Fouquet Family

Grandpa's farm

2010-04-20T19:44:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we decided to take a day trip to visit Grandpa and his farm. In the almost 12 years that Jeff and I have been together he had never visited Grandpa's farm! I'm so glad he finally did and I think Grandpa was too. ;)

The Birdhouse Project

2010-02-07T18:32:00.007-06:00

Did we mention that Jeff recently co-wrote a book? Oh, and did we mention that I (fookaDESIGNS) designed the cover for the book? And did we happen to mention that this book came out just two short months ago and so far has really taken off (selling 500 copies) with lots of buzz circulating including newspaper articles and television coverage with demand for presentations and book signings across the state of Kansas??? We didn't?! Well, now we did. :)

It's not that we've been keeping this a secret or trying to hide it from all of you. It's just that, well, we've been working so hard we haven't had a chance to mention it before now. So, we would like to FINALLY introduce The Birdhouse Project - Collaboration of the Heart Mind and Hands.

This first book is a project-based healing book that helps people deal with feelings of grief and loss whether it be from death, divorce or some other painful tragedy. This book tells the story of Jeff's collaborative partner, Kris Munsch, and how Kris found his way to a new normal after the sudden death of his teenage son, Blake. The project gives readers a sense of purpose and direction that can be difficult to find during the emotional crisis that follows tragedy. You can find out more about the book, the authors and the story at The Birdhouse Project website.

And before we fail to mention it, Jeff is currently working on the second book from The Birdhouse Project series. This book will use Jeff's experiences as a teenager as a jumping off point for people dealing with a different kind of loss - the loss of direction and hope - and will be geared towards teens and young adults who find themselves drowning in the consequences of their decisions. Here is a sneak peak of the cover of the new book:

Be sure to keep an eye out for it in June 2010, and join The Birdhouse Project on facebook!

A Long Road with a Final Diagnosis

2010-01-20T10:46:00.007-06:00

For those of you who don't know, I just got back from the Mayo Clinic. It was an amazing experience with wonderful doctors, helpful staff and superb organization. The best part is that I came back with a complete understanding of what has been plaguing me off and on for nearly nine years. It wasn't good news BUT it wasn't bad news....so in actuality I guess that makes it good news. After all, I'm not dying so that IS GOOD news.

Where to begin? I guess at the beginning. It all started in 2001. Jeff and I were living in Hays. I had started my first job out of college as a graphic designer. Things were good. Until I noticed I started to lose my hearing in my right ear. It was a gradual loss. Basically, it started out as what I thought could have been an ear infection, but I didn't have any pain and didn't feel sick so I tried not to worry much about it; but it kept getting worse. Eventually, I had a dizzy episode but it didn't last long and I wasn't sure if it was related to my hearing loss. It was enough to get me concerned and go to the doctor. Unfortunately, after hearing tests, MRI's and cat scans they didn't have any answers. Luckily, they didn't see anything majorly wrong (like a tumor) but they didn't have any idea why I had lost my hearing in my right ear. SO I went home and started to teach myself sign language. I seriously thought I was permanently going deaf. Of course I could hear just fine out of my left ear so I REALLY didn't need to learn sign language, but I guess at the time I was in panic mode. Soon I realized that my hearing loss was fluctuating and I went on fine like that for about a year and a half. In that time Jeff and I moved to Topeka and got married.

Things were good (again), when my hearing loss had gotten bad enough in my right ear that I decided to go get a second opinion. I saw a great doctor here in Topeka. Dr. McKnight, who I would recommend to anyone in the Topeka area with hearing loss and vertigo or balance issues. After a thorough appointment with many tests and questions to answer, he diagnosed me with Meniere's Disease. FINALLY an answer, but what is Meniere's Disease? I had no idea. He gave me lots of literature on it and told me while there is no cure there are ways to mange it. In short, Meniere's Disease is a disorder of the inner ear which causes episodes of vertigo (room spinning), tinnitus (ringing in the ears), a feeling of fullness or pressure in the ear, and fluctuating hearing loss. The best way to prevent these episodes is with a low salt diet with no caffeine, no chocolate and no alcohol. So that's what I did. At the time I was only 23...he said I was the youngest patient he had diagnosed with Meniere's Disease (the majority of people with Meniere's disease are over 40 years of age). But he was confident that's what it was.

So I went on with my life now as a Meniere's patient. Luckily, I was able to manage it fairly well and I went on for nearly four years without any major episodes. Life was good (again). It was October 2005 when Jeff and I had decided we wanted to start a family. So I got off birth control. We went over a year before we found out I was pregnant. We were ecstatic!

Unfortunately, we lost the baby in February of 2007. We were absolutely devastated, but soon found out that this sometimes just happens early in pregnancy. We should feel lucky that we were able to get pregnant at all, and we did. We felt confident that we would be able to have success the second time. Unfortunately, throughout this time we were noticing that my Meniere's episodes were happening more often and getting worse, AND now my left ear was affected also. It had gotten to the point that it was time to put having kids on hold and find out what was going on with my ears. I, of course, went back to my doctor who originally diagnosed me with Meniere's. When I told him that I now was having fluctuating hearing loss in BOTH ears he was almost in disbelief. He already had a difficult time diagnosing an otherwise healthy young woman with a rare condition - he could not believe that I would have bi-lateral (both ears) Meniere's, an even MORE rare condition that almost NEVER happens in younger people. SO he sent me to a specialist in Kansas City. Another great doctor, Dr. Cullen, was surprised, too.

Here I was, a 29 year old who appeared to be healthy, but with numerous hearing tests showing that my ears would fluctuate hearing loss, sometimes on a daily basis. It just didn't seem possible. So he went on a mission to find out what was causing this. Within months I had what seemed like gallons of blood drawn, test after test coming back normal. I felt like "a regular" at the lab but nothing was coming back with an answer. Dr. Cullen finally decided to have another CAT scan and MRI done. Since I never actually went back on the birth control, I thought I should just be safe and make sure I wasn't pregnant before the scans. Low and behold, I was pregnant again! Of course, we immediately canceled the scans and went into baby mode. Even my ear doctor wanted me to put everything he was doing on hold and do whatever the baby doctor said to be sure I had a healthy pregnancy.

Unfortunately, I had another miscarriage in November of 2008. Now we were starting to worry that there was something VERY wrong. While we soon found out that my miscarriages were probably due to a low progesterone level that should be easily fixed in my next pregnancy, we still had lots of questions and doubt. Were these two issues (low hormones and hearing loss) related? Was it an autoimmune disorder they hadn't tested for yet? All of my doctors were frantically working together to figure out how to help me. But I was getting worse. My Meniere's episodes were getting BAD. Jeff was having to scream at me in conversations and I still couldn't hear him. I was getting terrible headaches with a feeling that I was going to pass out. I was literally having to lay my head down on my desk at work because my head felt too heavy to hold up anymore. I was dizzy ALL the time. My face felt numb. Every morning I never knew if I was going to be able to hear in my left ear, or right ear or at all! I was shutting down. I didn't want to make any plans with friends for fear that I wouldn't be able to hear that day. I was afraid to talk on the phone, worried that I wouldn't be able to understand what they were saying. I was getting depressed and only isolating myself even more. This was not a good combination.

Luckily, my wonderful husband was always there for me. With his encouragement we decided that I should apply to the Mayo Clinic, order hearing aides and get back on birth control. And in that order that's what I did. While the application was in at the Mayo Clinic and the hearing aides were on order I started birth control again. All of the sudden I was feeling better! I was feeling better physically and emotionally. My hearing got better (not normal, but a lot better) my dizzy episodes were going away. I was actually happy again. Could we have been right that everything happening to me was related to my hormones that were regulated with birth control? My hearing was so much better that I ended up sending back the hearing aides. While I was feeling good we knew that this wasn't the answer. We still wanted to have a family and needed to know for certain what was wrong with me. Within a few months we found out I was accepted to the Mayo Clinic. Of course, the timing wasn't the greatest (it's like when you take your car in to the mechanic it stops making 'that noise' that you took it in for) but we thought if they can't help me than nobody could. So we went.

My appointments were January 18th and 19th. They were amazingly thorough. I had appointments that lasted over 4 hours. I saw 6 doctors in two days with a conclusive diagnosis in the end. I have bi-lateral Meniere's Disease with migraine headaches that can trigger my attacks. Okay...so what do I do with that? Well, we can aggressively fight the migraines with medication and/or diet. But there is still no cure for Meniere's. This is something I just have to live with. I can regulate it with diet, and hopefully by minimizing my migraine attacks my hearing loss won't seem so bad. I will always have fluctuating hearing loss with the risk of losing it completely some day. I will always have ringing in the ears that drives me completely crazy sometimes. I will have episodes of fullness in the ears and probably the occasional vertigo attack. I can always get hearing aides again if I decide I need them, and there are medications to help vertigo, but for the most part, that's it. I am a person with bi-lateral Meniere's Disease. I get migraine headaches. I won't let it bring me down. Of course, I will have my bad days but I can get past them. We still hope to start a family some day and we'll figure that out too. But at least now we know what we are dealing with and we can move on.

It's been a long road and I never would have got through it without the continued support of my family, friends, co-workers and members of our fellowship. Thank you all for your patience and understanding over the years. Thank you most of all to my husband, my best friend, my rock through all of this....I love you. You are all blessings in my life.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T16:43:00.004-06:00

Jeff's favorite day of the whole year! This was our very first, on our own, REAL thanksgiving meal....just the two of us. It was AWESOME!

Winter Toys

2009-10-24T21:08:00.009-05:00

Shanon and I are anticipating some rough roads on our journey ahead (only literally) and we weren't willing to be snowbound this winter. We retired the old Chevy (she's been a good girl) and stepped up into ManLand with this V-8, F-150. I'm in love all over again. . .

And winter may have leap-frogged over most of fall, but I wasn't willing to admit defeat just yet. I rolled out the bike, feeling like the bundled up little kid in "A Christmas Story" and took off for an afternoon. I think Shanon thought I was insane (again).

Western Kansas

2009-10-24T20:54:00.005-05:00

Life had gotten pretty crazy, so I took some time out to go west to visit my grandmother. I made sure I took my time getting out there because I just wasn't willing to be one more rat in the race anymore, and there were just too many reminders of a slower time for me to get in a big hurry.

The Field Boss. Shanon and I both thought he'd make a great Disney character.

I'm always trying to convince Shanon to go pet the cows, but she thinks I'm crazy. Since she wasn't there, and I know she really wants to pet a cow, I took these pictures for her.

Small Town, USA. There is something so honorable about this lifestyle. But don't let me romanticize it too much, I'm sure there's B.S. everywhere.

"And yet, and yet. . .
And yet, someday
This new road
Will be the old road, too."

Take heart.

Fall Day in the Flint Hills

2009-10-24T19:52:00.007-05:00

It was a beautiful fall day, so we loaded up the fam-damily and headed out on the Native Stone Scenic Byway, both looking our respective bests.

There were some really beautiful limestone structures along the way, but certainly the most amazing sights were the fall colors that surrounded us.

Anybody who says Kansas sucks has no sense of appreciation for history or adventure. But keep hating it - they only need ten more of your kind in California before the whole damn thing drops off into the ocean. I kid, I kid. . .

Still Kansas, bitches.

In all seriousness, this beautiful, but simple monument was just outside of Eskridge on the side of the road, and we couldn't help but think how fortunate those buried here were to be treated with such kindness and reverence. What a wonderful place to rest for eternity.

Have you heard?

2009-09-22T20:38:00.003-05:00

foo•ka DESIGNS will be showing at the Aaron Douglas Art Fair this Saturday from 11 to 5! If you are in the Topeka area swing by and say hi! For more information be sure to visit the fookaDESIGNS blog. Hope to see you there!

Paws in the Park

2009-08-23T18:17:00.003-05:00

I'm happy to say that for the second year in a row I will be collecting donations for the Helping Hands Humane Society and all our furry friends there. With your generous donations, last year I raised over $750! This year I want to do even better! Please consider visiting my fundraising page and making a donation today. Every little bit helps! Thank you!

Also, on a side note I have donated a piece of artwork to the Greater Kansas City Humane Shelter Art Auction again this year. Be sure to take a look at fookaDESIGNS blog.

Farm Night

2009-07-18T13:38:00.008-05:00

We teamed with some friends at our fellowship's Goods and Services Auction to win a night on the farm. The farm owners had just finished redoing their water features and pond.

I can't spell it, but we all learned to play bocce ball. Devin was a vicious competitor.

Here he is trying to get the opponent's ball out of the way.

Devin really took the time to perfect his game.

It was a beautiful night for some outdoor activities.Our friends, the Marable family.

Here's Jeff chillin' in the grass.

When the sun went down, Shanon and Bailey took their turns on the Bocce court.

Shanon relaxes after a fun day on the farm.

Devin and Bailey were worn out, too.

But Jeff looks REALLY worn out.

Ah, I never get tired of the lovey dovey pictures.

The boys are waiting on the grand finale - homemade peach ice-cream!

The men decided to have an impromptu tough man contest and see who could stand the cold water the longest. Devin and Jeff are so competitive, they almost needed
medical attention afterward. Silly boys. . .

Under our gracious host Phil Roudebush's tutelage, Devin takes his turn at the
old-fashioned ice cream maker.

Delicious!!!

Jeff and the Marable's daughter, Willow, become better friends each time they see each other. She's just too cute!

Pool Party

2009-07-18T12:36:00.006-05:00

My work has an annual pool party at Wood Valley.

Oh the many faces of Jeff. I can hardly ever get a "normal" pic of him! :)

A little late...Happy 4th!

2009-07-18T11:56:00.007-05:00

I'm a little behind on my posts so I'm going to just add some pics with little words. Enjoy!

Devin made some yummy strawberry blossoms for our 4th of July BBQ.

Mmmmm! They were so good.

We had our dear friends Derek and Jackie and their sweet little girl Devin over for the BBQ. Baby Devin started the evening out with a dip in the pool.

On to the games. Everyone joined in at some point.

Jeff and his cousin Todd.

Me and Jackie

Me and (big) Devin.

Our good friend Dan and the neighbor kid Zack.

Dinner time and chilaxin' on the deck.

Dan brought his dog Buster over to play with Rowdy and Maya. They all had such a good time.

Of course Maya enjoyed all her sweet lovin's from Baby Devin.

And so did I! :)

We ended the evening with some fireworks. Baby Devin really enjoyed them...she wasn't scared at all. I think everyone had a good time!

Growing up

2009-07-03T12:01:00.004-05:00

Awww...forgive me for being so cheesy, but I just had to post these pics. It's so cute to see Devin learning new things that will help him in his future of being a man. He's only been with us a couple months and has come so far!

Here he is learning how to polish his boots, (I'm sure Jeff is on cloud 9). The other day I took him shopping and he picked out some jeans that actually fit and without holes in them along with a couple of nice button up shirts. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of him all dressed up but trust me he looked like such a nice young man.

Sharpie Tat

2009-06-28T17:15:00.002-05:00

This is what happens when Jeff leaves Devin and I alone for too long.

For any of Devin's family looking at this....don't worry, it's not permanent! :)

Renewing the vows ceremony

2009-06-07T19:57:00.006-05:00

Saturday was the BIG day for Jeff's brother, Jamie and his wife Renee. After 14 years of marriage they had decided to renew their vows.

Me and Grandma as we waited for everyone to get ready to go.

Here we are on our way to the ceremony....

Happy Jordan.

Happy Devin.

"Too cool to smile" Jeff. :)

The backyard was decorated so festive for the event.

The ceremony was just lovely.

The kids looked so cute.

The boys chilaxin before we took some family photos.

Jeff with his siblings and his two grandmothers.

Jamie, Trinity, Jeff and Nathan

Me and Jeff.

And of course me and Jeff with Devin.

More fun with the in-laws

2009-06-07T18:00:00.009-05:00

Friday was full of fun with the in-laws. It was also one of the busiest most crowded days at the Fouquet house. We started out the day with some basketball before we headed into town for some shopping.

After shopping we had a big sit down home cooked meal with the family.

Finally, we spent the evening on the back deck relaxing while the boys played some catch with the football.

Eventually, we were all hanging out on the deck having a good time.

Nathan and his friend Megan.

Megan, Nathan and Jeff .
Devin.
Grandma and Trinity.
And of course, Rowdy too!

Once it got too dark outside we headed in for some more fun...

Somehow they talked Grandma into posing for these fun photos.

She's such a good sport! :)

We all had such a good time. More to come!

Grandma's Famous Fish Fry

2009-06-02T19:53:00.003-05:00

For 10 years now I've heard about Jeff's Grandmother's famous fish. Everyone in Jeff's family raves about Grandma's fish, but I've never had the privilege of having this tasty feast...until now. Thanks to Devin for catching some crappie and the timing of Grandma's visit, we were able to have the best fish fry ever!
Mmmmm....fried potatoes.

...and the famous fish! Delicious!

In the meantime, Devin and I frosted some yummy homemade sugar cookies. Everything was awesome! After dinner Devin and I were off to the airport to pick up Trinity and Jordan. Stay tuned for more days of fun to come.

Tribute to Molly

2009-05-17T20:27:00.008-05:00

After three years somewhere else, a few months wasting away at the Humane Society, and almost seven years with us, Saturday was our Molly girl's last day on earth. She was the most cuddly, loving, appreciative dog we've ever had, but life was just getting too hard for her to go on. We'll miss her dancing paws and how demanding she could be when she wanted held on the couch, but she'll mostly be remembered for her tenacity. She was dealt some pretty tough cards, and she was a trooper through it all. All she ever wanted was to be loved, and we did our best and gave her all we had. She was loved, and loved immensely, and she will be missed by everyone in our family.

Some of Molly's better days can be seen in this video tribute, but nothing can capture the sincerity of her doggy kisses or the softness of her feathery coat. We'll miss her so much. . .

What's New

2009-05-04T08:14:00.009-05:00

Wow, when you haven't posted in a couple of months there's a lot new! But I will try to keep this brief. I think the biggest development would be that Jeff and I have a new addition to our family...no we didn't keep a pregnancy a secret for 9 months and decide to share the news of a newborn baby with you on our blog! :) Nor did we get another dog which would have been more likely to happen, but still not the case here. Even better...we have a teenage boy living with us! His name is Devin and he is one of Jeff's HS students. He's a really good kid who has run into a difficult point in his life and just needs some guidance and a place to call home. In just a couple short weeks he has made a lot of progress and things are looking good for this young man's future. To celebrate his quick turnaround in such a short time we let Devin decide what to do last Friday evening. He wanted to go bowling but first we stopped by the lake and fed the ducks.

Devin attempting to get the duck to eat from his hand.

Jeff followed suit.

Success!

At the bowling alley. None of us were very good but we had a good time!

Unfortunately, Jeff is horrible at taking pictures (he blames it on my camera) so this is the only un-blurry one of me.

We all had a really good time. Jeff and I are so proud of Devin and all the progress he has made so far. He still has a long road ahead of him but we are confident he will succeed as long as he keeps up his determination and hard work.

In other news, this weekend is an exciting weekend in the Fouquet house. Jeff has a big mma fight in Junction City on Saturday night and I have an art showing at a neighborhood art walk in Topeka on the same night...at the SAME time. Yes this means we will for the first time be missing each others events. We both made these commitments without realizing the other had plans. We decided that both are just too important for either of us to miss so we will be doing our own thing and then meeting up later to hopefully celebrate a win for both of us! If you're interested in going to the art show you can find more details at fookaDESIGNS blog. If you're interested in attending Jeff's fight please let us know and he can give you more information. Have a great weekend!

New grill

2009-03-15T20:16:00.004-05:00

Last year we drug our feet all Spring and Summer and never got a proper grill for our awesome deck. So this year we took the plunge. The first warm day with the smell of barbeque in the air...we just couldn't resist. First item on the menu....

chicken shishkebabs! mmmm......they were so good!

Spring Fever!

2009-02-08T10:44:00.005-06:00

The last couple of weekends have been gorgeous weather so we've tried to spend as much time outside with the dogs as we can. The winter can be very difficult for all of us since we all have a tendency to get cabin fever. We'll usually bundle up and brave the winter weather but unfortunately, Molly has just gotten too old and stiff with her arthritis to take her on walks. So it's usually Jeff and Rowdy who get to go to the trails while I stay home with Molly to console her. Anyways, if it's nice enough for us to go out and play in our own backyard we NEED to take advantage.

Sorry all of our posts have a tendency to involve our dogs. Without kids, this is what you get. :)

Birthday Surprise Party!

2009-01-04T15:28:00.008-06:00

Wow, what a great surprise birthday party! Jeff did an awesome job pulling this one off. I had no idea what kind of birthday surprise I was in for. I would never have guessed that I would spend my 30th birthday eating ice cream bars, wearing glow sticks and roller skating with my friends and family. It was a blast! Full of fun with good food and great conversation. Here are some highlights of the evening.

After a fun filled evening of skating we all had worked up quite an appetite for sushi. Mmmmm it was so good!

Thanks to everyone who shared this memorable birthday with me. And most of all thanks to my wonderful hubby for coordinating the whole event! You all made it such a happy birthday!

Surprise Christmas

2009-01-03T10:57:00.004-06:00

Once again Santa surprised us here Christmas morning. This year we decided that Christmas would be very low key....no gift exchanges, no stocking stuffers, not even a visit from the big man in the red suite this year. BUT as usual Jeff has a tendency to break the rules. The fur-kids and I were surprised to find out Santa had visited and we got everything we wanted.

Molly loved her Christmas cookies she found in her stocking.

Rowdy couldn't get enough of his candy cane bone.

I got everything I needed to make all kinds of Christmas goodies.

Jeff even got what he wanted.

So the rest of the day he spent in his garage organizing nails and screws to put in every one of those drawers. While I was in the kitchen.

Mmmm...what a great Christmas!

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-22T20:55:00.002-06:00

Family Day

2008-10-26T16:41:00.003-05:00

Another trip to the trails. This time we took the whole family. We planted some trees. Rowdy jumped hay bails. It was a good day.

Renaissance Festival

2008-10-26T16:33:00.003-05:00

Here are some pics of us at the Renaissance Festival.

The best part...getting to eat a huge turkey leg for the first time. I never got to do this in the 7 years I was a vegetarian. I was so excited and for good reason...it was awesome!

KU game

2008-10-26T16:14:00.003-05:00

We went to a KU game! I know, I know it seems so unlike us. But we were given free tickets and even though we don't seem like "sports fans" we really do enjoy going to live sporting events. Besides, who would be crazy enough to pass up free KU tickets?

The weather was great, and the game was awesome. Don't ask us who they played against or what the final score was, but KU did win!

Nature Hike

2008-10-05T18:10:00.004-05:00

With the beautiful weather and the changing of the seasons Jeff and I have been trying to do as much outside as we can before we're stuck in the house for the winter. We really enjoy going on nature hikes and walking the trails at the Governor's mansion. The last time we were there (and actually remembered the camera) we got some shots of one of the ponds and the critters that call it home.

There were frogs everywhere! Some of them were pretty big with strong jumping legs.

We tried to get them to jump to see how far they could go....but for the most part they were oblivious to us.

It's not a very good picture, but we quickly snapped a shot of a snake that slithered right by us.

One of the best things about the trails is that for the most part it's left up to nature. It's one of the only places I know where to go to be with nature that has for the most part been undisturbed by man. The leaves fall where they may, and they won't be raked up later. An old tree limb breaks, and it's new home is on the ground. This tree fell long enough ago that it now has a blanket of moss. Letting nature take it's course without the presence of man is very comforting to me...and sometimes I just don't see it enough.

Art Fair update

2008-10-05T18:08:00.001-05:00

It went very well. Check it out here.

Don't miss it!

2008-09-25T13:46:00.006-05:00

This Saturday is the Aaron Douglas Art Fair. It will be lots of fun with many local artists, good food, and live music. For more info visit here.

Many of the items shown above, plus much more will be available at the fookaDESIGNS booth. If you are unable to make it, be sure to check them out the fookaDESIGNS shop to purchase online, or check out the blog to see pictures of the event to be posted soon!

Camping Trip?

2008-09-18T19:57:00.006-05:00

Shanon and I went with our friends, Jackie and Derek, and their daughter Devin, on a camping trip to Council Grove Lake. Sadly, it rained so much, camping was actually the least entertaining thing we did. Council Grove has a ton of history as the last stop before heading west on the Santa Fe trail, so we toured the town.

This old jail fascinated us. There was so much lumber in this, and the construction was simple, but sound.

The interior of the jail was great - until the flashbacks. . .

Hermit's Cave was the home of an eccentric Italian Priest for several months in the 1860s. Since I'm into alternative dwellings, I had to see what it would have been like to call this place home.

Ok, this was either cruel or amusing, depending on whether you are parents or not. For me, it was a great use of our time to treat Devin like the roaming gnome in "Amile" and see how many interesting locales we could find in small-town, Kansas.

But we also took some breaks. . .

And did some shopping. . .

But there should be no doubt how Devin felt about the whole weekend; look at that smile.

(On a side note, I swear we didn't steal her from her Derek and Jackie - I can't explain why they're not in the pictures, but they were with us the whole time. Really. Don't turn us in.)

Hey what's that?

2008-09-04T21:50:00.005-05:00

You may have noticed there is a new widget on the right side of this page. If you haven't clicked on it yet than you may be wondering what it is. Well, I've added it in hopes that you will take a look at my Firstgiving website and make a donation for Helping Hands Humane Society, Inc. HHHS provides sanctuary for animals in need of compassionate care and protection in the NE Kansas area. Your donation will support their efforts and help a homeless pet.

Thank You!
Shanon

UPDATE: A BIG thank you to everyone who donated! Because of you I raised $785 for all our animal friends at HHHS. I was hoping to bring this update to you with a picture of Molly, Rowdy and Me at the Paws in the Park event last Saturday. As you can see there is no picture and sadly there won't be one for this year. Due to the saturation of rain we received over the weekend the event was rescheduled to Sept 27th and unfortunately I have another event planned that day. But we are planning on going next year, rain or shine we'll be there. Thanks again!

And here they are...

2008-09-01T16:27:00.006-05:00

As promised in Jeff's blog, here is the "artistic" composition of some of our lake day photos. We had so much fun enjoying the day together and being surrounded by nature and its beauty. You can check it out at Shanon's blog too!

Found a good home

2008-07-28T18:09:00.005-05:00

We didn't really want a new dog so soon after losing Pongo, but sometimes things are just out of your control. Rowdy needed a lot of veterinary care, as well as some extra lovin's and attention while we get him medically straightened out, so it was going to be pretty difficult to find him an owner we could trust.

We were struggling with what to do, but I think our Irish Setter, Molly had the final say. Her health had been rapidly deteriorating, but with Rowdy around, she is like a new dog. She plays more, runs more, and feels better whenever Rowdy gives her kisses (which is pretty often).

Our good friend Jennifer reminded me of something she was once asked when she was struggling with how to care for a difficult dog: Would you trust anyone else to do it right?

With that sentiment (and Molly's feelings) in mind, we decided that Rowdy has a good home, right here with us.

Another political video

2008-07-27T15:08:00.003-05:00

This one is hilarious. It takes a stab at both the republican and democratic parties. Enjoy and be sure to vote!

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

Vote Republican?!!

2008-07-19T12:54:00.002-05:00

great video....

Looking for a good home

2008-07-13T17:31:00.005-05:00

This mysterious dog just showed up in our backyard one morning last week and since then he's left and come back a few times. We've called the pound and put a found ad in the paper, but the poor guy hasn't been claimed yet. He's a good dog other than he's a bit shy and he does know how to climb chain-link fence. We took him to the vet and had him updated on his vaccinations, and plan to have him neutered soon. He's about 2-3 years old and is very sweet. If you would like, or know someone who would like this cute little guy added as an addition to the family, please let us know.

BBQ with friends

2008-07-07T21:21:00.007-05:00

I don't really do it that often, and Shanon almost NEVER unwinds with a few drinks, but we decided to have a shin-dig and BBQ for the Fourth of July weekend. Above is some concoction of vodka, lemonade, and beer dubbed "Summer Beer." It was the life (and when one person in attendance found himself in the neighbors' pool and another was crawling through the doggie door, figuratively, the death) of the party.

We had several friends over for a feast on the back deck, and the weather was just perfect for hanging out in the shaded backyard.

Some people showed off their mad croquet skills in one area. . .

While others tried "bolo," or Mexican Horseshoes in another. Everybody had a great time.

Here is our friend Becky preparing to teach us the rules of "Chubby Bunny." Basically, you go around the circle and put a marshmallow in your mouth. You can't chew it or swallow it, and you have to say "Chubby Bunny." If you are successful, you are still in and you have to add a marshmallow before you say it again. The winner is the one who can say "Chubby Bunny" clearly with the most marshmallows in his or her mouth. Yes, it sounds asinine and juvenile, but that's why people drink.

Dan is watching the competition closely as Bailey tries to stay alive in this round.

Becky is definitely in, but Lena is not sure she is going to make it this round.

Jackie is taking the task as seriously as she can, because just off camera Derek is screaming at her that she'd better not give up or she's not an Aldrich!!

Our friend Eric made it for a while, but I pathetically dropped out from laughter at the three marshmallow mark.

Shanon really gave it her all, but none of us were a match for Ryan, who is disturbingly at ease either winning "Chubby Bunny" (nine marshmallows?? Details are pretty hazy for me. . .) or rolling around in his patrol car as one of Topeka's finest.

Sadly for the girls (who I am sure cared more about maintaining a modicum of decorum than the guys did), there is no "proper" way to do this - just get after it and say "Chubby Bunny"!!

And here is the Master at work. Without the faintest hint of intimidation or hesitation, Ryan skated into the lead as we all watched on in amazement (or was it amusement?).

Although he was disappointed in Jackie's loss, Derek took heart when he realized that young daughter Devin was already training to show up in the future and regain lost "Chubby Bunny" glory for the Aldrich clan.

From the food to the drinking, the games and the conversation, everyone really enjoyed themselves. It was pretty fun to have most of our friends together at the same time to get outdoors and celebrate, and I hope this is a tradition we will do from year to year.

marathon

2008-07-07T20:59:00.003-05:00

Shanon and I traveled down to Oklahoma City to support our friends Dan and Patrick in the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. It was way colder and rainier than we had planned.

This is butt-crack-o'-dawn early for the beginning of the race. Dan and Patrick's friends and family were also participating in the relay marathon.

Here they are coming around the lake about 10 miles or so into the race. Shanon and I did pretty well meeting them at different points on the course, but when we got here we felt bad for them fighting a strong head wind around the lake.

Despite a little cramping trouble in the last six miles, they were able to finish the race within the time they had targeted (3 hours, 30 minutes).

They may be smiling here, but both of them assured us that pounding the pavement for over three hours straight makes a body hurt. They did great and I'm pretty sure they will do it again in a year or two.

And while it wasn't the focus of our trip, it was nice to get to take in the beauty of the memorial site of the Oklahoma City bombing once the weather cleared up.

Links

2008-06-13T13:58:00.003-05:00

Check out the "links" section to the right of this page. I've added a spot for Jeff's new blog where you'll find his writings, rants, and fun ebay finds.

Tribute to Pongo

2008-05-25T16:18:00.013-05:00

As most of you know by now, Pongo is no longer with us. We couldn't begin to explain how important he was to us, but the video below provides just a sample of how many memories we shared with our best friend.

We will miss the puppy in him. The one who when he was younger would wag his tail frantically, almost violently, when girls came to the house (he loved the ladies). We'll miss pulling up to the house and seeing him waiting for us by the window, and the way he snapped to attention and ran for the door when he recognized our car.

We will also miss the older dog he became: how he would often defy his age with inexplicable onsets of energy and run around the house like a maniac, ready to play for hours. We'll miss the way he'd race the neighbor dogs along our fence line and bark at the end if he won. And when we knew he was too tired or lazy to play these games, Shanon used to gently rub her finger between his eyes to put him to sleep; he'd try to fight it, but he would usually succumb by finally flopping his head down to sleep and letting out a little sigh. It worked like magic.

We will miss these years, and all the the years in between: the way he'd show his teeth when he smiled, the way he'd gently growl and playfully bite at our hands when we were massaging him, how much he loved the water, and how crazy he'd go when it snowed - man, did he love the snow. . .

These are some of the things we remember about him, but not even a fraction of what we will miss. We will miss his love - the totality of it, the way it manifested itself in kisses and cuddles and memories, and the way it radiated from his energy and presence.

He was loved deeply and will be missed immensely.

Have you checked your mail?!

2008-04-18T17:19:00.004-05:00

If you haven't received your invitation from me it must be because I don't have your address. You are invited to my first art exhibition! Please view your invite here. Hope you can make it!

A day of yardwork

2008-04-05T20:40:00.003-05:00

Jeff and I worked in the yard today. We accomplished a lot...raking, mowing, planting, and more. Here are a couple of shots of the hanging flower baskets we put on the back deck. They really livened up the backyard.

Enjoying the weather

2008-04-02T20:43:00.007-05:00

Since we're finally having some nice weather, we decided to spend some family time outside.

Here's Molly doing what she does best...huntin' bugs

Here's Pongo doin his thing...running the fence line with the neighbor dog.
Molly taking a rest in the grass.

Pongo refusing to rest.
It was lots of fun! The furkids should sleep well tonight. :)

How fast can you type?

2008-04-01T11:34:00.000-05:00

This is kind of fun...

60 words

Speedtest

Blog Crazy

2008-03-22T13:54:00.007-05:00

Yes I may be crazy...I've decided to start another blog! It's called fookaDESIGNS and you can find it at: www.fookadesigns.blogspot.com This one is strictly used to show my art and designs. I have a few posts up already, and most recently I posted a portrait I drew of my niece Brianna. Be sure to check it out. You'll also see that I've put a link to my new blog in the right hand bar of this page.

-Shanon

Jeff's 2nd fight

2008-03-10T18:33:00.005-05:00

My second opponent was was a little tougher than the first. For some reason I just couldn't "get up" for this fight, so I went into the cage not really mentally ready to fight. He was a quick thinker and a good wrestler. If I had been more hyped for the fight I would've fought a little smarter, but my coaching schedule had kept me from preparing like I should have. I survived some trouble and finished the fight, but this fight helped me decide on some major changes. I quit my coaching job to focus more energy on training, and I can't wait to improve my game and fight again.

Jeff's 1st cage fight

2008-03-10T18:19:00.006-05:00

FINALLY - here is video of my first cage fight. I think it was a good first fight, but I'm always looking to improve. I hope to throw my hands a little more in my next match in May.

Another video for viewing

2008-02-23T15:03:00.005-06:00

Okay, I know I still haven't got Jeff's fight video on here. :) But here is another video I highly recommend. It's a must see for anyone who wants to keep living on this planet.

It's called The Story of Stuff

Please take some time to watch it. You can even break it up and watch parts of it at a time, or take 20 minutes and watch the whole thing. Trust me it's worth it!

Jeff's 2nd fight

2008-02-10T17:59:00.001-06:00

Hopefully the video will be up soon but until then here are a few shots from last Saturday night.

Here I come with a hard kick, but he had seen my first fight. He caught it right away.

Fortunately, my jiu-jitsu was good that night and I swept him immediately
and dominated top position for most of the fight.

Again, I want to thank all the guys at Heston's Gladiator Academy for getting me ready and supporting me in the fight.

Win #2

2008-02-04T18:41:00.000-06:00

Here we are after Jeff's 2nd cage fight and his 2nd WIN!

More pics and video hopefully to come....stay tuned

Shanon's Studio

2008-02-02T12:27:00.001-06:00

I've finished organizing and decorating my art studio to the point that I'm finally happy with it.

Now if I could just find the time to create in it!

Christmas

2007-12-31T09:41:00.000-06:00

Santa was good to me this year!

More Christmas photos...

BEST Christmas EVER!

Art

2007-12-14T20:47:00.003-06:00

Here are a couple of my recent paintings. They are currently on display at the Upstage Gallery in downtown Topeka.

Life
Acrylic on canvas - Gallery wrapped

Seasons

Acrylic on canvas - Gallery wrapped (set of 4)

Ice Storm

2007-12-14T20:15:00.000-06:00

The ice storm may have left us without power for about 36 hours straight, but it made for some pretty pictures...

Rock Band

2007-11-26T19:17:00.001-06:00

Decorating for the holidays

2007-11-26T18:40:00.000-06:00

I had spent an entire day last week setting up the Christmas tree and decorating the mantel. It takes a long time but I love doing it and I'm always so happy with the end results. But this year after I hung the final ornament and was admiring all my hard work, Pongo immediately sat directly in front of the fireplace as if he was the final touch that made for a perfect holiday photo. We may even use it for the front of our Christmas cards this year, what do you think?

Easy Riders

2007-11-07T10:26:00.000-06:00

My brother James just got his Harley this year, and I knew he was itching to get some miles on the tires. We chose a weekend in July and headed up to Jamestown to see my mom and her husband. We took the winding back roads most of the way, and in some of the small towns we used to live in I think we might have criss-crossed every street in second gear, talking and reminiscing the whole time. I don't know how often these opportunities will come, but this was one of the highlights of my year.

The Lumberjack Jeff

2007-11-03T11:12:00.003-05:00

Although it just recently has been getting unprecedented mainstream attention, I have been a fan of mixed martial arts (aka "cage fighting" or "ultimate fighting") for over ten years. For about that long, I've thought about trying it, but good schools are hard to find in Kansas, and until recently, an opportunity to actually fight was even harder to find.

One of our fighters got injured in training and they asked me to fill in for him on about three or four days notice. Shanon and I talked it over and she gave me her support. Here, my coach (Scott Heston of Heston's Gladiator Academy) is giving me some last minute advice.

Action photos were hard to take, but Shanon and my Dan did the best they could.

I think this was toward the end of the fight, but I'll spare you the details for now. Even though he was pretty strong, I was never in any real trouble during the fight.

They stopped the fight in the middle of the second round, but who won??

After some hard thai kicks, I kicked him in the liver and he was done. I threw one more leg kick and he fell down, where I mounted him and punched him until he tapped out.
You can see more results at http://www.mid-mo-mma.com/.

For those of you who don't know the sport, what you don't see here is a very sportsman-like hug and handshake after the fight; all the fighters know this is a competition, nothing barbaric.

I want to say thanks to my coach Scott for giving me the opportunity, thanks to the rest of the team for preparing me and supporting me, thanks to my good friend Dan for coming to the fights (which were three hours away) and of course, thanks to Shanon, who continues to let me do the most ridiculous things with my life, and loves it when I do them well.

Nathan's visit

2007-11-03T11:06:00.000-05:00

My little brother, Nater, came home from Panama for a friend's wedding. I hadn't seen him in a while, so it was great that most of the family was able to get together to visit him. We had some great conversation while he was back and it was obvious that this trip has really had an impact on him.

Shanon and I made some tasty soy lasagna while he was back and the family feasted around the table and got caught up.

My wonderful, wonderful wife Shanon made Nater a birthday cake so we could celebrate while he was home. His birthday wasn't for another month, but we wanted to let him know we would be thinking about him. We wish him continued luck in his journeys and missions in Panama.

Happy Halloween!

2007-11-03T10:58:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween. I made these adorable pumpkin bags, filled with candy for my niece and nephew and for some of the neighbor kids. They were so much fun to make, I hope they liked them.

Note: After some issues logging into the blog the last few months we are finally back and we should be updating the blog more regularly. Stay tuned for some photos from Nathan's visit and Jeff's first cage fight. Check back soon!

Mutt and Jeff: a make-over

2007-07-15T18:46:00.001-05:00

So after owning the motorcycle for a while, it was time to customize it and make it more "mine" than "stock." I taught an extra class at the college to earn some money, sat down with a budget, a vision and stacks of magazines and catalogs to get a plan down on paper.

I've never really been into the stretched out chopper craze, so I went for the classic fifties look of the street bobber: medium bars, minumum chrome, and no frills. Classic cool. James Dean.

New, new, new, new. I'm not really a skull kind of a guy (I watch "So You Think You Can Dance" with Shanon and love it), but since I'm not going with any flashy paint scheme I wanted to be sure to give the bike a theme. I really liked the pegs and the incorporation of the spike. It reminded me of the crazy German military helmets associated with outlaw bikers back in the 40s and 50s, so I tried to stay true to that inspiration.

Fouquet in Paris??

2007-07-14T18:26:00.000-05:00

My great friend from high school, Alex, just came back from Paris and London. I told him that our family name was pretty big over there and told him about the restaurant in Paris. He and his family were cool enough to bring us some gifts we thought we would share with you. In addition to be in the culinary arts, apparently Fouquet is a pretty big name in fashion over there. For those of you who have seen me mow (or go to the grocery store) in brown flip-flops, blue mesh athletic shorts and a pearl-button flannel western shirt, it should be obvious that we are trend setters.

Some pages of the full-color glossy mag.

I don't know how they swung this (I'm not sure I want to know), but Alex's parents Paul and Marsha sent us a tea setting and a menu from the restaurant.

Here is everything all laid out.

Thanks to Alex, Lacey and family. It was super-cool of you to think of us, and to bring us these and the other (a drink, anyone??) gifts that you did.

More Photos of Asia

2007-07-10T14:00:00.000-05:00

If you are interested in seeing more photos of Asia, feel free to visit Taddy and Fiona's blog (there is a link on the side of this page). If you go there and you scroll down to the bottom of the page, there is a link called "older post." If you hit that four or five times, you can see all of Fiona and Taddy's professional wedding pictures, which are beautiful. Happy searching!!

Wedding Day

2007-06-24T16:44:00.001-05:00

This day was amazing and just full of tradition and symbolism, so I'll see what I can remember. Shanon went with the ladies to wait at the bride's family's house. They were given a feast and spent their time anxiously awaiting the arrival of the groom's party.

Taddy's parents were so kind to us - they treated Shanon like a daughter they had not seen in decades. She stayed with them at Fiona's parents until the groom's party arrived.

Here is Fiona looking beautiful in her first of three gowns.

When the groom shows up, he and the party have to prove their worthiness to enter the house. Taddy (and thankfully, only Taddy) had to meet several demands before the bride's party would allow him to come into the house. Here he is doing some kind of dance.

Then they had to test his prowess as a man, so they asked him to do some push-ups. Evidently he passed, because we were admitted soon after that.

What happened inside is hard to imagine as it is so different from our American customs. Taddy and Fiona entered. There was no officiant of any kind, and people kind of milled around the greeting room and living area conversing quietly or watching patiently. Eventually, after many pictures were taken of the people in attendance, Fiona's parents sat in two chairs in the middle of the room. Taddy and Fiona approached and knelt before her parents and Taddy was said to be humbly asking for the parents' blessing before the day went on.

Fiona's parents cried quietly, and every once in awhile they would touch Taddy or Fiona and say something quietly. When the couple felt they had received the blessing and paid their respects to the parents, they stood and hugged each of the parents and the people in attendance started taking pictures and congratulating the families.

After that, it was time to make our way to the reception hall where the rest of the day (and the rest of the party) was to take place. Before they left, there were many other rituals - Fiona had to have so many oranges, and a chicken, and certain flowers - each represented some bit of wisdom or philosophy similar to Americans' belief in "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue." As the wedding party was ushered into five chaffeured cars adorned with decorative ribbon, Fiona's mother poured a pail of water out over the front porch steps, signifying that like the water, once the daughter had left and entered life with the husband, she could never be fully gathered back into her old home. We may never get to experience that again, so we were honored to be an intimate part of the ceremony for these two great friends.

Here Taddy and I wait patiently, along with the others, for the arrival of the bride.

She is escorted downstairs and into the family room where the guests are waiting.

Taddy and Fiona are asking for the blessing while Liang Papa (Fiona's father) expresses his joy.

Fiona and Taddy with her brother and parents.

Taddy is distributing little red envelopes with money in them. This is the couple's way of thanking those who were part of the wedding party, and it can be likened to the traditional groomsmen's and bridesmaids' gifts customarily given in the states.

The chaffeured cars preparing to take the wedding party to the banquet hall.

Fiona is giving small cakes to Taddy's parents before we go to the banquet hall for the first course of dinner.

Shanon and I with the newly wedded couple. I don't think Taddy meant to look like a serial killer. . .

Soma and Rin got kind of sweet on one another as the night wore on.

Again, in America, this would have seemed strange, but over there it was just one of those things that happened. These two random girls came up to us, girls that nobody in the wedding party knew, and asked to have their picture taken with Shanon and I. I think it had something to do with the novelty of seeing an American on such a small island or something; in any case, they were very appreciative and courteous, so we happily obliged.

A few minutes after this picture was taken, we introduced these girls to Taddy's single-life cousin Yuu, and he had a good time entertaining these two for a little bit.

One of the banquet tables.

And another. . .

This was so nice; Taddy and Fiona had the chance to thank people for coming and they actually asked Shanon and I to stand and be acknowledged for coming all the way from the states.

If I remember correctly, these are little riceballs. They take steamed rice and smash it down with wooden mallets until it becomes a kind of dough, then they ball it up and put spices on the lumps - delicious!

Pigeon - tastes like chicken.

I'm not sure what kind of fish this is, other than the head-and-scales-still-on type. Yes, they even eat this with chopsticks.

Bean paste mountains (I think they were bean paste).

Here the bride and groom appeared several courses into the meal in their second of three outfits. Traditionally, the bride is the only one who changes gowns, but Taddy had this black silk Kung-Fu top with an embroidered dragon on it, so he had to show it off.

Even though the meal lasted for several hours, these two never had the chance to eat. They were to go around table by table thanking guests for coming and receiving drinks offered to them, so they didn't get off their feet for most of the day.

We met so many people we hope we can be forgiven for forgetting these two people's names, but they were so kind to us. She was Fiona's cousin (I believe), and she and her family embraced us with kindness from day one. They would talk to us about their country and ask about ours, and at one temple on the bus tour they came out with a gift and a blessing for each of us. We reciprocated as best we could, but we doubt they know how much we appreciated their friendship.

Fiona in the last of three gowns, with Taddy and her new in-laws Hiroko and Hiroshi.

Taddy's family.

Taddy's American family.

This was all Taddy's doing. After the wedding banquet, we went upstairs to have some drinks and celebrate some more. Taddy's family and I were able to talk about some famous martial artists, but then he wanted to wow them with my tattoos. In Japan, the only people who have that many tattoos are usually Yakuza, or Japanese mobsters, so it was quite different for them to see a teacher with so many.

After Yuu had tired of entertaining the two random girls in the photograph, he turned his attention to Shanon. I let Taddy flirt with Shanon all the time - that's kind of his thing. But the first day I met Yuu, he didn't speak much English and I didn't speak much Japanese, so we joked a lot with Taddy translating. Well at one point in the hotel room, all the guys were sitting down and Yuu looked at Shanon, who was standing up, and said, "Shanon" as he patted his lap indicating she could sit there. That told me that Yuu felt comfortable joking with us and that those Asians sure love my lady. It was hilarious.

Taddy's family in Taiwan

2007-06-24T15:50:00.000-05:00

This was so much fun. Taddy's family arrived from Japan and we were finally able to meet people we had only known through translated letters for the previous seven or eight years. From left to right, me, Kenichuro and his son Soma, Shanon, Taddy's niece Rin in the arms of his sister-in-law Lea, Taddy's mother Hiroko, Taddy (in the middle on his knees), Taddy's nephew, his cousin Yuu, his father Hiroshi, and his brother Mutsumi. Kenichuro's wife was with us also, but she was taking the picture.

I love many, many children, but hands down, Soma has the most personality in a young child I have ever seen. We were with him for days on end and he never seemed tired, unhappy or shy.

We had a wonderful dinner where the families of the bride and groom met and exchanged gifts. It was tradition to share drinks and gifts with one another as a sign of the two households joining.

Above are Fiona's aunt and grandmother exchanging a gift with Taddy's mother. It was unbelieveble to be a part of all of these traditions and special moments leading up to the wedding.

"Gombei!!" Fiona's father was all too willing to welcome Taddy's family into the fold with a nice toast. It is customary to raise your glass to the person or people you are addressing and say "Gombeii" which I would roughly translate as "empty your glass in a show of friendship to me." We all said "gombeii" a lot that weekend. . .

spa and sights

2007-06-24T15:39:00.000-05:00

If Heaven isn't a tomato garden, it must be something like this. We had heard from several people that Asia is known for its massage practices (both legal and illegal) so we decided to take a chance. Once I got past all the anxiety that came with the lude, fictional expectations that had been built up in my mind (thanks a lot, Dan), what happened was a three-hour rub down into something representing me as a heap of primordial amoebic like sludge oozing off the table in all directions.

Our first instructions were to shower, then soak in this hot-tub for about 10 minutes. We can't show you pictures of the massages, but the whole place was designed to feel natural and relaxing.

Here are some more elements of Asian design.

After our massages, we were waiting to be picked up. They brought us an English newspaper and some hot tea while we waited. This is when I found out that Shanon hadn't been crazy the night before when she said she felt the earth move. By this time we were back in Taipei, but Chi-Yi, where we had just come from, was closer to the southern region that was most affected by the quake.

Scooter madness. The island is so small and traffic is so thick that these scooters are almost the primary means of transportation. This is just some random street, but we couldn't believe there were scooters parked around the bend for as far as the eye could see.

This is Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world. We never went to the top of it because there was too much else to do, but its architecture is incredibly interesting. If you'd like to see more pictures, you can go to http://www.skyscraperpicture.com/taipei101.htm.

back in Taipai - more nightmarket

2007-06-24T15:27:00.000-05:00

Here we are at a different night market in Taipei. This is the night when Shanon swore she felt the earth move and I said she had inhaled too much smog or something. The next day we found out that there had been a large earthquake in the southern part of the island - I'll never doubt her again.

Anyway, above are these crazy little cherry tomatoes covered in a hard candy glaze. It sounds so strange, but when the tomato pops in your mouth and the taste mixes with the candy coating, there is nothing better. Sometimes I really think Heaven must be a tomato garden.

When traveling in Taiwan, it is best to put your American stuffiness behind you. The people are disarmingly friendly and so genuine it makes you sad that you were not born there. This group of guys in a store mustered up enough English to tell me that they liked the tattoo on my arm, so we started showing each other some work. They didn't know much English, so they were talking Mandarin to each other while tracing the designs on my back. Americans have such a phobia of being touched by strangers, but here it seemed very natural to be communicating uninhibited in spite of a language barrier.

hike day

2007-06-24T15:18:00.001-05:00

When we were refreshed from the evening at the nightmarket, Chuck and Cheryl took us to a trail just outside of Chi-Yi to go hiking the next morning. I hate to continue to harp on the cultural differences we witnessed in this trip, but in truth, that is why we travel - to see what beliefs and values we can take from other cultures to help enrich our lives. Because of that, these posts, too, will focus on the differences between cultures.

Before we began our journey into the wooded area, we tried out all of the warm-up and cool-down exercises provided for people about to embark. Above is a walk of different textured rocks. Depending on your tolerance, you choose which path is comfortable and walk along it to allow the benefits of reflexology to prepare you for your trip.

Once your feet feel ready, there were several of these oversized hula hoops for you to loosen your core muscles. I think I mentioned in an earlier post how health-conscious the people of Asia seem to be, but it truly seems to be just a way of life over there. Just as regularly as we must brush our teeth and satisfy our appetites, there the emphasis is also on general physical well-being. If you look past Cheryl showing us her hula skills, you can see Chuck stretching his spine on one of several tires (which were placed here for that purpose).

The trails were beautiful. Whoever is responsible for maintaining them does an excellent job of making them accessible, yet not invasive in their natural environment.

I have an affinity for trees. I've been fascinated by their possibilities since childhood, although I have never been able to identify more than two or three species. What I just noticed though, is that both in Taiwan and in Mexico, I took pictures of roots. There is something awe-inspiring about such evidence of something seeking out life; hopefully that wonder translates (at least a little) through pictures.

Here is another view of the trail.

The group.

Again, the cultural emphasis on physical activity was obvious when, after a forty-five minute hike the trail ended in the middle of a wooded area where there was a playground, balance beam, series of chin-up bars and the concrete slide seen below. The kid in me couldn't resist the balance beam. . .

. . . or the concrete slide. It should be noted that despite many attempts on their part, neither Kaitlyn or Jesse could beat me in a race down the slide (you know, physics and all).

Here's a great picture of our wonderful friends: from left, Chuck, Taddy, Fiona, Kaitlyn, me, Shanon, Jesse and Cheryl. It was an amazing day.

That night Cheryl and Chuck took us to a vegetarian buffet where Cheryl works helping her aunt. All of the food was amazing, and Shanon really had more choices than she ever dreamed.

Mmmmm, good.

Ok, I'm going to try to remember this story. This is a bettle nut booth. They are set up all along the highways selling a kind of bettle tobacco that, although it turns your teeth black, is said to be fairly healthy. What is interesting is that the bettle girls hawking this stuff dress like prostitutes in order to entice customers to stop in and purchase some, and it seemed so "Tarantino-esque" that we had to take a picture.

It is nothing for Chuck to take his family of four around Chi-Yi on their scooter. We had seen several families doing it, but Taddy wanted to know how it felt, so around the block they went.

Jesse and Kaitlyn were all too eager to display their physical prowess by scaling the walls in their hallway. As long as they didn't fall, mom and dad didn't mind this kind of exercise.

MORE!!!

2007-04-29T07:27:00.000-05:00

Ok, ok, it's been a while, but we're back. It was time to finish out the schoolyear and get into summer. However, I had a few weeks of summer school to do first - anyway, now, at last, the moment has come (ok, so these photos may not warrant such a dramatic intro, but here they are). Here are some more pictures of our trip to Asia, and some more reasons why we may retire there when we are old.

I wish I could tell you what all kinds of food were here, but I just don't know. This picture was taken at Taipei's largest nightmarket. Imagine all the cool people, vendors and specialty foods that county fairs are known for, multiply that times a thousand, add an Asian element to that vision and take out most of the rides (but there still are some at Asian night markets) and you can begin to imagine how energized these places are. And the fun goes on until the wee hours of the morn.

Crazy scooter traffic.

One angle of the night market from an elevated parking lot - this was taken around midnight I think.

Christmas in Taiwan. This particular day was the turning point that made me think I could move away and never think twice about what I'd left behind. Chuck and Cheryl's family really shared a special day with us.

While many kids in America were opening their X-boxes, Playstations and ipods, the children we stayed with were thrilled to receive baseball equipment, clothes and bubbles. It was not for lack of love or ability that the parents didn't shower their children with exorbitant gifts, but for lack of expectation, lack of societal pressure, lack of intense corporate marketing, and lack of misguided parenting that says that kind of over-indulgence is a fitting substitute for genuine family unity. Taiwan has a slower pace and more of a Mayberry feel than anywhere I've ever been, and the innocence and simplicity there was beautiful in every way.

We tried Jesse's baseball gear out in the alley by their house until the ball was hit too close to the shop across the street too many times.

I loved to see them entertained with bubbles for hours. There is something magical about having very little and being content (let alone finding joy), and the family we met was a model for any hoping to achieve this.

Details of a temple in Taiwan.
The roof was so intricately designed and ornately adorned - it was easy to see that this was a sacred place, as is obvious with all the temple architecture over there, no matter how big or small.

Hand carved wooden ceilings. . .

Beautifully shaped support columns. . .

and a guardian to keep away unwanted visitors.

Here I am paying my respects to another culture's beliefs and casting the spiritual net as wide as it can be cast.

While incense has counter-culture associations here in the states, it is an integral part of their religious practices. I don't pretend to know it all, but what I inferred is that incense is like a cleansing of oneself that makes one worthy to address the gods. When stuck in this receptacle or held while praying, it also represents the spirits you are addressing as well as those spirits who have left this realm.

Me lady, Shanon, with Caitlyn and Jesse in front of the guardian of the temple. The kids were quite patient while Shanon and I tried to soak in as much of this experience as we could. The experiences with Chuck and Cheryl's family were almost more memorable to us than anything we have ever experienced before. Their hospitality and kindness are unrivaled in all of my days so far, so for that, Shanon and I thank them sincerely.

FINALLY!!!

2007-04-22T11:11:00.000-05:00

Taddy and I were enjoying ourselves on the tour of Taiwan. Fiona's family booked this huge karaoke bus and took us around the mountains showing us what makes Taiwan special.
Taddy is so cool. He sang in both languages, even though he doesn't know much Mandarin. Shanon and I never sang, but everybody else got into it, so it was fun to watch.
A duet - however, I have to critique their stage presence since they wouldn't even stand to face the audience. Paula and Randy?

This temple was destroyed in the huge earthquake that rocked Taiwan in the nineties. They decided to leave the temple and build right next to it so visitors would be able to appreciate the devastation. Essentially, the columns gave way and what you are looking at is the elaborate roof structure smashed down upon the stairs that led to it. Here is another view of a column that collapsed down onto the area of worship.

Views like this really helped me realize that we were in Southeast Asia. These grape fields are all along the road through the mountainous region.
It took several hours by rented van to get to this point and the roads were dangerous switchbacks, often only wide enough for one vehicle. When a van was descending from the summit, all the other vehicles would have to pull to the side in a safe area and wait for the road to clear.
. . . but it was worth the view.

Some tropical vegetation (I don't have a green thumb).
And another - orangus planticus (I guess I'll try to bluff my way through the captions).
This is a species of yellow-pooping bud. Ok, so I don't know, but again, these are the sights that reminded us we weren't at home.

I know I told some of you about this: on Christmas Eve, Shanon and I woke around 5:30 to the sounds of familiar carols. We were in a very small mountain village called Tong-pu, and we lied in bed forever assuming that some group was just rehearsing in the hotel lobby. When we realized it was getting louder, we finally got up and looked outside, just as hundreds of Taiwanese carolers marched through the village street carrying torches. It was beautiful to see and hear such spirit so far from our families during the holidays.

A footbridge through the mountains of Taiwan.

I swear on everything holy, this guy just asked if he could touch my beard. I didn't understand anything he said, but I was just sitting there and Fiona said that he asked to touch my beard. That was odd, but most people in Taiwan were astonished to see Caucasians like Shanon and I so far out of the city (and most in the city were still shocked and curious to know more about us).

The streets of Tong-pu.

This was the start of a forty-five minute hike through the Tong-pu region to see a mountain waterfall.

This is just one of the footbridges we crossed on our way to the falls.

No, this is not the falls, but it was a nice buildup to the real thing. The water was pure and clean and its mist was truly invigorating. We felt energized for the rest of the hike.

This is the real thing. We couldn't get all of it to fit in the frame, but even if we could, it's not the same as being near that cool moisture and feeling the energy of the water. It was so alive.

That is my wife, of teeny-tiny stature and innocent, dimpled face, holding a slat of over 100,000 bees from a honey crate: fearlessly. Sometimes you really do learn something new about people you think you know soooo well.
After our tour, we took a bus to Chi-yi in the southern region of Taiwan, and met some of Taddy and Fiona's friends. Chuck, Cheryl, Jesse and Caitlyn were great hosts. The first night we ate at a traditional teahouse with water gardens.
The food was unbelievable. We're pretty good with chopsticks now, too.

The restaurant was an open-air teahouse, so the dining areas were essentially separate, ornate, hand-carved gazebos suspended over water gardens filled with Koi fish.

This was a bed-like room you could dine in, so Taddy and Fiona decided to check it out.

Then we did, too. All of that wood is hand-carved. The craftsmanship was so beautiful.

Believe it or not, these pictures are only from the first few days of the trip, so come back soon to see pictures of a Taiwanese night market and some detailed photos of Asian temples.

Christmas Party

2006-12-20T15:20:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving #2

2006-12-20T15:16:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving with Jeff's family.My favorite ladies - Shanon, Grandma Parsons, and my mother, Sharon.
No, this isn't another lady, it's my hippie-haired nephew from Colorado:

Jordan "The Rat" Lynch

(I have to tease him because that's what adults did to me when I had hippie hair).

My sister Trinity, whom I rarely see, was the only other family out there to help reduce the boredom of being in Western Kansas; I think we managed just fine.

Just outside of Speerville, Kansas, these giant wind generators were too cool - we had to go check them out.
Another Kansas scene.
If you stand right next to one of the generators and look up it into the sky, it looks like the whole metal contraption is falling. That was too much for Jordan to take, so he fled in fear, screaming "Run for your lives!!" It took two hours to get him out from under the car.
I took a calmer approach and Paul Bunyan-ed one of the steel giants into my personal pinwheel; imagination never dies.

The plan was to see if his guy would give Jordan a piggie-back ride through the drive thru, but Jordan didn't like that idea, so we just had to pretend to be fans of the A&W bear.

Thanksgiving #1

2006-12-20T15:08:00.000-06:00

We haven't posted in awhile, but here are some pictures from the holidays.The weather was unbelievable on Thanksgiving. We decided to work some turkey (and tofurkey) off by tossing around the imitation (P.C. for vegetarians' sensitivities) pigskin.

Man, I wish she hadn't posted this picture. The sad thing is I can't remember if I was trying to look like Johnny Quarterback or if I actually look this way when I throw.

Shanon's uncle David just retired from a job in San Antonio, so he and his wife Virginia decided to move to Kansas to be closer to family and watch over Grandma Clingan. You could tell who knew a thing or two about football (and not just the cool poses).

Shanon's mother DeAnn, Aunt Virginia and Aunt Betsy came back from their walk just in time to make us all feel embarrassed by our lack of football skills. Virginia told us we're not Dallas Cowboy material.

My favorite Grandma Clingan out of all my Grandma Clingans, and my lovely wife (who threw the football with us despite being in a skirt).

Shanon and I both love pictures, so the leaves in the yard were just too good of a photo op to pass up.

If you care, this is why I teach

2006-10-31T19:30:00.000-06:00

Disclaimer: This (extremely long) blog entry isn't for everyone; it's for those who don't get uncomfortable talking about making the smallest difference on our shitty little cosmic speck. You've been warned.

I mentioned a few days ago that I would have some great stories to tell about my new job. Among these are probably the familiar ones cherished by most new teachers - students telling you that you're their favorite teacher, others asking (and genuinely caring) if you are coming to watch their games, and some opening up to you about the difficulties in their lives, which, while sad, is also affirming for both the student and the teacher - a subtle lesson in trust and respect.

I've had all of these and a few others worth mentioning. I've had students who aren't even in my classes come to me for help with their college entrance essays, and the amount of creative writing I've had students ask me to read and critique has been amazing. But in these privileges, I still don't feel that my experiences are unique. These are similar to the glories that keep most people satisfied in their duties in education for many, many years.

Sometimes I am overwhelmed by the bureaucratic side of teaching - the analyses, accountability issues, and stupefying amounts of paperwork, and the one thing that continually haunts me is that I know that now, in this first year, I am not showing the best that I have - except occasionally. Once or twice this year, I have been able to set aside the pressure of being a new employee (and all the pains that go with it) and have been able to do what it is I know I do well - teach. Not teach literature or grammar (which is what some think I am paid to do), not teach in a way to validate my practices by tying them to state or national standards, but teach people.

On one Friday, during a week in which students had taken test after test, I gave them a break from early national literature and I read to them. I told them that that day's class would run very much like a college course: open discussion and debate of the issue.

I then read Don Delillo's short story "Videotape" (a story of the effects of technology and the media on our perceptions) and a short article from MSN about the recent slew of school shootings and killers having MySpace pages. The kids were mesmerized by Delillo's words and by the haunting truths related in the article. They were able to articulate their thoughts about these two texts and see how these two writings had impacted their emotions and perspectives.

But that was the obvious lesson. What happened next is what all passionate educators wish for, but too few try to accomplish. The lesson stuck. Those writers' words and the social truth that they communicated could not be ignored by the students, and they let me know how much that learning experience meant to them.

Here is how one student and I continued the lesson even when class was over, in an exchange of letters. He felt free to let me know what I might have misinterpreted about his age group, and I let him know that I had higher expectations of such a capable, empathetic student.

Mr. Fouquet,

I thought Friday’s discussion was good, but I thought there were some things that I would like to bring to your attention that are not always true.

What did I believe when you asked, “How many times did you see the planes hit the twin tower?” Everyone raised their hand. We all saw them a lot. The government controls a lot of what we see on TV today and what they think is news. I believe that the government shows that so much to strike fear in the American people’s eyes and make us afraid of everything possible; to make us put full faith in the government, like they are going to protect us and make us safe from everything possible.

That’s why I try not to watch the news, because I know the things that are happening are going on but I know they are not true. If I do watch TV, it is usually soccer or movies.

Also when you said our generation is so connected to web, which is true, along with how everyone has headphones and cell phones and what not - which is all true, and when you said you would talk to the people next to you walking down the hall when you would go to class instead of headphones and what not - we are the generation that has no dream, like how our parents had a dream of having a nice house and good job along with working hard.

The reason you will always see me at school with my headphones is because I like to sometimes shut out the world that is going on around me. I am a real laid back guy, and when I am at school it just puts me in a mood I don’t want to be feeling - I am here to learn. I really don’t care that such and such got in a fight or whoever slept together over the weekend. I don’t care.

There are some kids at school I don’t like because they are very narrow-minded people. That bothers me a lot. When people make fun of kids for being gay or someone wears a shirt that says, “Wanted all terrorists” and “proceed with extreme prejudice” - to me when I see that, someone is just wearing a sign saying ‘I am bigot and have no clue what I am talking about.’

I wear my headphones to ignore the environment that I am in at school. It is not the place I want to be - not saying that’s because of school, but just some of the people there, and not saying everyone at school is a waste, just the people that are narrow minded.

I am proud that I am not just like every other high school kid that tries to get drunk every weekend. I am proud that I have my own mind and think what I believe. I am proud that I am straight edge, I am proud that I am vegetarian. But I am not proud of some things that go on around me.

When I am at school I listen to bands that talk about hope, fighting for what you believe, making your life better, change, life, and sometimes just how messed up things are. To me, I’d rather not to talk to everyone when I can listen to music that will change my life and make me want to be a better person and fight for what I believe.

I thought Friday’s discussion was good and that we should keep doing things like that because it brings more of a reality to people’s eyes and that life doesn’t just revolve around them.

Thank you.

A.P.

I really appreciated this student taking the time to reflect on what I'd said and trying to think more about his place in the world. He, in turn, was very receptive to these words that I wrote to him about how I see my place in the bigger picture:

A.P.,

If there is one thing that Michael Moore argued quite convincingly in Bowling for Columbine, it is that the media is here to make us afraid. Why? What do they gain from this? As your teacher, I cannot answer these questions and feel that I haven’t crossed some imaginary professional boundary, but as a human being, these are the questions I hope everyone is wrestling with.

I entered the study of English because I get to work with language, with words, with how our reality is communicated, and in some ways, how that reality is “constructed.” I interpret everything I hear and see with a critical mind, and discussions like the ones we had on Friday are only meant to teach students these same skills. I am glad that you enjoyed the class.

But a few things you said in your letter have me a little concerned. You say that you don’t watch the news, and you also said that you listen to music to achieve a mood and to block out the trivial conversations around you. I know that you are plugged-in to the issues of the world in your own way, but don’t underestimate the value of knowing both sides of the story and understanding both sides of life.

In other words, it is easy to avoid the depressing news or flippant conversations of the everyday world, but that is exactly the world that needs changing, so I try to stay tuned in to what happens around me. Prime example: for the last week I have been calling students left and right on the use of “That’s gay” as an expression. I find it offensive, and as you said, I find that it reveals their ignorance. I could ignore it and tune it out, but I don’t want to – I want to change it. So this morning I ordered some books to help me engage with those students in a way that will change their biases and help them understand the deeper implications of what they say. Now that fight is not everyone’s chosen battle, but it is one I feel is worth my time.

I am proud of you for making clean decisions and living the life of a straight edge. I have always admired their discipline and commitment, but I need to understand the “ragged” side of life. Because of what I do, I want to know what all people are saying, what they are reading (or not reading), what they are hearing, and yes, I want to know what poor decisions they are making on the weekend. It helps me go into my mental arsenal and choose the best tools to address each situation. At school, I’m always interested in who fought whom or who is earning the wrong kind of reputation because I want to subtly try to shape the next decision each person is going to make.

Through entertainment, the young people are told that life is about one’s image and that being talked about is all that matters – I need to understand what compels kids to respect these values, while at the same time forgetting the ones that our country was founded on: revolution against oppression, education for enlightenment, and dogged determination to do what is best for our fellow citizens rather than ourselves.

The only worthy dream of my generation is to restore some kind of dream for yours.

Thanks again.

Mr. Fouquet

Few professions other than teaching allow us to forget our pretenses and see the people we work with every day as equal citizens united in the same cause of world-wide improvement. I love knowing that something I exposed them to had such a lasting effect, and I hope that their opinions on these issues move to the forefront of their minds and become guiding principles.

Halloween: Part(y) 3

2006-10-29T14:24:00.000-06:00

I know, I know - it's like we were made for these parts. Our costumes were great. We were able to overcome the crisis-like ramifications of living in a supply and demand economic system; orange knee highs aren't in demand, so they are not easy to supply (at the last minute). And sadly, despite days of practice, I didn't even come close to rivalling Matthew Lillard's ability to sound like Shaggy. At the last minute we talked Michael and Robin into coming to the party. They put together some great costumes, but I fear Michael's photo may have sparked some premonitions about his growing older - he looks like a republican.
Lois seemed to be really smitten by Clark's masculine alter-ego, but after too many Yaeger bombs, it was her alter-ego that stole the limelight. Next time you see her, ask her what street she lives on - yeah, she didn't know either.
When I'm sober it's a bad enough idea, but after a few drinks, showing me a skateboard is like asking for a lawsuit.

We decided to run through the cobwebs on the front porch. Once we looked at his Tinkerbell pose in the picture, many questions about my buddy Dan (the one on the left) surfaced. I mean I love Dan, but doesn't he look like a wee sprite dancing in slow motion across the tops of the marshmallow meadow? We're trying to hack his myspace page and post this as his homepage picture - it's sure to attract the ladies.

The aftermath.

Donny Darko (aka Ragsdale) refused to fill his gas can with alcohol. For this reason alone, 78 people defected from the party within the first 10 minutes and they accused us of not being hardcore enough for them to associate with, but they missed Ragsdale throwing chairs around his kitchen, not to mention the drop kick of the year.

Pebbles had obviously been out of Bedrock for a while, but she managed to find solace in the arms of JR (when he wasn't throwing home furnishings).

Halloween: Part(y) 2

2006-10-29T14:20:00.000-06:00

The second party on Shanon's busy social calendar was the first birthday of her high school friend's first child. Julian looked great in his little lion outfit, and Shanon got to see some people she doesn't see very often.

Congratulations to Melissa and Happy Birthday to Julian!!

Halloween: Part(y) 1

2006-10-29T14:15:00.000-06:00

Poor Shanon was so busy on Halloween. She was making last minute adjustments on her main costume for a party later that night, and she had to go to two other parties.

Big Brothers/Big Sisters had a party complete with a hay-rack ride, mashed potato eating contest, three-legged race and bobbing for donuts.

She and her little sister, Shaunicere, coordinated their outfits for the party (obviously, Shaun is an animal lover too). There was a pretty big turnout and all the kids seemed to really enjoy having something different to do during the spooky season.

Homecoming Game

2006-10-29T14:07:00.000-06:00

The high school where I teach recently had its homecoming parade and game. It was a great day to see all of my students in their respective activities, and it afforded Shanon the chance to meet some of my coworkers and kids.

The game was pretty exciting. It was super cold, so we left at halftime. Shanon and I missed the climactic finale, but we beat the other team (which was the heavy favorite) in overtime.
Of course, crowning new homecoming royalty (as superficial as that is on soooo many levels) made the night complete. It's odd to have a popularity contest detract from the real competition on the field, but high school is what it is, so as my kids would say, "whatev."

Overall, this was a great time to see my students outside of class.

Celebrities gone bad

2006-10-29T14:02:00.000-06:00

Halloween really makes the kid inside me pop (more than it already incessantly, relentlessly, uncontrollably does on the other 364 days a year). Although I've never been crazy about the holiday itself, I love being able to mess with all of the props and imagine what could be. . .

Nickelodeon's Jimmy Neutron matures into a rockabilly; Bob Ross decides to accept his darker side (pre-happy trees);
One of the Powder Puff Girls, stricken by poverty, struggles with his/her identity crisis.

Jar Crazy

2006-10-08T18:36:00.000-05:00

Shanon has been as creative as she can lately. She had another benefit auction in mid-October, and now she is gearing up for an arts and crafts show here in town. These are just some of the different gift jars she has been making to take with her to these events.

Winter wonderland with butterscotch candies. . .
Stuffed stocking with holiday mints. . .
Birthday jar with assorted nuts. . .

Kitty feets mark kitty treats. . . And it would be strange for us to neglect thinking of what our fur kids would like,

so here are some of their favorites.

A long overdue update. . .

2006-10-08T16:28:00.000-05:00

Konichiwa, guys and gals. I've really been trying to make the time to come on here and rant and rave and tell you the phenomenal news of minds and lives stimulated in intellectual growth, but I've just been too busy.

As you may or may not know, the tattooed teacher is taking on the land of the little people and trying to find his way in a new undertaking: teaching high school. So far, so good. Teaching at this level has really made me revisit my youth and regret some of the trials I must have put my own instructors through, and the frustration at these students' apathy has led me to make exactly the same kinds of comments to them that really offended my sense of self when I was younger. It is reactionary, and I am trying to condition myself to accept their relative naivete and inexperience in terms of the world while simultaneously trying to teach myself new, less emotional ways to react to their youthful ignorance.

So this week I have been studying classroom management theories. I love to learn, which is one of my strengths as a teacher, so I researched the models and basically opined what I think most people who engage with this kind of research usually determine; the findings of these studies (despite claims which suggest otherwise) are gathered in some social vaccuum where humans do not act on impulses, are not affected by human nature, and are not at liberty to exercise free will. In other words, theory does not easily translate into practice.

I found a few useful components, but I'm hesitant to pigeon-hole myself in one camp or another. As with all things, I would rather choose to become a "mutt," borrowing the best from each to cobble together some set of principles that works for me, and that I am confident will not insult the intelligence of my students.

At any rate, I'm muddling through this year, excited that things are going as smoothly as they are (I'll be posting some stories of my "successes" in the coming days), and thrilled that the summer will afford me an opportunity to learn more. By that time I should have a year of notes to reflect back on, some practices to revise, and many improvements to take with me into the second year of an opportunity for which I am extremely grateful.

Shanon is doing super. As I type this, she is having me critique some gift jars she is donating to a benefit auction for the American Heart Association. While they are going to a great cause, she is just as happy to use this opportunity as a reason to immerse herself in her creative talents as she is to help raise money.

We attended the Plaza Art Fair in Kansas City a week or two ago with some friends and gathered more information that will help Shanon (eventually) get her work out to a larger audience. Because of an impending trip, a house purchase looming on the horizon, and the accompanying burden of moving and settling in, getting a show together will be a slow process, but the goal keeps her focused.

Our fur kids are doing excellent. They are anxious to get to a new house where they will have squirrels and birds to torment, but it seems that in the last few days they have been happy with the elusive prey of the bumblebees, who returned to the flower garden in response to the inviting weather of an Indian summer.

As I said, I'm going to post some more school-related stories in the coming days. There have been a few moments and revelations that are too amazing to keep to myself. Also, some of my students are playing in the homecoming game this Friday, so I may have some pictures to post after the game.

Hope you all are doing well and enjoying life. We'll talk soon.

Greater Kansas City Humane Society Art Auction

2006-08-26T13:22:00.000-05:00

Shanon and I were both asked by our dear friend Jennifer if we would be interested in donating any art to this great art auction to benefit the greater Kansas City Humane Society. We both jumped at the opportunity with positive, but different results. Though she's modest, I think Shanon's piece was one of the "hot spots" of the night. There were several "mothers-to-be" who bid on it a few times along with many other art appreciators, but the final move was made by a middle-aged short haired woman, who placed a very generous bid on the small piece and then stood guard in front of it for the remaining few seconds while the silent auction closed. Shanon was elated that her love of animals could help rekindle that passion she had for painting, and she received such positive energy from the people who viewed her work that she came home almost unable to sleep, and woke this morning to work on two paintings at the same time.

Title:Dog

While most of the patrons of the art auction were not drawn to the heaviness of my piece, it did sell and I learned a great deal about understanding audience. I am proud of it because this was my first "serious" piece of art, and I did it all from scratch. I hand-made the custom wood frame before stretching and gessoing the canvas myself, went through some preliminary layers before deciding on the mood of the final piece, and I feel that it was very true to the emotion I was trying to capture as well as what Jen called my "literary self."

The text says "if only our true intentions were as evident as the reality of our inaction."

The short version is that when I was a kid I had a dog named Bear that my dad chained to a tree because we didn't have a fenced-in yard. He was mine, and though I thought I loved him, I didn't know as much about what he needed from me as I do now. As a result, I spend a lot of time with my current dogs wondering if they will have fonder associations of me than Bear had, and I carry the memory of these earlier shortcomings with me. I wanted this painting to be therapeutic for me, and introspective for the audience. One out of two isn't bad.

Title: regrets, public and private
Shanon and I with our pieces.

Our long-time friends Jennifer and Eric and the pieces that we all purchased. The piece on the left that Jen is holding was done by one of Shanon and Jennifer's painting instructors from Fort Hays State University, the one Eric is holding was done by an eleven-year-old girl, and Shanon has Augustine, a hand-stitched sockcat made by a local artist who operates her own web-based company making sockdogs and sockcats to resemble people's pets. This artist donates 10% of all proceeds to the local Humane Society. Please visit her website at www.sockcats.com or www.sockdogs.com, and also visit the website for the art auction at http://www.hsgkc.org/artunleashed2006.html

A special thanks to Jen, Eric, Jo and John for making the evening a wonderful time.

We can't wait until next year's event.

Cassoday

2006-08-26T13:17:00.000-05:00

It's hard to tell, but this little town is a happening place the first Sunday of every month. I try to make this ride pretty often, but this was Shanon's first time to the little town of Cassoday, Kansas. Home of what is quite possibly the fastest growing little rally in the midwest.

This was a pretty decent turnout for such a hot day. The population of the town is less than 800, but on this day there were, well, I'm no mathematician, but there were a hell of a lot more than 800, and most of them roared into town on two wheels.

For those of you planning your summer vacations, need we say more?

Demo Ride

2006-08-26T13:16:00.000-05:00

The truth is, I was being a bit of a shite (that's how they say it in Scotland). My older brother finally accomplished his life-long dream of buying a Harley. The only catch is, he's deployed to Kosovo right now, so he won't get to ride it for a few months. I'd been teasing him about having it broken in for him when he comes back, so when the demo fleet came through and I had the chance to go ride his model, I just wanted to make him cry - that's what brothers do, right?

Anyway, this is NOT the bike he ordered, but it was the one that I loved so much I decided to abandon my mean-spirited intentions to feel what this one could do. I'm a sucker for Springers. It was as smooth as smooth gets, but I still love mine. I did go back a few days ago to check it out and there was already a sold sign on it. At least that shows I have good taste, which was some consolation to my battered ego, which had been permanently damaged by the presiding female voice of logic in our household: "We don't need two motorcycles!" She's the smart one.

Birthdays

2006-08-26T13:14:00.000-05:00

Shanon's family is excellent about keeping their loved ones in mind. We went out to celebrate three birthdays (Grandma Clingan, DeAnn (Shanon's mom) and Kathy Reynolds (Michael's mother-in-law). Clockwise from left: Sarina, Lee (foreign exchange students from Taiwan and Japan, respectively, who are staying with John and Kathy Reynolds), Steve, Grandma Clingan, Kathy, John, Robin (Michael's wife), Michael, Aunt Betsy, Shanon, Jeff and DeAnn.

Indy

2006-07-30T15:43:00.000-05:00

It was the vacation from hell. Shanon had a kidney infection before we even embarked on our eight hour drive. I got food poisoning the second day and lost eight pounds over the next week (I'm writing the weight-loss book right now), and our family reunion that we have been looking forward to for two years was canceled at the last minute due to a freak storm.

But despite all these negatives, something made it all worthwhile.

Princess Brianna. The last time I saw her she was so shy and dependent, but now she is the smallest known package for pure lovablility.

She and Dominic are both 2 1/2 and smarter than many kids their age. They both know their ABC's a few songs and stories by heart (they sing and "read" along) and they know many professionals by sight: stethoscope + gown = "doctor" ; backwards hat+ boots+ suspenders = "fireman" and on down the line.
I'm not sure where his smile is here. He might have thought that this was the covershot for BQ (Baby-men Quarterly).
Or was that this one? Look at that! What poise! What nonchalant grace! What confidence he exudes!
Yet despite all of his sophisticated, debonair posturings, he is but a boy at heart. (Kind of obvious, huh?)
You can't tell, but he's singing and dancing here - he's quite animated.

Story time with Uncle Jeff.
This police line-up was taken from the "Playgrounds Most Wanted" website . . .
After these two had been captured in their secret lair.

It was crazy to see how fast these little ones grow up. We hope to see them again around Thanksgiving to see how they have changed and to hear about their trip to Africa with Mommy and Daddy.

dave & busters

2006-07-30T15:28:00.000-05:00

For no good reason, we decided to go with some friends to Kansas City to an adult arcade (it's not nearly as risque as it sounds) and spend an obscene amount of money acting like teenagers. Derek schooled us all in the finer art of skeeball, a skill handed down for 14 generations in the Aldrich home.

This is our friend Jackie. She and Derek are engaged. By day, Jackie is a mild-mannered, unassuming nurse at a local hospital.

But by night, Jackie unleashes the pent-up fury of the rabid hounds of hell on the frightened public!!

Is there no stopping the madness!?

While Derek appears to be all business in his masculine defense of Jackie's right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, my expression alone explains why it is to the nation's benefit that

I was a marine for less than three days.

This was taken during the publicity shoot for John Woo's upcoming action thriller,

Stiff in the Collar, Hard in the Stripes

Jackie is obviously smitten. . .
"Big bucks, big bucks, no whammies!"
This was a pretty cool game - if you were really getting a beatdown, by hitting the right combination you could bite off the other guy's ear and it would be ruled a "no-contest."

Tastes like chicken.

Try as they may, Shanon and Jackie could not quite capture the magic of Fred and Ginger, but nobody dared tell them that. And in case she ever gets on your badside, I have blackmail photos of Jackie that are priceless: codenames "cartwheel" and "thumb dance."

Just kiddin', Jackie.

We had a great time, and as soon as we can afford a second mortgage, we'll be returning to the land of the silver token.

Sold home

2006-07-30T15:08:00.000-05:00

For better or for worse, we're outta here. Our house sold very quickly, and though we loved it (and will forever remember all of our "firsts" here) the world keeps turning, shifting, and adapting to the influences it is under, and so must we. . .

. . . but you do the little things that make you cry, and smile, and remember.

And remember.

And remember. . .

Hot Dogs

2006-07-29T14:54:00.000-05:00

It was an uninspiring day in the Fouquet household, so we decided to make the dogs entertain us: however, the plan backfired. Pongo opted for some yoga in the shade, and Molly tried to determine how many fur-loads of dirt it would take to make water into mud when said dirt was delivered one trip at a time by a 50 lb. dog - physics project, or something.

A day of landscaping

2006-05-28T17:18:00.000-05:00

It was getting down to crunch time, and Shanon had laced my protein shakes with Vivarin and turned the channel to HGTV at a low, calming volume before hiding the television in the closet. For weeks I was unable to sleep, subconsciously being inundated with all the home improvement know-how a former pig farmer could contain until one morning, without any planning, we attacked the dirt track next to our house and tried to lend it some "curb appeal." It was upon first utterance of those words, that I shrieked, "What the hell is happening to me?!"

The truth is, we had wanted a garden, but the trees and proximity of the house next door rendered this area all but useless for a plot of anything requiring sunlight. But it was getting close to the date when we were going to put the house on the market, so we decided to do something creative.

I'm no real estate professional, but for all of you do-it-yourselfers, I will go to the grave believing that it was this little area that helped us push our house into a higher price bracket and still sell it rather quickly. Never underestimate the combined power of some elbow grease and the incessant requests of a determined woman.

It ended up being a nice little sitting area. We enjoyed it for about a week before mosquitoes the size of dobermans ran us back inside. . . or at least that's how I remember it. . .

I still wasn't sleeping much. . .

Happy Mother's Day

2006-05-14T12:11:00.000-05:00

To our Mother's, Grandmother's, sisters and sister-in-laws...

Happy Mother's Day!

Nathan's Graduation

2006-05-14T11:50:00.000-05:00

Here we are, at my brother Nathan's graduation, anxiously waiting for the long-winded ones to approach (and ultimately leave) the podium.
This seems to be my only steady competition for Shanon's affection: my nephew Chris, age 8, successfully cooing my pigeon.
My brother Jamie's oldest son, Calvin, age 9, helping me curb my frustration.
Jamie and his beautiful wife Renee's youngest: my nephew Conner, age 4, defying the rules of society by refusing to conform with safety seat regulations (oh, shut-up: the car wasn't even moving). My little brother, Nater, and his love of many moons, Andrea (Ea).
Nater and I, post-graduation, pre-inebriation. The weather and social spirit were great yesterday: sun in the sky, chill in the breeze, tank of celebration in the middle, and Nathan's house hosts, the Murphys, and one half of the chemical equation that is Nathan in the background.
Nathan and Ea enjoying the evening.

Way later into the evening than we had planned to stay, after much mead and festiveness and several promises to my love that this would be my last cup of ale, the throwing of horeseshoes had ended and it was time for Shanon and I to get the wheels turning back to our town and let Nater enjoy the first night of his new life.

He's a good kid and a dear friend, and we wish him good fortune in his travels and experiences. We love you, Nater.

Dance Recital

2006-05-14T11:36:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, I am a Big Sister in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Shaunicere' and I have been matched for over 3 years and we have a great time together. Here is our most recent picture from her dance recital on Friday.

Words for your head (about books)

2006-05-10T21:55:00.000-05:00

So far, this year has been pretty amazing. I quit my teaching job for all kinds of reasons (big people would call that a “career change,” but that’s just dork-speak for walking out on one job to spend a little of life doing something different).

While that would be a great story to tell (it involves cults and lots of men with ponytails), it’s really overshadowed by my desire to tell you the thing (besides my family) that has made me most happy about the decision to rethink my life; I am reading more.

Now to bumpkins, that may seem like a very progressive, if cruel and unusual form of punishment for cattle rustling (I live in Kansas, so I have license to be light-heartedly offensive to these folks), but to me Huxley’s “doors” could not have been so revealing. I could go all out, after-school special-like and tell you how grand the trips in my mind can be when reading an artfully-written work, but the point is I had lost, or at the very least, misplaced that piece of me and the last few months have inspired me to get it back.

It’s getting late, and I’m just getting loopy with finger dancing, so here’s the run-down if you’re looking for a read (good, bad, or ugly):

Douglas Coupland’s Life after God – great little collection of short stories about people he’s met and turning points in life. Can be either very depressing or very inspirational, depending on one’s mood. The short story “Gettysburg” was a personal favorite. Hats off to Norris for giving me this gift years ago.

Aldous Huxley’s Doors to Perception – My grandma may read this site so I can’t discuss the contents other than to say, “Grandma, the book is over-hyped.” Jim Morrison must have been one boring human being to have endured that “description” for so many pages. I know, I know, I can hear all of my “more experienced” friends saying, “You just didn’t get it, man.” . . . but the trees are the ones telling them to say that.

Confederacy of Dunces (I forget who wrote it) – the guy was so distraught at the book’s lackluster reception that he killed himself before it became huge. A great tale of this really eccentric drop out who has these crazy adventures. I read about 100 pages before I realized the book was supposed to be funny, then I laughed out loud the rest of the way through it. Thanks to Derek for that one.

Thomas Frank’s What’s the Matter with Kansas? – I just started this one, but Frank is a great writer. He is a native Kansan who traces the effects of the political leanings of the country (and more specifically, the people of this state) back to areas like Garden City, Wichita, and Johnson County. If you’re a republican (first off, get off my blog) you’ll be offended, but if you are a discerning individual looking for a systematic breakdown of what makes Kansans vote the way they do despite compelling reasons to vote otherwise, this book is anything but dry.

Next up: finish What’s the Matter with Kansas?
Read Grace beats Kharma: the prison letters of Neal Cassidy and Ishmael by Daniel Quinn

"I'm Open"

2006-05-10T21:50:00.000-05:00

I haven't written anything in a very long time, but I decided to shake off a little writer's rust tonight. As I was trying to shape the commencement address, this Pearl Jam song kept coming to mind. I hadn't listened to the album forever, but these words really hit my mood and spoke to me.

“When he was six he believed that the moon overhead followed him. By nine, he had deciphered the illusion, trading magic for fact – no tradebacks. So this is what it's like to be an adult.

If he only knew now, what he knew then.

Lying sideways atop crumbled sheets and no covers he decides to dream – dream up a new self, for himself.”

The Undelivered Commencement Address

2006-05-10T21:34:00.000-05:00

As I approach the end of another long year of making lesson plans, grading papers, and evaluating students’ excuses on the combined criteria of originality and believability, I am also within crying distance of my 30th birthday. The truth is, the reality of turning 30 doesn’t scare me as much as it might have six months ago if I hadn’t stopped to question just what life I was leading. As my own little brother steps out of the ivory towers and onto the grassy knoll (I hate to mix metaphors, but free-market capitalism is home to so many secret "shooters" that it may be fitting), I worry about him. Administrators and instructors are required to usher students to the rose-tinted viewing glass before pointing to these students’ futures, so I decided to write my own commencement address for any students out there who might want an alternative perspective on their recent academic achievement. It goes a little something like this:

“Family, friends and fellow academics, several years ago, we started a journey that would take us forward and provide us with the opportunity to forever explore our abilities and propel us toward our true selves – however, somewhere along the way, we got sidetracked here, to the land of the credentialed and self-important, only to be fitted with blinders and shown the ostensible path to the imaginary carrot of our liking. We began our journey as infants thirsting for true, existential knowledge, and we passed through the early years searching for answers to questions that were beyond our comprehension. Our curiosity has since been labeled an attention disorder, the rational minds have debilitated our ability to express ourselves musically and artistically in public schools, and, via the threat of detention, suspension, and permanent student files, we have all been sufficiently indoctrinated into the evils of questioning authority. Now that our formal education has ended, we have our answers, but at some point, the questions changed.

“As we go into the world, every person we meet will attempt to pigeon-hole our whole existence by ascertaining what kind of work we do for a living. While the most discerning among us will detect that these people are asking to either categorize us into a certain socio-economic group, make a determination about our level of education (and by association, our intelligence), or simply to compete with our “success” in their own minds, our education has also taught us that asking which of these curiosities they are trying to appease is beyond the bounds of social etiquette. Such are the games we are asked to play in “the real world.”

“Depending on the specialized work we are now credentialed to do, we will wear ties or skirts, shave and pluck so as not to be offensive, talk with our appropriate-for-public vocabulary and be as generally nonabrasive, even in the midst of genuine ignorance, as propriety dictates. If we allow ourselves to be swept in by the belief that we are what we do, we will someday wake up in a dead-end job (life dictates that they all eventually end this way) resenting who we have become as well as the meaningless accoutrements we have acquired and rituals we have observed in order to be accepted into this arbitrary social order. . . but there is always a choice.

“If they must, let them label you as “the electrician who reads T.S. Eliot on his breaks,” or “the accountant who rides her skateboard to work.” Do not exist for “them,” and never mistake your degree for your official identity or for an order to mature overnight.

“Sell your time, not your soul, and hold on to the power to revise your reality. While the best years of your life may be ending, never forget that the rest of the years are still yours to control; the real world is only as real as the monster under your bed.

Family Day

2006-04-30T15:58:00.000-05:00

Here are some recent photos of the family enjoying the weather.

Spring is here

2006-04-14T16:21:00.000-05:00

As most of you know I LOVE to take pictures. And since Spring is here (although it feels like summer with temps in the 80's and 90's) what better reason than to get out and capture some great shots! Plus it was killing me that we hadn't posted in quite some time.

We love our home this time of year when the grass is green and the trees are budding. We have two trees (to the left) that bloom beautiful white flowers.

I took a couple of branches from one of our trees that are in full bloom, and arranged them in a vase. I set it in front of the oriental red wall I have in my kitchen, along with a beautiful tea set that was a wedding gift from our dear friend in Japan.

I wish I could say that these were from my wonderful garden I was keeping up, but even better they are from my wonderful husband. He knows how much I love to arrange fresh flowers in the house. Maybe some day I will tend to that garden so we can have them everyday!

"The rest of the story. . ." - the original history of us

2006-03-19T22:07:00.000-06:00

Since this is "our" blog, this is the "about us" section. In the interest of avoiding complicity in the perpetuation of false identities on the internet, we have tried to give a real account of two simple lives.
We met in college and it was disinterest at first sight. She thought I was crazy, and I must have been to have not been immediately smitten with her. A few twists of fate and a couple months later we knew what we had to do. . . After the trial, we fled to Slovakia to avoid nasty civil litigation. While we were there we bought an old early 80's van and had it custom painted black with a diagonal red stripe running up either side. We spent a few years foiling corrupt corporations and bringing down international drug cartels, but the van broke down and life had to find a more manageable rhythm, so we settled in the Australian outback.
It was about this time that Shanon was diagnosed with a rare form of sleep apnea that made her night-time breathing quite high pitched. The Aborigines started calling her "spectotua" which we later learned meant grasshopper, and the name stuck. Her condition forced us to seek exercise and a different climate in the hopes of easing her noisy ailment. For years we walked from town to town, meeting many kind people who needed our help. Though always hoping to avoid troubles and find ourselves on the enlightened path, Grasshopper and I were often misunderstood and had to defend ourselves with our martial arts training. Everything was going great until this big, multi-colored schoolbus manned by a singing family stopped for us on the interstate, but that is a story best left for another time.
Through all of these and other travels, the only words that mattered to either of us (and I paraphrase) were, "This is the long road, Grasshopper, and we walk the whole thing together."
If you've read this far, then you probably deserve to know a little: We were married in June of 2002 after four years of preparation for a life together. We have two dogs that are treated better and loved more than many people's children and we live to be thoughtful, passionate, creative people. I do not feel the least bit cheesy or theatrical when I put it out there for the world to hear that while our lives are average, our love is magical.