Merry Christmas 2014!

Instead of making copies of our Christmas letter this year and mailing them all, or creating a new site to capture the year, we're listing here some of the highlights so you can get caught up, and dive in more where you like, to learn more about our year.

courtesy Glenn Cook Photography

Our year involved tearing out the master bathroom for a major renovation, but six weeks later it looked better than we had imagined it could. Up next: the kitchen? The kids' bathroom? Our annual ski trip with the Scouts to Canaan Valley was in February, and then in August we flew out West, the kids' first visit someplace west of West Virginia, for a very full experience of Nevada, California and a little of Oregon. We also had a nice weekend in a cabin at Deep Creek Lake in October with our Fergie, who passed a set of milestones this year. Not only was it her first "puppiversary," or a year after we got her, but in June came the time when (we estimate) she had spent more of her life with us than before--I guess that means she's found her Forever Home. She turned three in October, and kept wryly amusing us with her antics throughout the year. Our puppums is a happy doggie and has attached herself quite firmly to Mary lately.

If you look up the address for South County Middle School in the Fairfax County tax records, you will see that yes, in fact, Sarah *does* own the school. She's having a wonderful time as an eighth grader in Advanced Academics, as a Peer Helper at school, playing guitar, doing Girls on Track, and (most recently) being elected the school's Vice President. She rejoined Girl Scouts with her friends, with whom she is surrounded most of her free time. In the summer she had her second mission trip with Jeremiah Project, which she really enjoyed and which has her thinking of going as a counsellor someday.

The theme for the year with David was "adolescence," the one-foot-in-one-foot-out nature of being a high school junior. He earned his driver's permit this year, and is making slow progress in learning to drive--it's just not a huge priority for him to do, which baffles his parents. His burgeoning leadership was recognized in the winter when his Scout troop elected him its Senior Patrol Leader, and he took the first  (quite halting) steps into the world of girls and dating. But by far, his biggest adventures were a weeklong mission trip to Costa Rica in the summer, and beginning the great college hunt--with visits to William and Mary (two stories to tell there), Berkeley, U of Arizona, and his current #1 choice, Arizona State. Where will he end up? Tune in next year!

Mary celebrated her tenth anniversary with American Bankruptcy Institute this year, and accompanied Sarah on her Girl Scout troop's visit to New York City in the fall. Eric remains in Finance Division at the FBI, although at the end of the year is beginning a six-month rotation to work temporarily in Procurement instead of Budget, a new adventure. In the summer, he had a much-appreciated chance to spend a week at Harvard Business School, and is pursuing continuing ed into the new year. He's also still drumming, with Refresh at Sydenstricker UMC as well as with LifeSign at Burke UMC, loving every minute. This year he also began serving as the Chaplain of Boy Scout Troop 688, and will have a chance next summer to take a long walk in the desert with David--they both will be part of a dozen-strong crew hiking Philmont.

As 2014 fades, we hope it's been a good year for you and your family, and we pray for the light of the season to guide you throughout the new year. Join us here throughout 2015 for more of our adventures, and be sure to share your own--and stay in touch! We very much enjoyed the visits we had this year from Courtney, Naomi, Monica, Mom & Dad Tarrier, and many others…come back again!

Merry Christmas and Happy 2015 from us all!

Our 48-Pound Chicken

After turning three, and spending now more than half her life with us, I'd have thought Fergie would have become a bit more self-assured. But it turns out, we don't have just a dog, we have a 48-pound chicken living with us.

"What was that?" Our fearless defender. (Photo: Glenn Cook)

Today I had to come home to meet the furnace repairman (don't ask), and on the way home listened in on a conference call from the office. I got home and walked into the house, and was not greeted by a wagging tail--which, we've come to learn, means she's upstairs on our bed, where she likes to spend as much time as we let her get away with. I walked around for a couple of minutes, while the muted speakerphone carried the voices of my colleagues' discussion.

After a minute or two I heard a series of "wuff"s from upstairs. Fergie was clearly calling out to whoever was in her house, and vaguely challenging whomever it might be, but interestingly, not coming down herself to check on the situation. And I could tell something was up: these were not her full-throated barks that she reserves when people come to her front door. I headed upstairs.

I found our ferocious pup on the bed, tail wagging, but shaking and shivering as I've never seen her before. She was so afraid of these odd voices she heard in her house, she was so very scared. And I would say she was scared $#!tless, but that's not accurate. Instead, it was a dark spot on the bedspread that told me she'd actually been scared pee-less.

Aw, Fergie…

I comforted her, she settled down, she finally approved of the speakerphone, and I set about tidying up and readying the comforter for the dry cleaner's. I've said before, her ferocious growling and barking at strangers and other dogs probably is her way of trying to bluff her way through what is actually scaring her silly. It's sometimes cute how she tries to defend us; it's sometimes embarrassing when she does it to neighbors or contractors coming to the house. But it's pure Fergie, and lumps and all, soggy bedspreads and all, I think we'll keep her.

Happy Birthday Fergie!

When we adopted Fergie in February 2013, we knew she had been a stray for at least some time, so there was no paperwork saying with certainty what her birthday is. They estimated at the time that she was about 17 months old, based on her size and what teeth had come in, so we've used October 1, 2011, as her birthday. That makes her three years old as of yesterday.

Last night we had our "birthday party" for her. She had a "happy birthday" bone-shaped biscuit, which got pretty much devoured instantly. The kids had bought her new toys--a "sandwich" that comes in layers and squeaks, and a...thing, I can't really describe it, other than it's five soft rings on a soft post...kinda looks like the red one's supposed to be a tomato slice? In any event, the birthday girl had a wonderful time the whole rest of the evening, as you can see for yourself.


Before I play with any new toys, I have to honor my Lab roots and SHAKESHAKESHAKE it to make sure it's well and truly dead first!




These are MY toys! You may not have them!



I love love LOVE the squeaker in the middle of my "sandwich"!



I figured out how to get one of the rings off...now what happens if I do THIS?

Happy birthday to the Pums who makes our home an even better place. Many, many happy returns of the day!


Fergie's First Puppiversary

This weekend we celebrated our first puppiversary--one year ago February 9, we visited the Humane Society dog farm and brought home our Fergie.  In many ways it's hard to believe it's been a year already, and in many ways we're still coming to know each other as more dimensions of her personality come out.

The weekend began with an appointment at the doggie spa, for a bath and a nail trim, after which she received this neat black bandanna with pink Xs and Os for Valentines' Day.  But the real treats were on Sunday when she got her presents: a new tug-toy (a bottle of "Houndz Ketchup") and a replacement for her beloved Wubba.  As you can see, above, the new Wubba is a fast favorite and has already been swung with wild abandon.

By having been with us for a year, she's now lived more time with us than with either her first family or her time in the shelters.  By June, she'll have been with us more than those other two experiences put together.  And as time goes by, we see more of her emerge: the new vocalizations and the devotion.  It's been a year already; we can't wait to see what the future holds.

A Fergie By Any Other Name...

Fergie marks her first year with us next month, and in her first year with us, we've found a number of nicknames for her.  Our puppy-training instructor cautioned us to not wear out her name calling to her time and again, lest it lose its power.  We've certainly compensated with her nicknames:

• Puppums: (n)  I do remember Mom's cat got called Mr. Puddums for awhile, so I guess this just fit as the Fergie analogue.  It then led to…
• Pums: (n) the abbreviated form of "puppums."
• Flurfy: (adj) Some debate ensued as to whether she was "fluffy" or merely "furry."  Here's the compromise.  You have to say this in your best "Ehrmagherd!" voice: "Ehrmagherd! She's so flurfy!"
• Flurfy purpy: (adj + n) Her status as a flurfy young dog.  "Ehrmagherd! A flurfy purpy!"
• Happy puppy: (adj + n)Pretty self-evident when the full-body wag is on.
• Miss Pups:  (n) Rarer.  Used more when someone is bring snobby: "Oh, looks like Miss Pups is choosing to ignore her dinner tonight."
• Fergalicious: (adj) Of course this had to get used.  I don't favor it myself, but it has been used.  Sigh.

I'll keep adding to this as I think of others.

Canine Theology

This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to bring the message to the 8:30 service at our church, Sydenstricker UMC.  Somebody thought it would be a good idea to record it.  Silly.  Anyway, I talked about what our new dog has been teaching me about faith.  Give a listen, see what you think.

Fergie: The Q1 Report

It's been three months since the firm expanded and acquired new human capital...er, canine...and in the interests of keeping shareholders appraised of the status of the firm's latest strategic expansion, the following are offered on Fergie's first three months with us.

Consistent with expectations, Fergie is becoming more and more a team player, integrating into operations fairly seamlessly.  While she had some missteps, especially in the first few weeks, fortunately the rest of the firm did not misstep into her missteps frequently at all.  In fact, over the past month there have been vanishingly few incidents, as she is becoming more confident and capable of managing the independence expected of someone in her position, especially during the six hours each weekday that she's alone.  Evenings, she is most often found in conference with other members of the firm, usually in the family room watching TV; nights are on a rotation among three of the firm's four principals (the fourth tends to keep his door closed).

Fergie has displayed an intellectual capacity we had not fully expected, on several levels.  At a more cunning level, she has demonstrated the ability to pry open cupboards and pantry doors left insufficiently closed, as well as the intellectual curiosity to want to explore all that lies behind those formerly closed portals.  Sometimes the results are amusing, other times more annoying.  However, at a higher level her intellectual curiosity manifests itself in her love of books.  Several occasions she has selected a book from one of our bookshelves and simply devoured it.  While her desire for self-improvement is appreciated, the resulting "book reviews" she creates are not.

One area of growth remains manners around others not of the firm, where she is capable of displaying almost animal-like aggression on occasion, necessitating a quick, impromptu performance review session.  This seems most pronounced among other canines she may encounter, and the occasional moth, for some unknown reason.  However, her essential mien remains one of welcome, as long as the proper amount of scritches are applied strategically.

Into the second quarter, we continue to anticipate further growth and development, while maintaining her healthy 46-pound bottom line.  Simultaneously, we expect further refinement in performance as conditions continue to improve and integration becomes more and more complete.

Meet Fergie!

The first of the big changes of 2013 has come about: on Saturday, February 9, our family grew by one (and four paws), when Fergie came home with us from the Fairfax County Humane Society.  Here's Sarah with our girl out at the HSFC farm:

After months of "I wanna puppy" and talking about how things would be different, that morning we went out to meet the dogs and especially Fergie, whom we'd seen online and who looked like a sweetie.  She greeted us very warmly right away, with a whipping tail that showed how happy she was to see us.  We met one other dog that day, but kept coming back in our hearts to Fergie.  We were so happy to be able to take her home with us that day.

Fergie is about two, maybe two-and-a-half years old, a blend of black lab and what looks like doberman in her face, maybe some pit bull in her eyes, and a touch of boxer in her stance, and brindle-brown down her legs and muzzle with a white chest and a couple of white toes.  She was found as a stray down in Page County on July 31, 2012, and taken to the Page County Humane Society, where she received her current name.  She was clearly someone's pet, because when they took her to the vet for a checkup and to be spayed, they found she was already fixed.  Additionally, she knows how to "sit" and was (nominally) housebroken.  Page County's is a kill shelter, but they hung onto her, knowing she was something special; but in December they ran out of room and asked Fairfax to take her.  Someone's apparent loss is our most certain gain.

She has a lot of her puppy energy sometimes, and loves playing fetch and tug of war; her "lab" side comes out in how she has to shakeshakeshake every toy to make sure it's well and thoroughly dead.  However, she also has a cuddly side, and will settle in with you on the couch to watch TV and just be scritched.  We're learning more sides of her personality all the time; she snores; she can play-bite and roughhouse, and then be just a puppy-eyed charmer (now who wouldn't want to take this face home?):

We're all learning to adapt to having her with us: there have been "accidents," and we have to master the fact that even when it's pouring, Fergie needs to go out.  She also displays some "leash aggression," growling or barking at other dogs while she's on her leash (but plays well in off-leash, apparently, according to HSFC).  We also wonder if the crate and the basement were the "bad dog" places at her former house: she won't stay in her crate willingly, and while she'll run up and down our main stairs, she will not go down to the basement no matter who or how many of us are down there.

We start dog-training (really, people-training) on March 2 with her, and we hope to reach our mutual levels of comfort and routine shortly.  Our lives have certainly been changed--it's almost like having a new toddler in the house again--but look into those eyes and tell me it's not worth it?

There's Gonna Be Some Changes

Twenty-odd years ago, a good friend and I would greet each New Year's with the same promise: this year, we said, "there's gonna be some changes."  One year it was when I got married; another year, she promised she was going to get a new job.  The dreams of each new year sounded big, and impressive, and maybe just a little scary at their immensity.

The first 31 days of 2013 suggest the old trope will actually be coming true this year: there's gonna be some changes, in 2013.  As the shine of New Year's resolutions fades and we confront in February the gritty realities of the year to come, there's still quite an extensive list of things we're planning to do this year:

• Tomorrow we go to visit the Fairfax County Humane Society's dog farm and look at doggies.  After months of "I wanna puppy I wanna puppy I wanna puppy," we're actually going to do it.  We've bought the food and water dishes and baby gates (to mark off space in the house so Doggy can get used to it gradually instead of Whoomp all at once), and we have our eye on one dog we're hoping to meet and who might come home with us later in the month.
• In mid-January Mary and I went to the Home and Remodeling Expo and began, formally, the process of spending tens of thousands of dollars.  The hope is to be able to redo the master bathroom and some portion of the kitchen; we've already contracted with one outfit do redo Sarah's and the master closets, and we've already met with three contractors (fourth is coming up) to see what they can do and how large a bag of money we'd need to come up with.  But one way or another, one room or another (if not both) will be done in 2013.
• After years of inaction, we're beginning to redo the living room: scrapbooking supplies are moving to the rec room, which brings us to...after years of inaction, work (of a sort) is starting on the train set, too!  I'm making the executive decision that some parts of the train won't ever be set up, and so I'm repurposing parts for later use.  The scrapping station will go where those unused train set parts are stored.
• I bought myself my own drum kit, which is now also ensconced in the rec room.
• And, perhaps inspired during my time at Harvard last month, I have started some writing projects, one of which I want to see through in the coming year.

And that's only the first 31 days! May the good starts begun in January bear fruit throughout the year and into the years to come...