Pumpkins & Peer Pressure

Our Halloween was fun. We started the day out with some yummy pumpkin pancakes. I also attempted to sew Ian’s costume and decided against a frog and opted instead for Little Sprout, which is the Jolly Green Giant’s sidekick. I figured we would do all we can to get Ian’s peers to eat their vegetables! The costume turned out pretty well. Next year I may opt for something a bit more daring... any ideas? Email us!

Feelings of Nostalgia

Ian’s first birthday triggered some poignant emotions in me. I awoke that day remembering the morning he was born, at 6:11 a.m., with surprising clarity. As time goes by, memories of the physical pains of childbirth lessen (or so I’ve heard), but mine stay quite acute! My theory is that God designed the passage of a human being into this world for a reason, and considering humanity and our tendency to take what we haven’t earned for granted, it seems to make sense. It is shameful enough to take a bed, a book, or even a car for granted... but a human being? That is something I never want to be accused of. So I reflect on Ian’s first day in this world with overwhelming gratitude, to be multiplied each day he is in our blessed lives.

Slaying My Monster

One of my ambitious goals for the summer I failed to achieve when I realized I had incorrectly analyzed the amount of time and effort it would take to accomplish this goal. I intended to study and master all 15 of Bach’s two- and three-part inventions. These are, to a pianist, the building blocks of a solid repertoire. Bach originally wrote them for his pupils to prepare them for his master works, such as “The Well-Tempered Clavichord.” Whether in Bach’s century or ours, assiduous practice of these inventions are the key to rising above mediocrity in regards to developing technique and musical taste. What I love about these pieces is how “busy” they are, training the formerly lazy left hand to keep up with the right hand, technically and otherwise! Usually the right hand gets to play the melody, but Bach is of the opinion that the left should get its share of limelight as well. And nothing has challenged me to play contrasting articulation as much as my beloved Bach. So my new goal is to accomplish these pieces before the close of 2006. It is important to achieve a goal, but even more importantly...to achieve it with excellence.

Day in Duluth

Labor day 2006 was spent in good company. Rachel, Liz’s sister, was visiting from Eugene Oregon and we piled in the car to take a short, sweet road trip to Duluth. Ian prefers crawling and ripping up his storybooks to spending a few hours in the car, and we have yet to figure out that one. So we hooked up with some friends of ours who are small group pastors at Hillside Church in Duluth for lunch at a Mexican joint called Little Angie’s Cantina, which is highly recommended (get the fajitas). They led us around town to an impressive overlook called Enger Tower, where our eyes feasted on the marvels of the massive body of water called Lake Superior. We were able to tour their church location, which is housed in a gym with a separate skate park downstairs. It was really something! Thanks to Nick and Jessica for their hospitality.

99 CIVIC

Out with the old, in with the new! Or in our case, out with the new and in with the old. Yes, folks... we swapped our new car for a dependable 1999 Honda Civic. Tom & I think that the longevity of a Honda automobile is its most attractive attribute. We did our share of used car shopping. Private party, dealers, classifieds, you name it! All in all, I think we drove close to twenty cars and called on quite a few more. Tom was sure he would "just know" when he had driven the right one. Buying a car ought not be taken lightly since there are so many greenbacks involved! It was a lengthy process, but God had the right car waiting. She runs like a dream and the price tag is even nicer. And with only 100,000 miles, we figure we will be able to take more than a few road trips! (But we're still holding out for that Audi S4 Avant wagon when we have our millions)

Ian’s First Sauna

Friday, August 11th was a monumental day in our son's upbringing. He experienced a sauna for the first time. Not a subdued, lukewarm hotel sauna mind you. It was a stoking hot Finnish sauna! We prepared a little bathtub, scrubbed him clean and rinsed him off in the lake, just like all the grownups do! Keeping him on the ground kept the temperature low while the adults sit on the high bench, taking advantage of the billows of hot steam coming straight from the rocks on the wood stove. The Upper Peninsula has over 100,000 Finns, which makes up probably a fourth of the entire population, and is actually the highest concentration of Finnish people in the country. My mom grew up immersed in this culture! Ian's first sauna is especially memorable for me because I grew up taking them every summer at Helen Lake when we came to visit Grandma Pearl.

Jeremy Enigk

Even with recent cutbacks in the household budget (see Tom's blog), my husband still knows how to show a lady a good time. We dropped Ian off with Aunt Katie (his favorite Minnesota aunt) and he "kidnapped" me and took me to a live show. "No big deal," you may say, but if you are thinking that thought, I can tell you aren't a parent. It is a well-established fact that babies sleep... a lot. And typically, they go to bed rather early. So that means that mom & dad are home early most (if not every) night! Needless to say, my last concert was prior to mommyhood. So it was a blessed event! It's been awhile since I tolerated music at that decibel, as well. Thanks to Tom for taking me to the most amazing show ever! It's not every day we get to see Jeremy Enigk live. And if we can't see Sunny Day Real Estate, then this is the next best thing!!

Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine's Day! (dad, thanks for the card)

We had a fun day in the Poch household. I received some beautiful spring tulips from my hubby, and Ian and I spent some of our afternoon making homemade cards for our Tom. For dinner the three of us grabbed a bite at an Italian Restaurant called Maggiano's. We found a great deal where you get a salad, two pasta dishes, an entree and dessert for the table for only $10.95 a person, as long as you come in between 3 and 5:30. So our dinner was appropriately early, since lately our little guy has been going to sleep sooner. We rounded out the evening with the movie Robots (and couldn't stop chuckling), along with a healthy amount of chocolate dipped strawberries. Hope your holiday was grand!