Ivy meets Forest

Ten years ago today I was in Champaign, Illinois, in a tiny coffee shop at a tiny table with a giant book in  front of me. It was basically a blizzard outside, and my eyes kept wandering toward the whiteness out the front window and toward the clock on an adjacent wall. I tried to look busy with the giant book and the glass of herbal tea beside me, but what I was really doing was waiting. Waiting for Forest.

I wasn't sure why I was sitting there, waiting for him. All I knew was that for a nearly a month I could not shake a very compelling feeling that I was supposed to talk to him. This feeling was so unrelenting that I could not ignore it, and finally I sent this rather abrupt email, out of the blue:

     Hi Forest,

        Sorry to be so sudden, but can I talk with you sometime?

    From

    Ivy

He was sure to be puzzled by it. He barely knew who I was, except that I was one of the activity planners at church who sometimes did music-y things. I barely knew who he was except that he was the painfully shy masters student who always sat in the back row. I'm not even sure how I had his email address, as there were very few instances where we would have been in touch previously.

Despite the cryptic nature of the message, however, he was gracious enough to reply:

     Ivy,

 Sure, no problem. Let me know when you want to. My number is xxx-xxxx in case you dont have it. Talk to you later,

     Forest

So I called him. I probably sounded pretty serious on the phone--all business. Partly because I was terrified, partly because I didn't want to sound like an overly anxious boyfriend-seeker. 

What WAS I doing, anyway? Just blindly following that feeling in my gut. That feeling that came even stronger when I knelt to pray at night. Was there a reason for that? Was Someone trying to tell me something? That All-Knowing Someone to whom I turned daily for divine direction and guidance? Was this a spiritual prompting of some kind? Or was I subconsciously crushing on a guy I hardly knew?

These questions kept spinning in my mind as I sat waiting in that coffee shop, in the middle of a snow storm. 

Finally, he walked through the door and sat down in front of me. I felt nervous and awkward, still having no answers to all of those questions and uncertain how to justify our visit. Somehow, the conversation happened, anyway, and gradually I relaxed. His blue eyes appeared pierce and searching, but he never once asked the specific reason for our meeting. An hour and a half went by. We were still talking at that tiny table in that tiny coffee shop, and the snow was still coming down on Green Street. My questions were still unanswered, but that feeling in my gut felt a little less like nausea. I felt strangely at peace.

Upon discovering that I had walked there from my dorm, Forest offered me a ride home. He dropped me off and both of us went on with our days, as usual--although one of my dorm-mates, upon seeing me in the hallway, noted that I looked unusually happy.

That little coffee shop is long, gone, now. It went by a different name for a while, until eventually it just became an extension of the Irish pub that used to be a couple of doors down.

Still, memories of that spot and that time in my life are still around. They were especially vibrant when Forest and I were back in Champaign just a few weeks ago, sneaking a date into our great Illinois adventure. It was just the two of us, back on our old stomping grounds. Dinner at Radio Maria, a freezing cold walk around the quad and by our engagement photo tree, some mugs of hot chocolate at Espresso Royale by the music building, a quick jaunt to the roof of Krannert Center. My appendages felt frozen, but my heart felt warm remembering the setting where our story began.

The next morning we went for another walk, this time around the Engineering side of campus. Forest's old building was still standing.

And Alma Mater was polished and updated--much less green than it was during our time there.

We jokingly wondered if we could still pass as grad students, strolling campus. It's funny, when we were in grad school we were so eager to be done with it, and while I am happy to have moved on, it's mostly just the sweet memories of that time that remain.

The day after I met Forest at that Green Street Coffeehouse, I got this email from him:

I realized then that maybe there was a reason why I was supposed to talk to him. Ten years later, I am still learning more reasons why it was so important for us to be together. Thanks for writing me back, Forest. <3

Friends, Family, and Farewell to 2014

Of course, we didn't do an entire road trip to Illinois just to see a basketball game--we packed in plenty of time with family and friends as well. While at Jii and Baachan's house, my high school bestie Britt was awesome enough to drop by for a visit. 

My Okaasan, Britt, me, and Paula (holding an ancient dinosaur that used to belong to me)

The next day we made it to my childhood church building where I saw several familiar faces as well. But first we took some pictures of us:

On Monday we spent our family time doing some of this:

Three princesses riding the carriage (which has been around since I was a kid)

. . . and some of this:

Mika playing with my old tea set (in style)

Although we didn't get to see Grandma on this trip (she was in Arizona) we did get to visit Great-Grandma Rosanne in the nursing home. When we got there, she was in the cafeteria waiting for lunch to be served. She wasn't expecting us--hopefully it was a pleasant surprise.

Once we got to Paca and Teresa's house, the place was generally bustling with friends and relatives celebrating the end of 2014 and the beginning of 2015. But Forest and the girls did get some quiet time in the woods down by the river with Paca.

Mika and Ramona with Cousin Ella

They also got some time to make cinnamon raisin rolls . . .

 . . . and sample the raisins.

On New Year's Eve, Forest and Ramona got a daddy/daughter date in Springfield when he took her to see a performance by Kristen Nelson (our Kristen Stoddard). They even enjoyed some fireworks and ice cream afterward.

New Year's Day was celebrated with Papa Dels Pizza.

Paula had her first taste of Papa Dels and kept asking for more.

That day we also got to meet baby Joni, Gavin and Kristen's little bundle.

Ramona adored her tiny toes.

2015 was off to a very good start with relaxing on the couch . . .

. . . relaxing on the rug . . .

. . . and relaxing with mugs of hot chocolate. All with some very fine company.

On January second it was time to load up the car and drive home. The car ride back TO Colorado was considerably more bearable that the car ride FROM Colorado. Let's do a comparison:

FROM Colorado:
- stretches of road with ice and snow
- a baby who refused to nap in her car seat and eventually got so worked up she threw up on herself
- 4 poopy diapers
- Febreze purchased from a gas station to try and cover up the stench
- 2 Happy Meals with fairy toys
- spilled milk
- "Frozen" DVD
- a faucet-like nose on my face, which I resorted to mopping up with paper towels because I misplaced my tissues
- 17 hours total travel time

TO Colorado:
- clear roads
- a baby who agreed to take four short naps in her car seat and only threw mild fits (none of which involved vomit)
- a baby who just learned how to play "peek-a-boo" by covering up her face, then emerging triumphantly to say: "Dashee!" ("There she is!")
- 2 poopy diapers
- 2 Happy Meals with fairy toys
- spilled milk
- "Frozen" DVD
- a box of Kleenex with aloe, only occasionally used
- 15 hours total travel time

"Where's Paula?"

"There she is!"

Happy New Year!

Illini Cheer

A couple of  Decembers ago, when Mika was a baby, our little family spent some time with friends and family in Illinois. On the itinerary was an Illini basketball game in Champaign--tickets were purchased and Illini apparel was selected as well. Unfortunately, just a few days before the game, our entire family was struck with the dreaded stomach flu (I blame the Decatur Children's Museum), so none of us made it to the much-anticipated game. We haven't been back there for the holidays ever since.

This year I suggested to Forest that we get back at the stomach flu by trying once again to attend an Illini basketball game over winter break. This time, however, we planned for the game at the beginning of the itinerary rather than in the middle, in hopes that we would be less likely to contract an out-of-state virus before the game. I ended up bringing the residue of my Colorado upper-respiratory virus with me to the game, but thankfully I was able to keep it to myself (perhaps it was the half bottle of hand sanitizer I used in the car) and every one of us made it to Champaign the night of the game.

After getting some noodles for dinner and some over-sized T-shirts for Ramona and Mika (the racks were pretty picked-over), we found a parking spot near Assembly Hall and plugged a movie into the DVD player in hopes that Paula could get some beauty sleep before the game. After she (finally) caught a 30-minute snooze, we anxiously headed toward the entrance doors. Pep band music streamed out as herds of orange and blue fans streamed in. We hiked almost all the way to the top of the bleachers to find our seats (much to the disapproval of Forest, whose seniority once earned him season tickets all the way down on the court).

Ramona was old enough at this point to appreciate what was going on in the game, and enthusiastic enough to cheer for several home team baskets.

Mika, on the other hand, quickly became bored with basketball and was always looking for excuses to leave her seat. I spent most of the game taking Mika to the restroom as a result, but was quite thrilled to NOT be dealing with any tantrums or vomit instead.

Paula seemed generally pleased with the situation (thanks to that half-hour nap) and won lots of smiles for her on-cue clapping.

Overall a successful family outing--the end of which is most accurately summed up in one word: Blowout. For two reasons, one more pleasant than the other: 1) The final score ended up being 45-93, Illini, 2) On the car ride back to Jii and Baachan's house, Paula blew out her diaper badly enough to damage her already rancid car seat. No amount of Febreze could cover up its sorry state--we took it in that night and gave it much-needed wash. Paula got a good scrubbing as well, then finally let Forest and me go to bed at about 2am.

It was beyond exhausting, but now I can look back with satisfaction knowing that we fulfilled one of our little family dreams and made it to an Illinois basketball game together. Go Illini!

Giving and Getting, part II

We tried a new activity with our family this year that may or may not stick as a full-fledged tradition. Instead of having the girls spend their chore money at the Mommy Store on items for themselves, I had them take turns choosing gifts for each other at the seasonal Mommy Christmas Store. We exchanged these on Chistmas Eve and Forest read Paula, Mika, and Ramona each a special letter he wrote just for them.

Ramona picked out spoons for Paula, swim goggles for Mika, and maple syrup for Daddy.

Mika was so excited when she realized what the swim goggles were. She picked out toothpaste for Paula, a pony for Ramona, and deodorant for Daddy (as you can see, nothing too extravagant is stocked at the Mommy Store).

Paula picked out a pony for Mika, a cardigan for Ramona, and all the girls gave daddy some framed family photos to decorate his cubicle.

I loved seeing how excited the girls got through the process and hope it helped them see how fun it can be to give. I also hope it helped all of us appreciate each other more.

On Christmas morning, I warned the girls that our taking-away-toys-for-the-day-if-there-are-any-fights-or-tantrums-policy was in full force, and was pleased that I never had to follow through on the consequences of this policy that entire day.

Everyone was happy for each other about gifts received, there was gratitude, and even some sharing. Between all of that and the delightfully magical ages of our children this year, it felt like one of our more successful Christmases thus far. If only I didn't have to spend it with the cold I caught from Ramona, which she probably caught from her class Christmas party. With my snout rubbed raw from tissue wipes and body achy and sore, I felt like Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer after a working a long night in the arctic air.

Still, I was happy to have Christmas tasks completed and the children contentedly playing while Forest and I rapidly packed up the van for our road trip the following day.

 Photos requested by Grandma: Girls in their P.J.'s.

Merry Christmas! Hooray for the Season of Giving.