A Merlin Anniversary

One year ago, we strolled into our local Petsmart with the intention of simply stopping by and saying hello to a friend who happened to work there.  We had no intentions of leaving with a pet, but we also had no idea we would be introduced to an adorable puppy we would come to call Merlin.  His amber eyes practically leapt out of his mocha-colored coat and put us under a trance we have yet to wake up from.  He is our surrogate son and a proud member of the Olsen Family.  Here are some of our favorite Merlin memories from the past 12 months:

At the Petsmart

Merlin's First Walk:
Merlin was terrified of everything on his first day with us.  On the drive home he hid on the floor of the backseat, unwilling to let us pet his underbelly.  When we got to the house, he immediately found the most distant and darkest corner closet where he hunkered down and refused to move.  We thought a walk was all he needed to cheer him up and warm him to his new surroundings.  "All dogs love walks," we thought.  We put him on a leash, but he didn't like it.  We literally dragged him out of the house.  The dragging didn't stop when we got to the driveway, or the sidewalk, or the end of the cul-de-sac.  After about 10 minutes of heavy pulling and having Merlin's footpads and nails scrape against the pavement, we returned home, and Merlin found his closet again.

Tired of trying to run away on his first day with us, he collapsed in his favorite closet.

The Sneaky Pooper:
When we got Merlin, we were told by the folks at the Humane Society that he was house-trained.  That was a major selling point for us, both working full-time and too busy to tend to a puppy that couldn't hold his water.  When we brought him home on the first day, we sat on the couch and tried to let Merlin learn the house on his own.  We watched as he kept walking in and out of our bedroom at the end of the hall.  We made several comments to each other at how cute his behavior was, and what joy he was already bringing into our household.  This went on for about a half hour, then a curious smell prompted us to stand up and check the bedroom.  His "cute behavior" had left us with a few dumps and several large wet spots on our carpet.  We learned then that Merlin was not even a little bit house-trained.  What joy indeed.

Call of the Wild:
For as scared of the world as Merlin was (and still is, to some degree), he loves being in the wilderness. Our old house in Wake Forest backed up to hundreds of acres of undeveloped land, and Merlin basked in the romps and the unleashed walks in the forest.

Last Christmas, Celeste spent a week in Utah while Merlin and I stayed home.  During that week, I read Jack London's Call of the Wild (a Christmas present from Celeste), a fitting story of the reciprocal love between dog and owner.  While I would read, Merlin would lay on my lap or sit at my feet.  Then, in breaks between chapters, I would bundle up and the two of us would retreat to the forest, beyond the gaze of any neighbor or sight of any house.  We ran and wrestled and jumped over fallen trees.  I chased him, then he chased me.  At 27 years old and on the verge of earning a master's degree, I never felt so much like a kid, carefree and made happy by an indescribably profound companionship.

The Traveling Pup:
Merlin is a great traveler.  He lays down in his crate and stares up at us with his big puppy-dog eyes from the backseat as we drive him to a far-off destination.  He never barks or whines, whether we drive for one hour or nine.  He's simply content to be with us, and the feeling is mutual.

Merlin's first big trip came last April when we drove to New York for a cousin's wedding.  It was a great trip for him (except that he fell down their steep wooden staircase), and he made a great first impression with the fan.

On the Mid-Hudson River Bridge, Highland, New York

His next vacation was to Virginia Beach where he got to meet my sister Holly and her family, including  her three adorable little girls who showered Merlin with love and attention.  This was Merlin's first trip to the beach, and he showed no fear of the sand or the sea (just bikes and small children).

Three Amigos

The Cuddler:
As childish as it might sound, many of our favorite Merlin Moments have simply been epic family cuddles.  Probably because of his abusive upbringing, Merlin is fiercely loyal and desperately clingy, which makes him a great cuddling companion.  This means that after a long day at work, Merlin is so happy to see us that his tail wags so aggressively that it moves the entire back half of his body.  When we have a moment to relax, he doesn't just sit on our laps.  Oh no.  He cuddles with a pressured lean into your body that can take the air out of your lungs, while he looks longingly up at you with puppy-dog eyes and pupils as big as saucers, as if to say, "LOVE ME!!!"

We do, Merlin.  Here's to many more happy years.

Friday the 13th: A Day in the Life at NVHS

The Administrative Team at NVHS (I'm the one second to the right.  Carrington's standing behind me.)

Somewhere between the new school year beginning at NV High School, the start of my doctoral program at UNC, and the 14-hour days, 7-day weeks I've been working, I've found it difficult to do anything with my spare time besides collapse on the couch and sit on the toilet.  To give you an idea of what my life is like right now, here is a detailed play-by-play of my day Friday, appropriately falling on the 13th of the month:

• 4:45 - Wake up.
• 4:54 - Wake up again.
• 5:00 - Two bowls of cereal (Crispix) and Bible Study (Gen. 38-39).  I am reminded that the Old Testament is weird.  For every faith-inspiring story, there is a scripture about a man spilling his seed on the ground.
• 5:10 - Shower and dress. Ditch the trademark suit and tie for a pair of khakis and a NVHS t-shirt to show school pride for the varsity football game.
• 5:20 - Indulge Merlin in a quick wrestling match.  Win.  Reinforce alpha male dominance over my dog.  Kiss on snout.
• 5:25 - Leave for school.
• 5:30 - Arrive at school.  Unlock the building.  Walk the hallways, unlocking all entrances on my way.  This is the most peaceful moment of my day.  I am completely alone for at least an hour.  The halls are quiet and the only noise I hear is the sound of my shoes clicking through the corridors.  Mentally I prepare for the imminent onslaught of raucous students, like a runner preparing for the bulls of Pamplona.
• 6:00 - Sit at computer and weed through e-mails while listening to podcasts (Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me and Stuff You Should Know are favorites).  My inbox is overpopulated with disciplinary referrals sent from teachers identifying students who have violated school rules (cursing, dress code violations, skipping class, disrespect, fighting, sexual misconduct, etc.)  From these e-mails I create a "Hit List".  Before the day is over, these students will be introduced to my justice.
• 7:15 - On post.  I stand in the lobby where students pour into the school from their buses and cars (far more bus riders than car drivers).  I strategically position myself to scan the hoards for hats, du-rags, headphones, cell phones, spaghetti straps, and bare midriffs.  I keep an eye on the bathroom for smokers.  The smokers are resourceful and have lookouts of their own.  We do this dance every day.
• 8:00 - Tardy bell rings.  I move from the lobby to the Media Center where I dish out tardy passes to grudging students.
• 8:30 - Deal with stragglers and hall-wanderers.  T.O. refuses to go to class and tells me I better suspend him now because he's ready to get into a fight.  J.H. refuses to go to in-school-suspension.  He is 18 years old and still in the 9th grade.  This is his fourth time as a freshman and has accumulated 2 credits.  His story is common, not unique.
• 8:45 - Hit List.
• 9:10 - Visit classrooms of new teachers.  There are 14 first-year teachers at our school (accounting for 25% of our teaching staff).  I observe each new teacher at least once a month.  During their planning periods later in the day, I will catch up with them and watch several of them cry.
• 9:35 - Tardy bell for second period.  Media Center.  Tardy passes.
• 10:00 - Parent-teacher conference.  S.G.'s mother has come to talk with me and a teacher who wrote him up for calling this particular teacher a "f---ing jerk."  Student denies infraction.  Teacher reiterates offense.  Mom defends child.  I grind my teeth to a pulp.
• 10:30 - Hit List.
• 11:15 - Tardy bell for third period.  More Media Center.  More tardy passes.
• 11:25 - Stand in the school courtyard for lunches, monitoring.
• 11:45 - Five students approach me.  Tell me that a student in their last class had his penis out and was flashing it to them.  I have them write statements and add student's name to the Hit List.
• 12:30 - Hit List.  Save big infractions for the end of the day.
• 1:35 - Tardy bell for fourth period.  More tardies.  More grudging students.
• 2:00 - Big hitter on the Hit List.  Team up with my oversized, colorful colleague, Mr. Carrington.  He's a big man with an even bigger personality.  We work very well together.  In addition to being a full-time assistant principal, Carrington is also a pastor of a large Pentecostal church.  He calls me his White Mormon Brother.  We call this hour of the day "Shake and Bake".  It is filled with parent phone calls and suspensions.  A smoker gets three days.  A student who we bust for skipping class tips us off that a student tried to sell her pills during lunch.  We begin investigation.
• 2:35 - The flasher gets 10 days.  He talks junk to our head principal (who happens to be in my office) and the principal response by slamming my office door so hard that particles from the ceiling tiles above me break off and fall into my keyboard and onto my desk.  He is escorted off campus by our school resource officer.
• 2:45 - We bring in the drug dealer.  She is a beautiful 14-year old Hispanic girl who speaks softly and admits to doing drugs, but not selling them.  A search of her belongings suggests otherwise.  We uncover two pills.  Vicatin.  She breaks down and cries.  She sells them for $10/pill.
• 3:00 - The drug dealer names a client.  A big white boy with a mental history and at least one attempted suicide.  While Carrington calls his teacher to send him to my office, I go to intercept him to ensure he doesn't ditch anything in a trash can or bathroom.  I turn the corner near his class, and I see him putting something into the tiny crevice of a locker.  I inquire, he says it was just gum.  I walk toward it, at which he rushes back to the locker and pulls out a dime bag of weed.  I rush over and try to apprehend it, but he is putting it into his mouth.  We struggle with each other, but he is much bigger than me.  I call over the radio for backup.  The bag goes into his mouth.  My hands are on his jaw.  He swallows and coughs violently.
• 3:15 Law enforcement arrives.  Both students are suspended for 10 days.  Juvenille petitions filed.  The boy's father is furious with us (he himself has spent 12 years in a federal prison for drug-dealing and counterfeiting).
• 4:30 - Eat Lunch.
• 5:00 - Clean up the mess on my desk: confiscated pills and money, suspension paperwork and student files, police reports.
• 6:00 - Head to the southern end of the county where our boys will play in-town rival SV High School.  We're all on high alert, and extra police have been called in to work the game since last week's home game had a fight and a student arrested for possession of a firearm.
• 7:00 - Game starts without incident.  Stand at the gates with our School Resource Officer and keep out suspended students.
• 8:30 - First fight breaks out between two girls from the opposing schools.  Police escort out of the stadium.  SV is putting on a clinic, 26-6.
• 9:00 - Game ends, 33-8.  Our boys hang their heads and board the bus.
• 9:30 - Two more fights erupt in the parking lot.
• 10:30 - Stadium empty, parking lot clear, we get the green light to go home.
• 10:45 - Walk into the living room of our house and find my darling wife and my adorable puppy sleeping peacefully on the couch.  I join them.

Remembering the Blackout of 2003

This might seem like a day late, but I just copied and pasted from my journal, date 8/14/13:

Ten years ago today, I was an intern-grunt working at Hock Films in New York City.  We were housed in a high rise at the corner of West Houston Street and 7^th Ave in lower Manhattan, just beyond the campus of NYU.  It was the mid-afternoon, and I was busy logging digital footage for the ESPN series Streetball when all the sudden my computer screen went blank.  At first, I thought it was just me, but as I wandered through the office, I noticed all the lights were out and all the computer screens were blank.  There were about thirty of us working in that office, and we all thought that it was a temporary power-outage.  But as phone calls were made and people from other offices started coming by to see what was going on, we realized that the entire building was out.  After waiting about a half hour to see if power would come back, we were all instructed by the super to exit the building.  Nineteen floors and a whole lot of stairs later, we finally spilled onto the 7^th Avenue, and I couldn’t believe my eyes.

The streets were crawling with people.  Manhattan is usually busy, but this was busy on a whole new scale.  It was as if a foot from the sky had kicked the New York anthill, and we scurried and scattered in every direction.  It was a frantic, anxious, pulsating busy with thousands more people at our little street corner than usual.  I looked at the traffic lights.  They were dead.  I looked at the building signs.  They were dark.  I looked at my cell phone.  There was no signal.  A brief moment of panic entered my heart as I recalled memories of the infamous 9/11 terrorist attack just two years prior.  I wasn’t in New York when that happened, but most of the people around me on that street corner had been, and they had fear in their eyes.

I don’t remember how it came to happen, but I soon found myself walking northbound on 6^th Avenue, or Avenue of the Americas toward Midtown.  My feet carried me farther and faster than any cab, bus, or train could; the entire city was shut down.  There was congested traffic in every direction, and the intersections were manned by ordinary citizens (I would have volunteered, but only a true New Yorker, battle-born and refined by fire, could have so aptly barked orders at the angry mobs, the frightened tourists, and the wily cabbies).  Meanwhile, all public transportation was at a rigid standstill.  No buses.  No trains.  No subways.  Several people were trapped in tunnels under the East and Harlem Rivers while they waited in darkness for hours for power to bring them safely from the subway’s belly.

I was living in Queens at the time, but thankfully, my sister’s boyfriend-soon-to-be-husband lived on the Upper East Side, and it was in his apartment five miles north of Hock Films that I found refuge for the next 72 hours.  The people of New York transformed somewhat during those days from the hard-nosed, fast-paced, sharp-tongued sports freaks to an affable bunch of porch-partiers.  People sat in the sun and swapped stories while their radios provided updates in the background.  As for Mandy and Bryan and I, we read, played board games and suppressed bowel movements as best we could (plumbing was out, too) until our corner of the city was back on the grid, and lived to say that we survived the Blackout of 2003.

Summer Famcation 2013

 Merlin seems to have a keen sense of when things are about to change...

You've heard of a vacation, maybe of a staycation, or even a funcation, but this summer we enjoyed a wonderful famcation! It had been two years since taking a proper trip to see family, so soon after school got out, we left behind our little mutt and were Utah bound.

I arrived a few days before Jackson and spent some quality time with my family. This time mostly revolved around my 10 month old niece, Daisy. As her mother put it, she was going through a "gremlin" phase, which involved face contorting, growling, and of course, dancing to her theme song.

 

Daisy dancing to her theme song (after being rescued from drowning herself in the pool)

 

She also became hilariously obsessed with headstands... as shown in this video

 

I was able to spend a lot of time reacquainting myself with family members. The Britts are a tight knit clan, and we always have a great time together. I loved being able to spend time individually with my siblings and parents. Its sometimes hard to feel connected with so much distance between us, but in reality we are never far apart.

Look out world, here she comes!

 It's hard to believe that Ariel is a high school graduate - a real woman with a blank slate of a future that I'm sure she will fill with color and adventure. She is leaving on July 31 for NY to spend time with family and learn about natural foods, oils, and healthy lifestyle living. (And of course, she is planning to come see me while she is out East...)

Yes, Bonnie. This is the only picture I had of you...

 

Bonnie is such a sweet mother - who makes her own juice and baby food, hikes with a baby on her back, and is not ashamed to tell a perfect stranger (who was on a date with her brother) the story of how she peed her pants at Crossfit and didn't leave until the workout was over. This past year we've actually been able to see a lot of her, something like five visits in 12 months! I've loved knowing her as an adult and becoming really close friends.

Clearly excited to be in the picture... 

Crystal is so kind and passionate. She is doing our family history and finding out some amazing stories about our ancestors. I was able to visit her while she was working at the family history center and she showed me pictures of our great great greats... It's all pretty beyond me, but I'm real grateful she is getting so much work done! She was the one who organized our family reunion and pulled it off without a hitch!

Carrying little Daisy on a hike

Ben is a real college kid. He comes home to raid the kitchen and eat Sunday dinner, and isn't ashamed to bring dates to hang out with the fam. He has two jobs, he works for a history professor on campus and is an apprentice at a machine repair shop. He also has "the most amazing" roommates, which we all know, makes or breaks the college experience. He is also clearly the sweetest Britt, he is always sincere, humble and eager to do the right thing.

When you burn 600 calories a day running, you constantly have to be fueling up...

Sarah is freaking running a marathon on the 24 of July. Mother of two, 98 pounds, and up at 3:30 am to run 15 miles in order to beat the Arizona heat. She is master of self and her household! Our time together was pretty brief, but she always makes me smile. Not to mention her two kids. Cooper is hilariously stocky, and I dare say as much boy as Lynlee is girl.

Jackson with Cooper

We spent a lot of time outdoors - we went hiking, had an outdoor BBQ and went canoeing. For me, I spent most of my time outside gawking at the mountains. While North Carolina is lusciously green, I do miss the mountains. I miss how majestic they are. I miss orienting my sense of direction to their presence. As my brother in law Marshall says, the mountains keep things in perspective and act as a humble reminder of how small you are in the grand scheme of things.

On our way to hike up Mt. Timpanogos canyon

 

Our fearless Patriarch

Behind us is Bonnie and Matts newest vehicle... the beast!

Playing peek a boo!

 

In the mountains with Ellie, Ben's dog

 

Kyla, with the wind in her hair...

 

Enjoying a BBQ at the foot of the mountains

 

No subtitle necessary...

Spending an evening with old friends.. Miss you Lesley and Amber!

 

A day at the office with Dad

This trip had been in the making for about 2 years time, as the Britts knew that after Ben got home from his mission we all wanted to spend time together without distractions. We had tossed around the idea of going on a cruise, or renting a cabin on a lake, but we combined both of those ideas and spent 4 sun filled days on a house boat in Lake Powell! This trip was made possible by Alicia, my very best friend growing up, who offered her house boat to us for a family reunion, which was only complete because she and her adorable family joined us! All of us regret never getting a group shot, but cameras were not generally on hand on account of the surrounding water. We had a blast on the water, on the house boat, hiding from the sun and trying to stay cool. We hope for more similar outings in the future!

Ariel showing off the suit she bought for the trip... 

While Mom was excited it was a one piece, many would say it is more revealing than most bikinis.

 

A lake in the desert, quite the juxtaposition

The mountains surrounding the lake made us feel really small

 

Cliff jumping!

 

Jackson cliff jumping

The boys spent the bulk of the time wake boarding or waiting their turn

No sister ever needs to see this much skin belonging to their only brother

 

We spent a lot of time cruising around on the boats, admiring the lake and jumping in to cool off

Let's be honest, most of the time was spent hiding from the sun, as Sarah demonstrates here

 

After returning from Lake Powell, Jackson and I headed up north to spend time with his family in Logan. We were in for a real treat. We spent time with nieces, nephews, sisters, brothers, livestock, friends and we arrived in time for the fireworks!

Jackson's sister Holly was in town for her summer sabbatical with the girls. They live in Connecticut, but determined to have her kids have real relationships with their family, they spend 6 weeks every summer in Logan.

We were also able to meet Josie's son, Forrest for the first time. Josie and her family will be off to live in India for the next year starting in August. Josie and Rick seem optimistic and are looking forward to this new adventure. Kinda crazy, but then they won't be the only Olsen's living overseas this next year.

Mandy and her family live in Ireland, they were missed as the rest of the family was able to be together!

Peter and Eliza waiting to climb

Kristen and her family will spend 4 months in Budapest, Hungary as she completes a study abroad for law school. We were able to go rock climbing with her family and enjoy giggles from Eliza and Peter as they played with Jackson.

Clay and Jen are doing great, still working in Salt Lake. Their daughter Navy is quite the character. She is becoming totally obsessed with dolls. All of us are obsessed with her red hair!

Wade and his family are certainly busy, especially this time of year as they prepare for the fair. We also happened to be there a few days before their 700 pound pig gave birth to her piglets. Let's just say, the size of the being was a little mind blowing.

 

Drying off after sprinkler under the tramp!

 

Meeting Forrest boy!

Waiting for the fireworks at good 'ol Romney Stadium. Go Aggies!

A true highlight of the trip - horseback riding with Uncle Terry and Aunt Max. They are true gems!

Celebrating Jackson and Josie's birthdays!

Okay, Sonoma. You are officially the cutest thing on the planet!

 

One of the biggest highlights of our trip was spending time with Jackson's grandparents. Every time I am in Grandpa Jack's presence I feel he is piercing my soul and speaking to me as an angel from heaven. He is nearing his 90th birthday and every time we leave Logan we hold our breathe, fearing it may have been our last visit with him. We pray that he will continue to endure and we will be greeted by his loving embrace when we return in December.

 

As I returned to North Carolina, I was sad to say goodbye to family and friends. But, I was welcomed home by someone who missed us very much.

Never leave me again!