Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Class of 2001


Class of 2001
Originally uploaded by jmsmall2005.
"Our Trip to Idaho," Part 2. We left McCall and drove down the mountain, straight to Nampa and the campus of Northwest Nazarene University. There we donned nametags and shared hugs (and introductions of spouses) with my old college cronies. I must confess, I'd been looking forward to our five-year reunion for quite a while, and we had a great time. It was fun to see old friends and reconnect with people with whom I'd spent four significant years of my life. I loved the moment when, watching "Grandma Dave" take to the drums just as he did many times starting our freshman year, Amanda turned to me and said, "Yep, it's still funny."

After our reunion lunch we spent some time catching up with old friends--cheering on the basketball team at the homecoming game, discovering new coffee shops in Nampa, drinking tea and eating at Red Robin, adding to the collection of "Senate Pictures" and dissecting "Tess" during our "reunion bookclub," confessing that I've been reading other people's blogs, and reliving ridiculous memories. I've said this before, but it is so wonderful to discover that you still connect with people you knew in a past life.

Thanksgiving at the Cabin


The Family in the Prow
Originally uploaded by jmsmall2005.
Our most recent trip out west will have to be spread over a couple entries. According to our pictures (again, posted at the right), we should have a separate entry simply entitled "Cole," as he is the subject of about 90% of the pictures. I blame Granny, who stole my camera for a while. And Cole, for being the most adorable creature on earth.

We have added a few people to the family this year, and after all the hoopla and chaos settled down it seemed like Thanksgiving was a good time to take stock of things and, basically, count off. So we packed up, shipped out, and landed at the new cabin for a week of being together...in a calmer sense than we have all year.

The cabin, of course, is beautiful. It was like a dream come true to have us all there and all healthy (yes, it's been that kind of year). We had a really relaxing few days centered around Cole, and then the aunts, uncles, and cousins joined us for a festive Thanksgiving celebration. Deee-lish! This was my first Thanksgiving home this millenium, and I enjoyed every bite. And the leftovers.

As we curled up on couches with our full bellies Thanksgiving night, snow was falling softly outside the windows. I wished we could have stayed just one more day, but on Friday morning, Jason and I packed up to head to Nampa for the long-awaited five year reunion of NNU's Class of 2001...

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Shutting Down Shop

Strangely, I find it hard to believe that this long ride with Team Otter is coming to an end. Today Congressman Otter cast his last votes in the U.S. House of Representatives. As he begins his tenure as the 32nd governor of the great state of Idaho, the rest of us are packing up shop and preparing to take a dive out of the nest--for most of us, this is the first real job we've held.

To mark the end of things, today the boss took the staff on a highly-coveted tour of the Capitol Dome. We got up close and personal with the Apotheosis of Washington and became intimately reacquainted with our fear of heights! DC law ensures that the Capitol remains the tallest building in Washington, so we had a spectacular view, despite the lingering haze from the morning. It has been an honor to work for this boss and a pleasure to work with these people. They have been my family here for the past five years, and I can't help feeling a little homesick when I think that we only have a couple days left together...

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Someone This Way Flies!


IMG_0790
Originally uploaded by jmsmall2005.

Another flight to and from Idaho--but this time it was Mom and Dad coming our way instead of us going theirs! They stayed with us last weekend, and we had a wonderful time--a few touristy things, like the International Spy Museum (Missy's pick for Favorite DC Spot), the National Portrait Gallery (recently reopened, and turns out there's a reason they named the metro stop "Gallery Place"), and George Washington's home at Mount Vernon. Just a few weeks ago the new interpretive center and museum at Mount Vernon opened up, and we closed the place down on Saturday...and made ourselves hungry enough to eat a buffalo. We also went to a Caps game and just hung around some. Though Mom has made a habit of visiting me a couple times a year, recent family events have made it impossible for her to come since she was here with Grams and Gramps last November...and it's been years since Dad was here. It was wonderful to have them, and I must confess that, even though we will see them next Friday as we wing our way back west for Thanksgiving, I was a little sad to drop them off at the airport.

I am currently enjoying the first day of a delightfully long weekend. With the election behind us, my colleagues and I spent yesterday tossing papers. I think I filled the first dumpster by myself, throwing away five years of work (turns out I'm quite a paper rat, and an old intern stopped by yesterday to say hi and bemoaned that all the filing she'd done for me two years ago was sitting in the bottom of said dumpster). When I told Jason last night that I felt like I was afraid nothing would be left to show for my time in the Otter office, he suggested that I write my name on the wall--"Missy: 2001-2006." A thought... Now that Team Otter is actually moving on, after months of treading water, I am getting ready to move on too. Actually, I really should get moving on my novel, but unfortunately I decided to read all six Harry Potter novels again before I started. I finished book six a couple days ago, but I still find that when I close my eyes I am really at Hogwarts...

note: Jason really was part of this weekend, despite the picture. Blogger has refused to attach additional pictures to this entry, so go look at our flickr album for a more complete visual recounting. Sorry Jason!

Monday, November 06, 2006

Look who's going to Grad School!


Admission Letter
Originally uploaded by jmsmall2005.
I am pleased to report that Missy received her admission letter to George Mason University's Master of Arts in English program, with a concentration in Professional Writing and Editing. GMU is in nearby Fairfax, VA, about 11 miles from our home, and classes start in late January. There was never a doubt in my mind that Missy would be admitted -- she certainly has an exceptional writing style as often evidenced on this blog -- and I can certainly play the boastful husband. The best part is that as a Virginia resident, she qualifies for the much discounted "in-state tuition" rate, which make me think I paid way too much for my graduate education. I suppose now we might become GMU Patriot fans, which as those of you who follow NCAA action will remember, turned out a surprising yet stunning performance during last year's March Madness. Now if only the Redskins could play to inspire ...