::{ Deluge }::

WARNING: If you don't like pictures - lots of pictures - do not proceed.

This is my last ditch effort to document our summer adventures someplace other than on our external hard drive since school has started and life is already crazy busy.

So here you go, a glimpse into said adventures to carry you through the months of May to September.

INDIANA UNIVERSITY

Home of the Hoosiers.  I don't think the pictures do this campus justice - it is exquisite.  However, in the name of full disclosure, I'm glad I was only there for two months rather than for two (or more) years for a graduate degree.  The campus?  Awesome.  Bloomington?  Not so awesome.  The city itself is tiny and I think I would feel claustrophobic if it was my permanent residence.  But, like I said, the campus is stunning...

Lilly Library

Some of the grounds

Scenes like this are found all over the campus

A building I walked by every day on my way to class (my building...not so pretty)

The main entry to the University looking out onto a street in downtown Bloomington

Steve and Bug came to visit one weekend, so we headed to Nashville and went on a pretty hike in Brown County

Seeing the sights in downtown Nashville (Indiana, not Tennessee).

Showing Steve and Bug around campus.

I hope we end up somewhere where the soil is good for hydrangeas.  They're some of my favorites.

"It's nine o'clock on a Saturday..."

VISITORS

Steve's parents came in June, and we loved having them here.  We wanted to take them somewhere new, so we decided to show them Hocking Hills State Park.

Beautiful people, beautiful scenery!

Teaching the Bug how to skip rocks.  Steve skipped, Ainsley chucked.

Familia!

AJ loved spending time with her grandparents.

No comment.

We felt compelled to introduce Bug to lemons while she had an audience.  She didn't love it, but we sure did!  If you haven't seen the youtube video of one-year-olds tasting lemons, YOU MUST WATCH IT!

VACATION

The Irvine clan met up in Pennsylvania in July to take part in the 150th anniversary of the Civil War battle at Gettysburg.  We decided to break up the drive and spent a day in Pittsburgh before joining the rest of my family.  Steve is the travel guide for these jaunts and he found an awesome building that we spent a few hours exploring on the University of Pittsburgh campus called the Cathedral of Learning.  It's hard to explain, but each room represents a different nation, and each room's decoration reflects their culture, heritage, history, etc.  These are working classrooms too, which we thought was pretty cool.

This is the Hungarian room.

And the room representing India (one of my favorites).

This building is located across the quad from the cathedral of learning.  I liked the architecture (Gothic) so I thought I'd share.  =)

The other must-do in Pittsburgh was to take a ride up the Pittsburgh Incline and see the lookout over the Monongahela river.  Three rivers converge here, and we thought the sight was pretty spectacular.  Pittsburgh has one of the more colorful downtowns we've come across.  We bet the Autumn leaves would look phenomenal against this backdrop.

We took a small detour on our way to Gettysburg to see the Flight 93 memorial in Stonycreek Township.  It was....somber.  You see it, but you still can't really comprehend it - at least that's how it was for me.  I was in NYC two weeks after 9/11 and even though I saw smoke, dust, debris lingering on the air, and the wreckage (from the distant boundaries), I still couldn't wrap my mind around what happened.  This memorial, however, is a beautiful tribute to the lives that were lost.  This walkway wraps around the flight path, and the line of trees you see in the distance is the farthest boundary line of the plane wreckage.

The passenger's names mark each segment of the stone memorial.  The names have been colored in black, as you see above, and some of the names also contain their titles (not colored, just carved into the stone) like the captain, the flight attendants, etc.  One of the passengers was pregnant, and they mentioned the unborn child beneath the mother's name.

I didn't really have a good concept of what exactly happened on Flight 93, but it is remarkable what the passengers and crew did when they figured out what was happening in a very short amount of time.  The panels at the memorial were informative and touching, but not over-the-top.

We made it to Gettysburg, and enjoyed listening to talks by Union and Confederate generals and soldiers when we weren't watching the battle reenactments.  Here we have the actor playing General Robert E. Lee on the right.

A taste of the battle preparation.

It was smokin' hot, in case you couldn't tell from our sweaty faces and red cheeks.

We were all a bit surprised that Bug LOVED the cannons!  She wasn't phased at all by them (we thought she'd be freaked out), and we were sitting fifty feet away from them.  She's a champ.

SUMMER FUN CLOSE TO HOME

Bug finally experienced splash pads this summer.  She was too little last year to get anything out of them, but she had a blast this year.  The water was frigid, but she still loved getting soaking wet.

Bug's favorite activity is pushing anything and everything around the house.  For the sake of our ears one lovely afternoon we decided to take the noise outside.  We're also trying to cure AJ of her fear of the (real) vacuum, so we figured a little fun would go a long way.

We found Bug like this one afternoon and laughed.....and then cried.

FESTIVALS

There are a million festivals in Ohio during the summer and we wanted to check out some new ones.  The following pics are of Peach Daze and a side trip to Clifton Mill.

I'm not a huge fan of peaches (I prefer nectarines...it's a peach fuzz thing), but the ones we brought home were super tasty!

Outside Clifton Mill

GoRGeoUs!  We loved this place.  

Marysville Hot-Air Balloon Fest

We'd never been before and had no idea what to expect, but this was really fun.  They probably launched around thirty hot-air balloons, and they had all of the usual (and unusual) festival food, drinks, games, etc.  I say unusual because I don't think I've ever noticed fried alligator at one of these festivals until now.

Bug loved it.  She couldn't take her eyes off of the balloons.

Evidence (from inside the screen...hence the crazy gradient) that our tomato plants grew taller than 5'3".

Because sometimes, you just don't have the patience to climb the stairs in order to jump in the tub.

She's obsessed with shoes right now - hers, mine, Steve's, it doesn't matter.  Not even two and she's already workin' the heels.  Nice.

ROADTRIP TO DELAWARE

My brother and sister-in-law moved to Delaware last year, and I wanted to see their new digs and spend some time with them in their new city.  Steve couldn't take time off from work, so this was a girls-only trip (until we got there, then Cullen ruined our streak).

They took me to one of the most beautiful gardens EVER!  If you ever go to Delaware, you must visit Longwood Gardens.  C'est Magnifique!  I'm a bit obsessed with flowers, so I was in heaven.  Bug had a blast too.

Why?

Because they had a KID AREA with WATER!

Pure genius.

She literally painted the town.

And herself.

Aside from the cool sights, it was really nice to hang out with my family.  My siblings live all over the place now, so it's nice that we could spend the weekend with two of them before summer slipped away.

Cullen is a pretty talented pianist if I do say so myself (and I do!) and Bug always enjoys listening front and center.

Need more proof?

Only now she wants her own seat to get in on the action herself.

In case you were thinking that our lives are all rainbows, teddy bears, and ponies - that's not the case.

This happened a week or so ago.  Sad day!  Steve was hit by a lady who didn't stop at the intersection.  Fortunately, this happened after work before he picked Ainsley up, so she wasn't in the car.  Her spot in the car is behind the passenger seat - the area that got hit - and while she would have been okay, it would have been pretty scary for everyone.  We're so grateful that it wasn't worse than it was, but it was still bad.  You can't see from this picture, but that tire slants into the car - we think the axle got messed up in the accident.  There's a part of me that is really sad about the fact that my car might be totaled.  =(  This is truly my "first car."  I've had it since 2004, and we've seen many miles together.  We'll find out this week how bad the damage is (inside and out), but again, we're grateful no one was injured.

Somewhere in the middle of all of our summer adventures Bug grew into an adorable toddler.  Who knows when that actually happens - eighteen months? two years? - but she has changed so much in so little time it's almost scary.  I am starting to appreciate why my dad still tells me that he's going to turn me back to four.

Managing the playground stairs and slides all by herself.

As much as I wish that I could say AJ takes all the credit for her wardrobe selection, I can't.  We did that to her.  Hehehe...

Check out those wings!  BAHAHAHA!  She will likely make fun of us in our old age, but we can always pull out the evidence and give it right back. =)  Family is the best!

This is probably my favorite 'do - she sports this right after nap-time.

This was from May, but since July just passed (sort of), we'll pretend that this was for the Fourth of July, even though it wasn't.

And there you go - our summer 2013 adventures.  Even though it slipped by too fast, we made the most of the time we had with the most normalcy Team Adams has seen for awhile.

::{ The Crop }::

Behold, the garden:

This is what I saw one of the weekends I came home in June after I had been in Indiana for a few weeks and hadn't seen the garden's progress.  I was pretty excited to see what was happening.  The zucchini was out of control, but then fate stepped in...

This is one of two zucchinis that we got.  We had a bunch that were flourishing until we went to Gettysburg.  We enlisted our neighbors to water our garden, which they did, but I like to think that a zucchini-hating-flesh-eating-pest came in and destroyed what we had while we were gone.  You can already see the death and destruction setting in above.  BUT, we still had enough to make thai food and zucchini bread, which is exactly what I wanted.

My little helper.  We made a deal with Bug, which she readily agreed to: she can get a dog as long as she keeps all of the plants alive for the entire summer.  Here she is making her best attempt to keep things thriving.  Sadly, despite her best efforts, she couldn't save the zucchini.  

[In case you couldn't tell, we're never getting a dog, or any pet for that matter]

 Part of the problem, you see.  She's easily distracted and prefers to color on the fence rather than water the plants and weed the garden.  No wonder the pests came in and destroyed the zucchini!  We're pretty sure she's a lefty by the looks of things.

And finally, I spy my little eye on something that is....

FINALLY RED!

We've got about thirty tomatoes on the vine, and they are just now starting to turn red.  I sliced up that red beauty for dinner last night -- it was worth the wait.  So tasty!

The basil is growing like there's no tomorrow, and we have some bell peppers out there as well.

All in all, I'd say this square-foot gardening thing was a success.  We have plenty of time left this year, but I'm already excited to tweak things a bit for next year.

::{ 5 Years }::

I met the Mister five years ago (yesterday).

July 27th is a great day for the A-Team because we always remember to celebrate the day we met.  It wasn't, in fact, love at first sight.  Nope.  It was even better than that because it was quite a turning point for me in a most unexpected way.  I adore surprises, and crossing paths with Steve was one of the very best surprises I've ever received.  Everything about that day is crystal clear in my mind.  I remember exactly where I was standing, what I was wearing, what I was doing, and the first words Steve said to me that evening when we met, as if it happened yesterday.

2008:

(Not the day we met, but during our week as co-counselors at EFY)

2013:

(Celebrating five years at a Clippers game)

The words from one of my favorite songs sum up the last five years the best: 

(and Benny Goodman has one of the best versions, in my opinion)

You make me feel so grand, I wanna hand the world to you

You seem to understand each foolish scheme that I'm scheming

And the dream that I'm dreaming

Now I know why my mother, she taught me to be true

She meant me for someone exactly like you

Truer words couldn't be spoken.  

Until the next July 27th...

::{ M&M's }::

My dad's least favorite job in the "dad" department is taking his kids to the airport.

Why?

It's not the traffic.

It's not the distance to the airport.

It's not the expense of gas.

It's not the inconvenient time of departure.

It's the having to say "goodbye" part.

Those are never fun.

I have rediscovered recently, though I've known this for a long time about myself, I am much like my dad in this regard - I hate saying goodbye.  This primarily deals with people, but even things - classes, opportunities, jobs, etc - have this effect on me.  If you give your all to something, then saying goodbye and letting go of it isn't easy (I'm thinking of dance teams I've been a part of, study abroad opportunities, my mission, certain callings, etc - intangible but meaningful things).  It's particularly bad because I am what you might call a human version of an "M&M": hard candy exterior, soft interior.  There aren't too many things that crack that outer shell of mine, but having to say goodbye to people is definitely one of them, which leaves the interior in a bit of mess.  So in addition to saying goodbye and realizing that I have to come to grips with some sort of parting - temporary or permanent - I also struggle to maintain some kind of composure so as not to freak out other people who are simply going about their everyday lives.  What can I say?  I don't love dramatic spotlights.

I guess this is on my mind because I've had to say a lot of goodbyes to my two favorite people over the last couple months - Steve and the Bug.  They came to see me in Bloomington this weekend, and even though it was a very quick trip, I loved every minute of having them here.  They just left (gotta time the departure for optimal napping...it's a pretty substantial drive with a one-year old) and I feel like the gas left in my "goodbye" tank is just about spent.  Fortunately, this was the last goodbye for the "Dutch 2013" adventure.  My program finishes this Friday and I'm heading back to C-bus on Saturday.  There are families, parents, kids, siblings, partners, etc. out there who have to say much harder goodbyes more regularly than I do, and I tip my hat to those people and wish them continued strength to do what they have to do.  However, I never want my family to think that it's easy for me to say goodbye - that I'm hardened to the effects of saying goodbye because we've gotten good at it lately.  It's still not easy for me.  The two-week stretches between seeing them, and the "goodbyes" of every-other-weekend visits that came to an end much too quickly have become poignant mile markers in my life that have made me realize how valuable time with loved ones really is.  If there is one thing that I rarely take for granted, it's time spent with loved ones.  Numerous close calls on the Irvine home front taught me long ago that time is precious - even mundane, ordinary, day-in and day-out kind of time.  This experience has only added further understanding to something I already knew, and I'm grateful for it.  Regardless of saying goodbye for a couple hours, a couple days, a couple weeks or even years, I sure hope I never take for granted the time I get to spend with my loved ones leading up to the goodbyes that will inevitably come.

And on that happy note, I will say that Bloomington has treated me very well.  Updates with photos will come soon - just have to survive some final presentations and final exams....in Dutch!  Tot ziens!  =)

::{48 Hours}::

...Until I'm back in the company of my two favorites for a long weekend.

I can hardly wait.

The Latest Experiment

In the few days I had before moving to Indiana (I'm now a transplant here in Hoosier land), I decided to invest myself in the biggest science experiment of my life:

I built a garden in an attempt to grow a vegetable. 

 I've always loved flowers, but growing a vegetable garden is a different challenge that's been on my bucket list for quite a while now.  Since we'll be in Ohio for a long time, I figured there's no time like the present.

Why do I consider this an experiment?

If you looked closely at the first couple pictures, you may have noticed a dead plant.  I kept it there purposefully to prove just how much of an experiment this will be for Team Adams.

We have not been known to have "green thumbs" in this household, though I will admit, we killed that plant on purpose because we didn't have a good place for it inside.  Frankly, it was a bit of a nuisance.  We set it outside and let nature run its course, i.e. a normal March frost put it out of its misery.

We're trying the square-foot gardening thing from scratch since our back patio is all cement (which added a few more steps to the garden construction to comply with a strict landlord) so we'll see what happens as the summer progresses.  Our vegetables/herbs of choice this year:

Zucchini squash

Bell peppers (green, red, and orange)

Tomatoes (Big Boy and Better Boy varieties)

Parsley

Rosemary

Sage

Now it's up to Steve to keep everything alive until I get back...

::{Some Things I've Learned}::

I am DONE!

Okay, I'm only done with the first year of many, but it feels so, SO good.  Things pick up again next week, but we're all going to enjoy every last minute of the weekend before that happens.

Looking back on this past year, and while things are still fresh on my mind, I wanted to share some things I've learned.  I'm writing this with my kid(s), assuming that more will come our way eventually, in mind, because I hope they learn to value education the way Steve and I do.  So I'm writing takeaway messages for them.

In no particular order:

1.  I have the BEST advisor on the face of the planet.  Seriously folks, I don't know how I lucked out to get into this program and to work with Professor Haeger.  She is one of the smartest people I know, and her knowledge of the field is astounding.  Barbara is also one of the greatest lecturers I've ever had the chance to learn from.  She is deeply committed to her students, she is passionate about the material, and she has some of the best stories about experiences in academia.  Takeaway message: Absorb everything you can when you cross paths with good teachers, and don't be afraid to interact with them regularly - they can shape your life in remarkable ways.

2. As my editor in chief always tells me, good writing takes time.  And it also takes lots of research.  It doesn't look like it, but I promise there is a method to my madness.  Our basement was turned into Study Central so that I could get stuff done when AJ was napping or in bed, without having to go to the library.  Takeaway message: Figure out your own study system, and start it early.  Procrastination is the ultimate academic enemy.

3.  Without ever intending this to happen, I seem to be drawn to Spanish artists/paintings.  I spent many hours with the following works this semester, completed by Bartolome Murillo and Claudio Coello.  Illusionism is at the heart of my interests, and these were fascinating works to consider even though I had never considered them before (or even known about them).  Takeaway message: Don't be afraid to explore things even if they don't "fit" the mold at first glance.

Murillo, Self Portrait, 1655

Murillo, Self-Portrait, 1670

Coello, Saint Rose of Lima, 1684-85

4. Ph.D. programs are not for the faint-hearted.  A Ph.D. is hard work - incredibly rewarding work - but work nonetheless.  Having said that, I must also say that the rewards far outweigh the challenges.  Again, this comes back to the caliber of my committee, professors, seminars, and a totally awesome husband.  I guess what I'm really saying is this - if you don't have to work hard for your education, something is amiss.  Takeaway message: Never steer clear of academic opportunities simply because they are challenging.

5.  People are more important than projects.  Duh.  Time with family is precious.  For a good chunk of the semester, nobody else mattered besides Steve and Bug.  Alongside that, I've also come to more fully understand the meaning of "keeping the Sabbath day holy."  Sabbath observance is a personal thing, and it's different for every person, so these comments are not intended to pass any sort of judgment.  Without getting too churchy, I have come to appreciate this day above all others as it was, literally, the only day I had every week, no matter what, where I didn't pick up a book, grade a test, edit a paper, etc.  I appreciate this decision mostly because it influenced the rest of my week for the better, in addition to getting more family time each Sunday.  I had to motivate myself to do homework between classes, after dinner, before Bug woke up, Friday night and most of Saturday (those were the worst), etc. but it all meant that I got to spend the entire day on Sunday with the people I love. Takeaway message: However you do it, always put family first, and arrange the rest of your time wisely to accomplish your tasks.  It can be done.