KaiserTales

TOTALLY excited. Can’t WAIT! Tonight at midnight Nate’s sis is getting induced, which means that in 14 hours or so I’m an aunt!!! In anticipation of the big event, we’ve cancelled our weekend plans (sorry birthday friends and bookclub) and are heading down to Portland, along with Nate’s folks.

Will it be a boy or a girl? We don’t know! Name options? We’ll find out, only after the fact! In the mean time, we’ve been referring to the child as Baby Alpha and Experiment #1 (with the intention that we’ll call #2 “Revision” or something to that effect.)

My sis-in-law is the craziest pregnant person I know. Two weeks ago she was on Mt. Hood skiing. Crazy? No wait… she wasn’t just skiing. When she’s on the slopes, she telemarks. Yeah. CRAZY! She only gave up swimming in the Master’s swim class recently, and she stayed on her bike and continued rock climbing until her growing belly no longer allowed it to be comfortable. Whatever you or I or her doctor or plenty of other ladies who’ve been pregnant have to say, I think she’s rather inspiring.

She makes being pregnant seem less of a 9-month sentence and more of a minor inconvenience. And I have a feeling that watching her and her hubby raise this child will also be a source of inspiration. Maybe having a kid isn’t so bad? … But I’m still not inclined to have one of my own any time soon

OK, I’ve been decidedly absent from the blogosphere this summer. Let’s just say it’s been a good season … from the week in Texas, splitting time between Austin and the ranch in Yoakum; the lazy days at the Kaiser cabin near the Gorge Ampitheatre, biking and boating and learning to water ski; sailing in the Downtown Race Series out of Elliot Bay Marina and enjoying the sunsets over the Olympics from the water; buying a new (to us) car with kick-ass gas mileage; and spending time with friends and family, it’s been super!

Nate and Rex

Downtown Seattle from the water

Elliot Bay Marina after the races

My sister-in-law and her hubby are crazy bloggers, updating stories almost every week. If you’d like some Texas stories, check out NoPoGirl and BarkerNews. In fact, you can see pictures and stories from a good portion of our summer by checking out their blogs. The other part of our summer can be learned simply by following Nate on Twitter.

The Blogosphere may have been neglected by us, but the Twitterverse is repleat with Nate’s updates!

We’re at the cabin again this weekend, but it was a crazy and harrowing trip to get here. Once we got on the road, all was well, but we encountered a lunatic on way out of the city. Just after getting gas on 45th and Fremont, we turned onto Aurora only to have a crazy person pull erratically in front of us, pull over suddenly and aim a gun at our car. You’re reading in disbelief, but I couldn’t be more serious.

Nate stepped on the gas and kept checking his rearview mirror. Apparently, the lunatic didn’t follow us, but I was on the phone with 9-1-1 in a matter of seconds nonetheless. We finally pulled off near the stadium at the Pyramid brewery and waited for the cops to come take our statement. Patrol cars had checked the Fremont/ Greenwood area but didn’t see a car that fit the description of a maroon Dodge pickup or SUV.

The cops told us that, even if they found a car that fit the bill and even if they found a gun in the car, there wouldn’t be much they could do. I can’t say we were surprised.

Thank goodness the rest of the ride to the cabin was uneventful. And our bike ride once at the cabin was heavenly. Now we’ll relax, and await the arrival of the in-laws. It’s supposed to be chilly, 66-degrees and raining in Seattle tomorrow, but here in Eastern Washington, it’s forecasted above 90. Yay.

I am constantly reminded about how non-tech savvy I am. Earlier today I attempted to upgrade the software that runs this blog (wordpress) and failed miserably. After reading the step by step directions and uploading the correct files, the entire site went down…

Thankfully, we use BlueHost to host our site and they responded pretty quickly to my frantic plea to restore the site based upon a recent backup! Once the site was up and running once again, I decided to read through the directions one more time and noticed that I had missed the part where I was supposed to delete two small files.

Once that was completed, I went through the process one last time and viola it is up and running.  The reason I went through all this hassle?  Simply so I could update the blog on my iPhone.  Yes, you heard that right, so I can update from my phone.  Not that I ever will mind you, but now I can.

Marissa and I decided to spend my birthday weekend at the cabin with two couples that we really enjoy.  We plan mostly to go out on the boat, enjoy the sunshine, and to simply relax.  I arrived late last night, and Marissa is coming in this afternoon with one couple, while the other couple is heading over late tonight.

It is awesome (and fortunate) to have a place just a few hours from the city, where you can get away and relax (with wifi of course).  That and my parents have always been very generous with their cabin, their boat, their time, and their wallet when repairs or maintenance is due.   Thanks Mom and Dad!

It is going to be a great weekend.

It has been quite a busy, crazy, fun packed, and go-go-go summer.  It has been awhile since Marissa and I have spent a weekend at home, and this weekend will be no different.  It is off to the cabin, Sailing, Texas, NYC (September), Portland, or any points in between.

Luckily, we have had the chance to see many family members and friends, which we always enjoy.  Though, it is times like these, when you can barely catch your breath that it is even more important to slow down and simply enjoy each and every moment.

However, all we do this summer is overshadowed by the waiting.  The unrelenting waiting.  My sister is expecting in early August and this will be the first grandchild on our side of the family.  We are of course very excited for her and our brother-in-law.  We hope to be invited down to Portland to see them and visit and see our new niece / nephew (unknown at this point) upon her / his birth.  Hopefully we are still in their good graces.

Just wanted to provide a quick update about our goings on.  More to follow.

Have a great summer everyone!