beauty in the midst of uncertainty

Every day is Sunday, that's the way Carly put it the other day while Beautiful and I were on the couch reading, the boys napping, Jesse at the dining room table on the computer. It was 2 in the afternoon and we were all home, seemingly without a care in the world. Looks are deceiving though. Both Beautiful and I were trying to take a break from the worry by getting lost in a good book. I think I was more successful then she was. After long periods of no response from resumes followed by the occasional 'thanks but no thanks letter', Beautiful got an interview. We were both excited knowing how winning she is but it turns out the company that scheduled the interview is just a pyramid scheme in the form of Insurance sales. Jesse had been to an interview/recruitment seminar the other week and warned her away. What was some hope in the midst of the crushing silence turned out to be mirage. Beautiful was discouraged, really discouraged for a bit. I told her she isn't unemployed she's just under-employed and for some reason that helped. She has two jobs now and is staying pretty busy. Our bank account seems to be a loaves and fishes miracle where a little has gone a long way. We are mostly in good spirits and only occasionally get pulled under by the worry. It is great being with the boys and getting to take the train to the zoo in the middle of the afternoon but there is something to be said for a bit of security and insurance. So after 2 months of unemployment for me and underemployment for Beautiful we are still hopeful and positive most of the time. We are enjoying the time together and taking advantage of the journey like Linsey advised. We have seen and spent time with lots of friends and family that we would not have to chance to if we had a full time job and for that we are thankful. Really for all of it I am thankful, this is not too much to handle. It is hard to be sure but I am thankful for the hard stuff and the beauty in the midst of uncertainty.

21 to 15 the blond one is ahead

Two years ago after a trip to New York we posted state maps that showed all of the states that we have been through. Kate is still just missing Louisiana and I am now only missing 4 states: Alaska, Michigan, Virginia, and Maine to have all of them. Above is Finn's updated map with Hawaii and our recent trip across the Northern US. He has already knocked out a lot of states for a 3 year old and Henry's map below is coming on as well. I wonder if they will get a full map before they are 18. I don't think so though. I think we need to leave a couple of them that they go to on their own but we will get pretty close I'm sure.

back home

After three long days of driving we woke up in our own beds this morning. Some woke up earlier then others but for the most part we are adjusted to the time difference. Driving across the country helps with that I think since we spent one night in each time zone. The boys did fantastic in the car considering they are 3 and 18 months. They watched a couple movies each day, took naps, read books, and played with cars. Finn would barrage us with questions every couple of hours but that would happen where ever we were. We drove from Indy to Sioux City the first day and spent a great night and morning with Kate's grandma Weezie. The boys got some Ginger cookies that were favorites of Tom Tom's so by default they loved them. They also got to play with some of Tom Tom's old toys. Kate added four bags of fabric and sewing goodies to an already over full car and after 3 solid meals in 12 hours we headed out for Billings, MT. In Billings we got a nice deal on a hotel through priceline and it was nice to sleep in soft beds and watch Sports Center in the morning. THe last day took us from Billings to Portland and we got home at 9:45 PM. The boys were asleep by 8 so they were right on track for being back on West Coast time. It was a great trip but we are glad to be home. The boys are missing grammie today something fierce, Henry pointed at a picture of her and shook his head up and down and said a long list of words that I couldn't decipher. I asked if he missed grammie and he said "Grammie!" Finn has been really whiny and needy and we asked what was wrong he said I miss grammie. It is funny that when they are there they really are all about Tom Tom but when they are not they miss Grammie. I don't know if that makes you feel better or worse Kris but the boys love you very much and miss you already. Kate and I do too!

my brother and his boy

Tobias Aaron Rohl and his daddy having a nap. I'm so happy for you Mark and Kendra. I will write more about this but for now enjoy this picture.

american family

after a hiatus

We are still in Indiana, we'll three of us are anyway but our road trip home is coming up soon. Kate flew back to Portland for a wedding and to teach her new SAT class while the boys and I tie up lose ends here and get some good time in with Grammie and Tom Tom before we head home. We cleaned up our house and fixed some glaring issues before listing it up on Craigslist. We got a lot of response on the ad and after showing it to 5 different groups we decided on a great couple. That is a huge weight of our shoulders what with little money coming in and being on the hook for rent and a mortgage. While here I have also had a chance to catch up with some great friends and the boys have had a good time with Kris and Tom. They will definitely miss us and the boys but I think they are looking forward to a quieter house. So now two months into not having a job for me and a 3 hour a week job for Beautiful we are still doing OK. Our bank account seems to be loaves and fishes miracle with some really great family members helping out where they can. We are in high spirits and having a fun time as a family. We still have no idea what the future holds but we are OK with that. Today was fun, I learned how to sand marble and install a cement counter top. I wrestled with the boys and dropped Beautiful at the airport, tomorrow? who knows....

on the tracks

We have made the 10 hour drive down from Minnesota to Indiana and are enjoying some great time at Tom and Kris's with Aunts, Uncles, grandparents and great grand parents. There are 17 total in this 3 bedroom house and it fills full but not crowded. Full houses make the best houses and it is good to see all the cousins together. They are still a couple years away from tearing each other apart but those days are coming. Jake is as beefy as ever in his Wheaton Thunder shirt that is too small around the biceps. Tom and Kris are having a great time with all grandkids, 4 boys now after having 4 daughters. We have a lot of work to do on our house this week and it looks pretty terrible. Once most of the family leaves today we will get started in earnest. We are discouraged by all the work and limited time but that is a worry for tomorrow. Today we are enveloped in family and it feels warm and comforting.

some random things

* Why is that on a road trip you are drawn to the Country and Top 40 stations. It's not just me right, this is a thing.

* Lamar Odom going to Miami might be worse news then losing my job. I think I might be taking that harder. That's not weird at all I don't think.

* The combinations of off ramps and side streets that passes for Interstate 35 W in Minneapolis is insane. The lines run right into walls and I think at one point you go through a lake. Not sure how this ever going to be a drivable road but I am pulling for them.

* I kinda love going to minor league sporting events. We saw the St. Paul Saints play and they had a coupon for free food for everyone in the stands if this one opposing player struck out. The whole crows counted down the strikes and cheered like crazy when he wiffed on strike three. He about threw his bat in the crowd but kept it together.

* If you need a little time from kids the $1.00 popcorn and two bags buys you some free time at Target, even if you don't need to buy anything. Your Welcome.

* Finn can rapid fire questions like it's the lightening round of Jeopardy and it always ends with me calling timeout. Sometimes I last 20 minutes sometimes only 5 but it always ends the same.

aunt meg, queen of the stickers

We have been having a great time with Meg and Mike and baby Milo. Yesterday we went to Farmer's market and had some mini donuts and polish sausage and went to a St. Paul Saints game where we tailgated before the game. We have been treated to a really great time so far in the twin cities and we still have more to come.

head and belly baby nose, baby nose

Henry has been talking a bunch lately though this video doesn't show that much. It does show how freaking cute he is so enjoy.

lake meltdown

Thursday we went for a walk around Lake Callhoun in Minneapolis. It was pretty warm out and the boys both melted down hard core after we ate our packed lunch. It was really beautiful around the lake before all of the screaming started. We drove home with Finn telling us he wasn't tired before falling forward asleep on his knees and Henry holding my hand to his face to keep from sobbing. Good times.

you spin right around....

Finn got to ride on a bunch of rides at Mall or America but probably the

best one was the bumper cars. Here he is trying to get the hang of it. He

eventually got it bit it was pretty funny watching him learn.

Spokane, WA

We stopped in Spokane WA for some time out of the car and found a great water front park. The boys cooled off in a great fountain and in this video right at the beginning Henry takes a blast of water to the face. The kid on the rock puts his foot over the stream and it nails Henry, knocking him down. He couldn't have been more excited by it though.

Road Trip

After a great week with friends we loaded up the car for an epic road trip. We are going to Minnesota to meet our nephew Milo, then on to Indiana to get our house issue straight and see a lot of friends and family. We set out Sunday morning at about 9 AM after dropping Jesse, Carly, and Ian at the airport for their Euro Trip. They always have to one up us. The trip out here to Minn. was surprisingly easy. We stopped every 2-3 hours and the boys got to watch a bunch of movies on the way. The first night we stopped in Bozeman MT and Finn was with me in one Queen sized bed and Henry was with Beautiful in the other. The second night we stopped in Fargo ND and we all piled in a King Size bed. We made it to Bloomington MN at about 2 PM just in time to see Grammie for an hour before she had to head back to Indy. We will see here again soon after one more day of driving, I hope the boys still have the good travel vibes going later this week when we head out.

our own island in a storm

After getting some terrible news earlier this week, I lost my job, we got to head out to Vashon Island in the Puget Sound for the Fourth of July weekend. It is an extravagant house right on the water where there will be a barge shooting off fireworks about 300 yards away. Finn is with Grandma and Papa for the Parade in Clatskanie with Touch a truck day coming tomorrow. We are each enjoying a nice weekend after a bit of a stressful week. I'm not sure that Finn has been that stressed but he knows that things are different. We have talked for a while about Kate and I trading off who was working out side the house and who was raising the boys and we have been talking about that a bit recently without knowing how we were going to manage the switch. As tough as this recent news is it has facilitated that switch for us. Right now Kate is in job search mode full time and I am in full time At home Dad mode. As most of you know that is the only job I really want so I am pretty excited. Kate is excited as well but also feels the weight of the world on her shoulders now. There will be plenty of time for stress and worry but this weekend we will live in the moment and enjoy the luxurious surroundings.