of some service members. They were respectful and focused; as a parent, I really couldn't be much prouder of them.

The sky practically hummed with radiant colors as the sun rose. 

My husband is no slouch when it comes to flag carrying!

A humbling vision

Annika making sure her flag was perfectly placed

Conor looking for graves in need of flags

The plaque at the cemetery

Eric and Conor reading the name of a soldier

Annika reading grave markers

Eric and the kids reading

"Hey! This one was named Robert!"

To all of our veterans, we thank you.