Christmas, winter, a year in repose and an apology.

So, to start, this is the apology; I have had several concerned individuals who have been asking for an update, so to you I apologize. I have to admit it was flattering to find that people actually did take a moment to read this so I feel the obligation to provide some reading material (or fodder) for those who choose to continue reading.
This year, as so many of them before it, have flown by. Although that echoes a resounding "cliche" I can't help but mention it as that is indeed the case. We had a great year in spite of common pitfalls such as the economy, the economy and well you get the idea. Sara has continued to remain diligent in light of a less than stellar year in the dental industry. Many dentists struggled along with her doctors practice but I know he will agree in saying that without Sara's admirable abilities in keeping the schedule as full as possible, his practice would have suffered even further. She also continues to be a finalist in the mother of the year category as she manages an office and the goings on of our two daughters. Although she finished out the year as a room mother and swore off of it, she again finds herself lending a helping hand to Myale's classroom as needed.
And speaking of our little second grader, she is doing well. School is of course a matter of consequence and she endures it. Of course when asked how school was today the answer is always "good." And when asked what interesting things she learned... "I don't know." Sometimes I wonder about our educational system. Wait, actually I always worry about our educational system. Myale got a bundle for Christmas including a horrific present from Santa that mom and dad wanted nothing to do with, heely's. If we can make it through the next year without a visit to the ER I will not complain but if we go I hope Santa has good insurance.
Devyn continues to amaze as she gets bigger and bigger by the day. Her little words are making more sense than ever and she loves her big sister "Miyee." I can't believe she turns 2 in February. Wow. The next year promises to be a big one as she will go through poddy training, start daycare and move out of her crib. I know she is ready for all of it as she seems to be much more independent than Myale at her age.
Not much to report for myself. Just continue to trudge and wish that there was just more time for everything. I am looking for that grasp on reality that I have heard about but it continues to elude me. Perhaps this "grasp" has an in with the snipe that also continues to elude. Hmm.. Now that I think about it between the grasp, the snipe and U of I getting a WAC championship there may be three things in life I may never see. Sorry, I'm watching the H bowl right now; seemed like a good time to blog.
Moving along I am looking for a good closing and that eludes me as well. Perhaps the best close it not to, but to leave it open for the next chapter to unfold. I think I may have stumbled onto something. God bless and Happy Holidays from the Schwarz gang.

A family hobby, maybe?

Even before I met my bride to be, I always had made the assumption that since racing was my highest priority in life that it would be true of my soul mates. Even if she were not already a gear head I would betroth someone who understood my passion and she too, along with any future offspring would naturally follow suite. To my chagrin it was not meant to be. For a myriad of reasons really and I will not delve to deep into the why's and why not's but needless to say it was just not meant to be.
So, what we needed was a true family activity. We bought a cataraft (AKA 6 foot pontoon boat) and snagged the extra one that Sara's dad had and viola! We were river rats! Each trip to the cabin meant a new trip down the river. Well, still not exactly a "family" hobby since only Sara and I could go and needed a drop off and pick up a the end of the float.
Fishing! Why not? The whole family could do it. Whoops, Devyn might be a touch small to be hanging out around the river at her age.
Shooting! Why of course, even at a young age I enjoyed plinking at cans and critters. We would make it a family outing with a picnic lunch and some lizard catching to go along with the frivolities. But alas, not much fun with family time transcending into chase time and an awful lot of convincing Myale that we were there to "shoot" the ground squirrels, not catch them for a pet.
What to do... Well, here we are with our latest attempt at a truly family oriented, all inclusive hobby; biking. Every kid loves to ride their bike, Sara and I are both really still kids at heart, we can grow into it, only start up costs are incurred... hmmm? This might work! Today marked our first family outing on the Boise greenbelt where we found ourselves trekking along with happy kids which in turn makes for happy parents. A stop along the way for a quick appetizer and beer de'jour at TableRock and we were off again stopping to feed the ducks at Ann Morrison Park while little Devyn took a snooze riding in her new trailer.
Cross your fingers everyone. We might have stumbled onto something.

Vacation! (Kind of)

Taking the direction of many families these days, we decided on a more economical approach to our vacation this summer and opted to head down to see my family in Twin Falls and then head to the cabin for 4 days of fun in the sun on the river. What constitutes vacation in light of the normality of life is, I guess, the abnormality. If only I had this epiphany before setting my sights on what we both had predicted to be a "perfect vacation." Yes I know, only someone with the shortsightedness of Clark Griswald would have the audacity to plan a perfect vacation, but you see it should have been perfect because we kept it so simple! No huge plan other than get a hotel with a pool in Twin, head out the next day for the cabin and fish and play in the river. Seemed simple enough, no regard for setting our sights on visiting every landmark between destinations, no truncated time table pestering us. However kids (and I am including a 7 month old schnauzer in this story) can somehow effect the getaway in their own simple ways. Not traveling well, not sleeping well, not eating well, not being happy about anything that can affect their fun. Here is another scenario that can unpredictably change your vacation. WEATHER! Yes, if you find yourself planning a summer vacation with an assortment of outdoor activities, you can bet that a storm and significant drop in temperature will ensue.
Now before you start to over-analyze this post, remember this, it is still a "vacation" so no matter what happened on this trip you can surmise that we still had fun. We were still granted a visit with my siblings in Twin Falls where we hung out at the pool while the kids played and we caught up on a few month hiatus from seeing each other over a beer. We also got to catch up with the best man from my wedding as we swept through Fairfield. And at the cabin we were indeed able to spend a couple of quality days on the river, at the hot springs and fishing at the dredge ponds.
I guess it really depends on how you look at it. I prefer Clark's approach. Fun at all cost. "Well I'll tell you something. This is no longer a vacation. It's a quest. It's a quest for fun. I'm gonna have fun and you're gonna have fun. We're all gonna have so much fun we'll need plastic surgery to remove our goddamn smiles. You'll be whistling 'Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah' out of you're assholes! I gotta be crazy! I'm on a pilgrimage to see a moose!"
Thank you Clark for reminding me what family vacations are all about.

Zoo days

On a hot Sunday morning we decided a trip to zoo Boise was in order. Of course since we are very strict with our girls routines it made it difficult to make the call of exactly when we should go since the typical Devyn down time is from about 10:00 to 11:30 or so and the best time to avoid crowds and the predicted 100 degree heat was at exactly this same time, we opted for no nap. Devyn was a trooper in light of several lazy overheated animals that didn't bother to make a showing. She and sis Myale revelled in the company of the animals that came out to see them. It just makes you smile to see the look of excitement and confusion on a little ones face. Ah, memories.

I know she loved seeing them but I could watch monkeys ALL DAY.

The cabin

What a great time. Every trip to the cabin brings new adventures and this one was certainly not a let down. We started off as we always do with a little girl (Devyn) who hates to travel and let us know about 20 minutes into the trip that she was not happy being strapped into a confined seat. Just the exact opposite of our trooper Myale. Soon enough we found ourselves at the cabin and on the river. Devyn got her first taste (literally)of the warm springs at Johnson bridge. In all that followed we had a great time but the highlight was the fishing. Not a one caught on the fly but my new fishing buddy Myale caught about a dozen fish out of the dredge ponds while dad caught about 3. Thanks for all the help grandpa Dennis.




Oh and she also caught about a 10 minows with her net off the bank.

Bang!

What a great 4th of July! The smell of sulfur is still lingering in the air. It is unfortunate that our plans of getting Devyn to her first race ended with Bruce and co. not making it to Meridian for the big 4th of July race. Tsk, tsk. We stil had fun as we always do where it's just the five of us (yes I included the dog) hanging out doing what we enjoy best. BBQ, beer, fun in the sun out in the backyard. This next weekend should hopefully be more fun as we traditionally avoid the cabin over big holiday weekends and head up the following weekend when it as died down. With any luck a fish or two may even find a fly attached to the end of my leader and a fight will ensue. All for now. b