Unsalted Peanut Butter

Why is there unsalted peanut butter?  What is the point? Today I went to fridge to fix a little apple and peanut butter treat for me and the boy. However, instead of the salt and sugar duet, I got an apple and peanut mismatch. Ugh. Aeden liked it though.

He kept sucking the peanut butter off the apple slice and handing it back to me for more low sodium peanut paste.

Here's to a less hypertensive future.

HELP, I'm stuck at a baby shower!

At this very moment I am hiding out in the office while a pack of fifteen women sit just beyond the door. It is hard to be certain, but I believe they are guarding the cheesecake and chocolate fondue. They are also making gregarious, giggly and otherwise indiscernible, confusing noises. Relegated to my corner of the condo, I feel safe. At intervals I am commanded to put children to bed, re-park cars and then instructed to return to my corner.

Now, if you are reading this, the odds that you are female are very good. If you're not, please back me up here (if you are in a position to do so). Can you remember the first time you heard of a "baby shower"? I can. I was a bright kid and I knew two things for sure: there was going to be cake and I was not invited.

Some new-agey yippee types try to integrate the men and women into baby showers. However, this too is inherently flawed. The problem is instinctual. If you're a girl, think about the feeling you get inside when you see a brand new little baby. You probably want to hold it, but feel like maybe you should hold back so as to not freak out the mother with your strong feelings. I just see a baby that isn't mine. And, I will admit that guys who get overly excited about babies (not of their own making) sort of weird me out. So, if you find yourself at a yippee co-ed baby shower take a good look around to see if you can't find at least one guy squirming at the unnaturalness of it.

Not that I've had to withstand that misfortune. But, let's consider for a second, what might be the male equivalent of a baby shower? Superbowl? UFC? Playoffs? These are the easy answers, but they don't really stack up. These male dominated activities lack the exclusivity of a baby shower. I want an activity where no girls are allowed, and if they are, they feel like they shouldn't be there...

Something like Boyscouts, Freemasonry or the men's hair club. But my question is do they have cheesecake and chocolate fondue?

Zuni and the Muskrat

Telia and I recently returned from our much anticipated trip to Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico. Apologies for the platitude, but it really is a land of enchantment. On Tuesday morning we made a sunrise drive west from Albuquerque over the Continental Divide, through El Malpais and past El Morro to Zuni. There was a moment when the sun hit the Ponderosa Pines over the sagey divide that impressed itself so deeply into my memory that it has become my inescapable image of the New Mexican landscape. So living and haunting like an unknown former love.

The clinic itself is temporary while the new ten chair office is completed. Even so, all the trappings of dental technophilia are present including implants, digital radiography, Cerec, IV sedation cart, rotary endo, etc... The clinic is occupied by pleasant and industrious dentists who work well together with a staff of no contention.

Zuni Pueblo is home to the most ancient extant pueblo tribe, the A:shiwi, better known as the Zuni. Unlike many other tribe whose religious rites have become more ceremony than sacred devotion, the ancient traditions are still an integral part of their culture. Consequently, many aspects of their culture are kept private out of reverence and visitors are asked to refrain from taking photos of locals, town and ceremonies.

Will we get the job? I hope so. If it is offered to me upon graduation/licensure I will take it without a second thought.

About the Muskrat. Today, in the backyard there was a rodent-like mammal scurrying across our snowy lawn. At first I didn't even know what manner of creature I beheld. It looked like a beaver and rat had tied the knot and made babies. But after some google image research I have concluded we have a muskrat burrow in our backyard. Dry, it has a thick brown coat with long, leathery tail like a beaver, but less like a pancake and more like a rat. Good times. If it pops its pretty little head up tomorrow I will take a picture.

17 Again

I was just lounging on the couch tonight waiting for Telia to look at me. She was doing laundry. I had pulled my t-shirt up just above my belly button to expose a vulgar post-holiday abdomen.

She never looked.

Oh well, life is good. Today I finished part II of the National Dental Board Exam (NDBE II). That last sentence makes it sound easy, but the truth is I have spent the better part of the last month studying for it and am praying retro-active prayers that I pass. If you don't believe in retro-active prayers you can send up a few pro-active petitions for my North Eastern Regional Board on Tuesday.

We have been talking a lot about New Mexico lately. And Redbox. As fate would have it there are actually 2 RedBox locations in Gallup, New Mexico. We believe it is a sign.

Yesterday, my friend and missionary trainer Resh Jeffries sent me a message on Facebook saying we need to catch up. It has been years. I enjoyed looking at pictures of him and how his family has grown since last time I saw him. Which reminds me of how rich I have been to meet so many interesting and remarkable people over the years. Some exude cool, others unbelievably capable. Some totally loyal. I have been really blessed.

Lastly, I watched the movie "17 Again" last night. It might have changed my life. Not because Zack whatever his name is looks just like my friend Kyle Poulter in sunglasses, but because it reminds me to live in the present.

So, while I will be turning 30 shortly after graduation, I still feel young and am so grateful for my blessings right now. Especially my family. With that, I think I will get up off the couch and try to chase down my 17 year old phsique.

LIFE (Out of Control)

I've long been annoyed by individuals who give unsolicited and unabridged accounts of their lives, so I'll keep this brief: Life is good overall albeit very hectic and seldom dictated by my will. Aeden and Eliza animate our home with purpose, laughter, spit up, and diarrhea. Our days at University of Michigan are winding down as I grit my teeth and narrow my eyes at the last flaming hoops between here and graduation. My hairline continues to charge rearward. We are penciling a 4 year career with the Indian Health Service in New Mexico into our life planners. Cross your fingers for us.  Merry Christmas.

Ben

Welcome Fall

This is our 4th winter in Michigan and I am still nervous of what is coming. I guess that I'm just not ready to say goodbye to the summer.
Lots of things have happened since my last post. Eliza is now 3 months, but wearing 6 months clothes, Aeden started nursery, I have lost 15 pounds, Ben has lost 10 pounds, We (as in Me and the kids) went to Florida to visit my sister and her family, saw AJ and Angie, celebrated my mom's 60th Birthday, celebrated my brother Jed's birthday, met Eliza and Aeden's new cousin Eva, saw an Alligator and lots of dolphins and yes, they were in the wild. We miss all of our family and friends. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment. We love you.

Biggest Looser Competition!

My sister and I are starting a Biggest Looser Competition!! If you are wanting to join our group, let me know. We start on Monday, August 24!! There will be a $10 donation for every contestant and the winner will take all!!