The Top 10 of 2014

It's that time of year again. Time for resolutions and reflections. For the latter, look no further than this here blog post, which encapsulates one of the greatest years of our lives. Without further delay, we present to you, in chronological order...

The Top 10 of 2014:

1. Pregnancy

Seemingly a strange addition to the top ten, it has to be said that I had one of the best pregnancies in womanhood. Aside from frequent bathroom stops and the normal waddling towards the end, I was blessed to be active, agile, and mostly unencumbered. I don't know if any other earthly experience can top the feeling of a baby's kicks and turns in the womb. To top it all off, the labor and delivery both were textbook and within a few (painful) hours our sweet Valencia was in my arms. 

2. Motherly Visits

Jackson and I were both blessed with wonderful mothers. Both of my moms were more than willing to take a break from their busy lives to spend time helping us as we transitioned to parenthood. My sweet mother came in March with hopes of seeing my pregnant belly and helping us prepare for Vali's arrival. Despite the unseasonably cold rain, we were able to do some major baby prep work and enjoy some down time together.

Mom came again for the arrival of Valencia. Little did she know she'd have to wait 6 extra days for her birth. In the end it was worth it as she literally helped me push Vali into the world. She then tended to us as we recovered and adjusted to life with an infant. Norma came a few weeks later to help out in similar ways. We owe both of these women more than we can say. I'm blessed to have two wonderful mothers who have my back, even from the other side of the country.

3. Wilmington with the Bushes

Gabe and Ellen Bush are two of our closest friends. Each time we get together its like a convergence of peanut butter and jelly, thunder and lightning, or Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Some things just fit. We've loved having them as our East Coast neighbors in DC. During Spring Break, we took advantage of the good weather and proximity to North Carolina's beaches for a swinging' good time in Wilmington, one of the most beautiful and historic cities in the South.

4. Teacher of the Year

Celeste is a gifted teacher with the ability to not only teach content, but touch hearts. Her gift was made manifest last year when 94% of her students passed the rigorous end-of-year 5^th grade science exam (this compared to the state average of about 45%). At the staff retreat at the end of the year, Henderson Collegiate bestowed its highest honor upon Celeste, naming her the recipient of the Excellence in Education Award. If only all children could have teachers like Celeste.

5. Summer in Utah

Because of work schedules and other circumstances, Celeste and I traveled to Utah for the summer at different times. Celeste made it out in late June in time for two beautiful baby showers thrown by her Orem and Logan families. As a special treat, her two best friends from Grand Junction - Stephanie and Alicia surprised her and stayed for the festivities. She also got to spend some quality time with her sister Bonnie, who was due just a week after Celeste, but delivered 4 days before her. 

Jackson made it out in late July in time for the annual Kidd Family Campout and some fishing on the Green River with his Uncle Terry.

6. "Babymoon" at the Beach

We were married for seven years before Valencia came along. In addition to the year we dated, that’s 8 years of being Jack and Les, a whimsical and hopelessly romantic couple. “Jaleste” had a lot of fun in its hey-day, and while we were both eager to have a baby (that’s a mild way to put it), we were also sad to say goodbye to one of the greatest power couples Western Civilization has ever known.

We therefore endeavored to experience one final fling at the beach. I guess this is what the kids are calling a “Babymoon”. Well whatever you call it, we had a great time forgetting the troubles of the world for a week at the beach. I golfed, Celeste got a massage, and we survived a hurricane in the comfort of our oceanview suite.

7. Valencia

Really, we could have filled the Top 10 this year with Valencia highlights, but instead we're quartering them all here in one place: preparing her nursery, her arrival into the world on August 15th, the way she sighs, her sneezes and hiccups, her obsession with her hands and fingers, her first laugh, tummy time, story time, her acrobatic tricks, her sweet nature and angelic disposition, the way she clings to mom, her baby blessing, the way she looks in hats, her blue eyes that get bluer each day, her soft skin that smells like baby, her focus and attention when watching football games on TV, her busy limbs that only stop when she's feeding, her contagious giggles, her warm hugs. Just, her.

8. New jobs at HC

This was a big year for Jack and I. I was promoted to be an instructional coach (educator-lingo for someone who teaches teachers on best practices) and the Science Department Chair. Jackson, after a really rough year at the local high school, was hired at Henderson Collegiate to start their high school. It opens in August of 2015, so I'm sure you'll be seeing that big piece of news on an upcoming Top 10 list. But the fact that he got hired means that we've been able to see a lot more of each other. We both are working at the middle school while Jackson splits his time with his high school planning efforts.

9. Thanksgiving in CT

It’s a rare occasion for us to spend Thanksgiving with family anymore, but thanks to the recent moves of my sisters Holly and Josie to Connecticut, we were able to make it happen while simultaneously embarking on our first ever road trip with both a dog and baby. Yipee!

Added bonuses this year included my cousin Daniel who joined us from New York City, and my sister Mandy and her two adorable children, who descended on Connecticut from Ireland, where she and her husband live for 6 months out of the year. We also got to spend time with Celeste’s Uncle Dan and Aunt Jeanne in New York with all the Cooper cousins.

10. Christmas in Utah

When you have a child as beautiful and as popular as Baby V, you can’t hide that light under a bushel. Youv’e got to share the goodness, which is exactly what we did when we came home for Christmas this year. Its was Vali’s chance to meet her Papa Britt (pronounced pu-PAH) and all her lovely aunts and uncles on the Britt side of the family. Meanwhile, mom and dad enjoyed flow-ride surfing and colds.

In Logan, Vali met her Grandpa Mack and lots more aunts, uncles, and cousins. She also became acquainted with the birthplace of her nickname, Cache Valley (valley=Vali). We were also hit with some arctic weather and were reminded about how miserably cold Utah can be, and how soft we've grown when it comes to cold weather. However, in our defense, I'm pretty sure even stalwart Utahns will agree that 3 below zero is unacceptable.

Honorable Mention

Honda Fit 2.0 – Remember when we got into that terrible accident that totaled our Honda Fit and the other driver’s van? Well, from that pile of broken glass and crushed metal came a new car, another Honda Fit. It’s a small car for a family like ours, but is deceptively spacious, as was proved during our extended road trip over Thanksgiving.
Merlin turns 2 – We love our clingy, loyal mutt, Merlin Jay Olsen. When he turned two, we celebrated by giving him his all-time favorite gift: cuddle time with mom and dad.

Memorial Day with the Smiths – Our Memorial Day tradition of hanging out with my sister and her family is one that we look forward to all year. It only got put on the “Honorable Mention” list because it was pushed out by our even better weekend with them for Thanksgiving. This Memorial Day weekend was spent in beautiful Henderson, North Carolina, where we ate pizza, played in bumper boats, went to the batting cages, played miniature golf, went roller skating, and swam at the neighborhood pool.
Surprise Visit from Uncle Dave and Grandpa Britt – These two guys were in DC for a WWII Veterans event, but we met them for dinner in Richmond, and it was quite a treat. Sidenote: Uncle Dave, the consummate theme park enthusiast, stopped at King’s Dominion on his way to dinner while Grandpa Britt waited in the car for an hour and a half.

The Doctorate Continues – A year and a half down, lots more to go.
Jackson loses 15 pounds – I credit this to my Jawbone UP bracelet and drinking nothing but water in 2014.

New Babies in the Family – Ours wasn’t the only family that grew in 2014. In February, we welcomed our nephew Crew to the world, the third child of Celeste’s sister Sarah. Then in August, just four days before Vali was born, Celeste’s sister Bonnie gave birth to her second daughter, Dixie. Then, not to be left out of the 2014 baby cycle, little Estee Bright Smith was born just two days ago to my sister Holly and her husband Adam.

USU Football Team Wins 3^rd Straight Bowl Game – Word.

Welcome to Pathetic-ville

We are under no illusions about our dog, Merlin Jay Olsen (aka Merl-Pearl, The Boy, and Merly-Merly-Bright-n-Early).  We know he's "special".  Sweet Moses, is he special.  And by that I'm not trying to say that he's better than your dog.  I am saying it.  He's way better than your dog in almost every way.  Except for athleticism.  And energy, perhaps.  And, while I'm thinking of it: ball-chasing, recall memory, coordination, appetite, trick repertoire, protective capacity, brain activity, and self-esteem.

Now, Merlin might not be the kind of dog to get invited to butt-sniffing parties over at the hoity-toity AKC, but he's got his own unique set of qualities that really separate him from the competition.  For example, Merlin will out-sleep a sloth, out-cuddle an infant, and can eat more acorns in a minute than most squirrels.  And no dog to my knowledge has ever consumed as many dryer sheets as he has without dropping dead.

Looks pretty athletic to me.

If getting belly rubs was a karate skill, Merlin would be a blackbelt.

In the zone.

Despite these talents, however, the boy is a little bit pathetic.  I know it sounds mean, but it's true.  I don't mean that as an insult as much as a declaration of facts.  Consider the following: Merlin spends all day on the couch without moving.  Let me say that again: all day, on the couch, without moving.  From the time we leave in the morning until the time we come home at night, Merlin stakes out a post, and doesn't leave it.  For 12 hours.  I know what you're thinking: He probably gets up and moves around all day, and just returns to the couch before you guys get home.  He doesn't.  Trust me, we thought so, too, but it doesn't matter what time we come home.  We can surprise him at lunch, stop by on our way back from a doctor's appointment an hour after we leave, or come home an hour earlier than normal.  He doesn't budge.  During the live-long day, he doesn't move more than an inch or two, which also means that his food remains untouched, his toys remain unchewed, and that giant backyard he has constant access to through a conveniently-sized doggy door remains unexplored.  It's like he only lives when he's in our presence.  The rest of the time he's just existing.

If you think that's pathetic, check out this picture:

Don't mind me, mom.

I mean, he's so clingy he's actually getting graded on.  He's saying to himself, "Yes, I have a clipboard on my head.  And yes, I'm okay with that."  And this was not a quick and lucky photo, folks.  I had all day and then some to snap that beauty.

The Boy, in all his glory.

Merlin came to us as a young pup, but an old soul.  When we first brought him home, he kept trying to run away or hide from us (or poop on the bed, the little scamp).  He literally wouldn't let us rub his belly for a month.  He'd find a corner to curl up in, then just look at us with his wounded amber eyes that looked like jewels against his ginger coat.  Clearly something traumatic happened to him before we entered the picture that put a permanent weariness and a somberness into his psyche.  Over time, however, he began to trust and eventually love us, and now that love has now evolved into a fierce, unyielding devotion that manifests itself in epic cuddles and constant heavy leans against our bodies and limbs.  Is he pathetic?  Absolutely.  Is he needy and clingy?  In spades.  But does he make us happy?  Without question.  More than we ever thought possible.  Really, when it comes to our boy Merlin, the real question is this: who rescued whom?

Ever wonder what Merlin would look like with the body of a Jack Russell Terrier?  Now you know.

First day at the house:
We couldn't find Merlin for a time.  Then we found him hiding in the back closet, doing what he does best.

Bath time (aka shake-violently-in-the-tub time) 

Adoption day.  Merlin is obviously thrilled.

#yawn #pathetic #theend

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.