March Gladness

This March, as would be expected, the Dixon Family is glad about three things: 1) Forest's birthday, 2) leprechauns, and 3) NCAA basketball brackets.

1) Forest's Birthday

I am not a basketball player. But I can organize basketball players and bribe them with donuts. For one of Forest's birthday gifts I planned to surprise him with a game of four-on-four to play in that morning. Unfortunately, ALL of us were surprised by the "Do Not Enter" signs on the gym doors where the game was supposed to happen--the wood floors had just been refinished, and ball players were not allowed. Thankfully, these men were all good sports and found an outdoor court nearby to play on. There was still snow on the ground, but the sun was just warm enough that they all worked up a good sweat by the end (as well as an appetite for donuts).

The first year I met Forest, I made him a sticky, lopsided birthday cake and put 25 candles on it. Then I took this picture of him:

This year I made him a slightly less lopsided chocolate cake and put 35 candles on it. Then I took this picture of him:

I'm not sure what he was wishing as he blew out the candles on each of those cakes, but I'm glad I got to be there both times and all the times in between.

Paula was glad to get some chocolate cake.

2) Leprechauns

Sometime during my childhood I got this funny T-shirt that says: "All My Best Friends are Leprechauns." For some reason, I still have it, and for some reason, it still fits. For St. Patrick's Day, I put it on, and my three little girls put one some green, too.

Ramona and Mika also decorated a special house for the Leprechaun to come and visit. Ramona left a note on it that said: "Dear Leprcon, Did you like are haws? Love Ramona"

She also left a tiny green baby hat in there as the Leprechaun's bed. To avoid confusion, she wrote "bed" with an arrow.

Dinner that night was clam chowder with green food coloring . . .

. . . and green grapes. Or "bapies," as Paula calls them.

3) NCAA Basketball Brackets
After dinner, it was time to finish up some brackets.

Ramona and Mika loved taking turns helping Paula make her picks.

For their champion mascots, Ramona picked the leprechaun and Mika and Paula each picked a bulldog. They haven't paid too much attention to the actual basketball tournament since then, but they have been kind enough to share the TV with Daddy so he can watch a few games.

By the way, my best friends are not really leprechauns. But I still feel pretty lucky, anyway.

Am I Dreaming?

I have recently experienced a sudden increase in productivity related to household tasks: cleaning, organizing, and even (*gasp*) decorating. It reminds me of the times when I was 8-9 months pregnant and wildly preparing the house for a new arrival--I always got so much done in those "nesting" months.

My behavior now seems almost like "reverse nesting." I have weaned my baby, she's more or less sleeping through the night, and I feel less tied down. As lovely as it is to have a little baby in our home, that first year of childcare is so exhausting. A lot of the time I felt like an overworked, under-fueled machine, barely functional enough to keep the baby and other children alive.

Now that Paula has gained more independence (like walking!) she requires a different kind of attention, but overall my responsibilities seem easier. I feel a lot more human and a little more ambitious--I'm ready to tackle some of the clutter and dust piled up during the past year. Time to finally hang up some curtains, switch out some furniture, pack away the baby stuff, and purge the closet (at last my body has settled on a pants size).

I'm sure it is a short-lived phase. But it's helping my house look a little prettier, while it lasts.

family room

front living room

I have also recently experienced an increase in cello students. A few months after we moved to Timnath, I picked up three students. Two of those students are still in my studio, and now I've added nine more. I must be out of my mind, allowing this small business to blossom out of the zoo that is my house, but somehow it is working out, and bringing me a huge measure of joy and satisfaction. As if I didn't get enough of that from church service, orchestra, and the residents at my zoo, right?

As I come up on the thirty-year mark of my life, I feel so grateful for all I've been given and all who have helped me get to where I am. I really am living my dream.

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!