The 4th Annual Shu'Pippen Family Christmas Photo (2013)

Yesterday we put up our Christmas tree and today we celebrated one of my favorite holiday traditions: the 4th Annual Shu'Pippen Family Christmas Photo! This is Bobo's first Christmas, and since she was pretty confused about the whole thing, I elected to make her a simple (and largely invisible) green and red ribbon to wear, rather than buying her silly hat. There's time for that down the road.

It was sort of a challenge to incorporate Bobo into our usual silly Christmas photo theme, but we made do. 

Sincere Christmas photos aren't a bad thing.

 She blends in with the blanket a little too well.

Things improved when we let her decide where to focus each photo.

This year's official (silly) selection:

This year's official (sincere) selection:

And for your reference, here are the previous years: 

2012

2011

2010

I plan on getting a couple of shots of Bobo and Toby wearing antlers or something similarly festive when we're in Bloomy.

BoBo in Bloomy

We decided to take Bo to Bloomington over Labor Day weekend. Partially, we wanted to get out of town one final time before school starts. But we also wanted to introduce Bo to my parents and their dogs. We loaded up her pink blanket bed in the car and brought her favorite toys to keep her happy. Bo does well in the car, so she spent most of the trip laying down, sleeping, or looking out the window. But I hadn't counted on how nervous she would be at the rest stops. She is very uneasy around traffic, and the noise from the semis followed us no matter where we stopped. 

We planned to get breakfast in Ann Arbor, thinking it would be fairly quiet and she could calm down enough to go to the bathroom. Instead, Zingerman's Road House, the restaurant we had mapped out in advance was on a busy street and she was pretty freaked out. But the donuts made it worth it. Holy crap, these donuts. They told us it would be a few minutes because they were making them from scratch, and they were totally worth the wait. Zingerman's is a large group of restaurants, bakeries, and delis in Ann Arbor and the Road House has a special coffee/breakfast trailer stuck on the front of the building. The breakfast burrito with cheese and green chilies I had really hit the spot, and these donuts kept us satiated for several hours. On our return trip we stopped at the Zingerman's head quarters where they have a bakery, coffee shop, and creamery. It's right off I-94 (exit 175, I think), but far enough from the interstate that Bo couldn't hear the trucks, so I think we'll stop there again.

After we made it inside the IN state line, we decided to find a place where Bo could actually have a rest stop that didn't scare her. Since we'd previously stopped at Pokagon State Park, we decided to let her walk around there and take a quick dip in the lake. Pokagon is also conveniently located just off I-69 (an exit in the 350s, I believe), and it was worth it for Bo to relax a bit and finally eat her breakfast.

Bo conked out for the rest of the trip. She and my parents' dogs never really hit it off, but they were amicable. I think she really liked the rug in the living room since it meant more room for her to stretch out. She also enjoyed the blanket my mom knitted her out of scraps from a blanket she knit for us several years ago. 

It was fun to walk her with the other two dogs in our favorite walking spots around town, especially Jackson Creek.

Dog walking is a family affair on Sunday mornings in Bloomington.

Of course, we also squeezed in a few non-Bo related activities in Bloomington. We went to the Rail with Mark and Jessica, where I had a Bandera for the first time: 

From left to right: a lime cordial (sans alcohol), VERY smooth tequila, and a Sangrita, which tasted sort of like a very light tomato juice. The server explained that it's customary to drink from left to right in small sips, but she also encouraged me to drink it however I wanted. I followed her advice and I was surprised how much I liked this drink. The lime and tequila at the beginning make it taste like a margarita. But the tequila and tomato at the end reminded me more of a Bloody Mary. I want to find the tequila they used, but I would need to be careful not to drink too fast. It was so smooth that it was like drinking white wine.

John did a few runs in Bloomington but he also accompanied me a few times to the IU Outdoor Pool. I'm still swimming a few times per week, but I wasn't sure how much I would want to swim while on vacation. But Bloomington was so hot and humid that the pool was especially inviting each day, and the facility itself is excellent. I plan on posting some of the swim workouts I've been doing, so prepare to have your minds blown.

My parents generously took us out to some of our favorite Bloomington spots, including Upland. Dad is a good sport about posing for funny photos.

And then we had to say good bye to Bloomington until October; we'll make a stop there when we're in IN for the marathon this fall. Now it's time for me to reach deep down and find some grain of enthusiasm for the semester to start. 

Corey's Wedding in Lake Tahoe, NV

A couple of weeks ago, John and I headed to Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada for my cousin Corey's wedding. Between our wedding and Corey's we were able to see my dad's side of the family twice in one summer - a new record, since his siblings are kind of scattered. For instance: Corey's mom, my Aunt Clare, lives in Seattle; his brother, Uncle Russ, lives in Albuquerque, NM; his other sister lives in a small town in PA. And now my cousins and I are even further apart, with my brother in L.A., us in Canada, and Corey and his new wife moving to San Diego. 

They settled on Lake Tahoe since many of their friends and relatives were out West, and it's more tourist friendly than the bride's small hometown. 

We flew out of Detroit, where I saw what might be the world's saddest, most ironic key chain for sale:

We flew to Vegas and transfered to Reno, then drove to Lake Tahoe. That meant we got to fly over some pretty scenery.

John was impressed with the slot machines in the Vegas airport. Later on, he and my brother and sister in law tried their luck at some video poker, and John won $90!! Then, when we returned to the airport to go home, he won another $25! Apparently John found his lucky game. Of course, when my parents each handed him $3 and told him to turn it into more, his luck ran out. Still, his net winnings covered our parking at the Detroit Airport. 

On our first day, John went on a 20-ish mile long run in the mountains that were practically across the street from our hotel.* After he returned and I finished worrying about why on EARTH he was gone so long in a place we'd never been, with terrain and wildlife we're not accustomed to, we had lunch. Uncle Russ (shown here, to the right of my dad) took all of us out for pizza.

South Lake Tahoe is pretty resort-oriented. Heavenly Ski Resort pretty much dominates the town. It was only a few minutes walk from our hotel, with restaurants and shops, and of course, skiing in the winter.

Corey and Amanda asked me to sing in the wedding, so I attended the rehearsal that afternoon. Here they are miming the tea ceremony that they incorporated into the service. And in case anyone's interested, I ended up singing Widmung and Caro Mio Ben with accompaniments I found on itunes for $.99 each.

Next we headed to the reception at Stateline Brewery. Here Corey and Amanda listen during the many toasts, speeches, and blessings given by their friends and family. The restaurant had several pitchers of beer set up with tasting glasses during the hors d'oeuvre portion of the evening so I got to try a few of the Stateline brews.  

The next morning, still on east coast time, we set off with my parents to explore the lake itself. We drove until we found an access point that looked interesting: Camp Richardson. If I were staying in Lake Tahoe for a while, and if money were no object, I'd rent a cabin at that camp, since they have little vacations houses, a hotel, a general store, ice cream store, cafe, etc. The lake was beautiful and very clean, but also freezing cold. 

                          

We were all surprised by how much the temperature swings in Tahoe; highs around 88, lows around 37! The staff said they found ice on the docks that morning - in August! It was also amazing how quickly it warmed up. By 10:00, the water was warm enough for me to get in without loosing the feeling in my legs.

I tried to run a bit since the sand was so soft, not very rocky, and my foot was pretty sore.*

Next we drove a little further up the highway to find a look out point. Between the steep drops, lack of guard rails, and my motion sickness, the curvy roads scared me and John from going any further. But we did find a place to get out and look at a scenic mountain lake. 

That afternoon we hung out with my brother a bit and relaxed until the wedding started. It was a beautiful ceremony, and it was fun to sing. By that time of day, the sun had started to set and the wind picked up, to the point that I shivered from the cold until after the ceremony was over. We stood for pictures with the happy couple, and then took our cocktails down to the beach for small-scale family photos. 

Andrew and Nora:

Another one of John's GQ photos.

Me and my brother. We look so unlike one another, how can anyone tell we're related?

Dad stood back during the photos and enjoyed a cigar.

We also had some fun during cocktail hour with the props in the photo booth.

The reception was lovely. The bride's mother made amazing flower arrangements and so many other detailed, personal touches. I took a picture of the favors the next day. Each place setting had a tea cup, and those pink flowers are tissue wrapped around a serving of Korean green tea. Corey and Amanda both spent the last year teaching English in Korea, so all the tea references in the ceremony and reception acknowledged their time there. 

Corey warned me in advance that they wouldn't have any veg entrees at the reception, but I had more than enough to eat: big green salad, au gratin potato casserole, broccolini, and a great pasta salad. And of course I suffered through some wedding cake while John ate some pie.

Once the dancing started, John jumped up to express himself physically, and I danced for a bit, until my foot hurt too much.* They had fun glow sticks and necklaces/bracelets for the dance portion.

Earlier in the weekend, my mom bought tie die sweatshirts that say "Lake Tahoe, CA" for me, my Aunt Clare, and herself. So after the send off (with sparklers!), we put on our sweatshirts (good for evening Tahoe temps) and took a few, finale photos before heading back to the hotel. 

We had such a nice time on this trip. It's been great having excuses to see all our relatives so often in the same year. But who knows - maybe John and I will get jobs in the Pacific northwest and we'll see Clare and family more often! I'm still trying to convince Corey's younger brother Zach, a senior in high school, that he should go to IU next year.

*I injured my foot not long before we left for Tahoe. I'm still waiting to hear back about exactly what's wrong, but it looks like I may have taken a trip down stress fracture lane. More on that later.

Dogs

Ever since I can remember, the dog has been a big part of our family. Supposedly I learned to walk by holding onto the lab we had at the time, Shibby, though he died before I was old enough to remember him. 

When we moved to Indiana, we got a coon hound mix named Oliver North from the ASPCA. It was the late 80s and Oliver North was in the news at the time. We called him Ollie for short, and I'm pretty sure I learned to spell his name as soon as I could write my own.

In some ways, Ollie was my brother's dog, but he depended more on me for entertainment after my brother left for college. 

For the first few years he liked to sleep under my bed, but I would also force him into bed with me by putting him on his leash. 

Ollie passed away from old age the summer before I started high school. That Christmas, we got Luke, another lab.

I won't go into detail, but we had to put Luke down while he was still in his prime. His situation was so difficult for us that I sort of thought my parents might never get another dog. 

But then my voice teacher, Joe, found Molly in his rough neighborhood one night while I was a senior in high school, and gave her to my parents. She's pretty much the easiest dog in the world to care for, but she could still use some company during the day. They adopted Toby from the shelter the following spring so that he and Molly could be companions. Unfortunately their honeymoon period is long passed, but they get along well enough. 

John and I have wanted to get a dog for years, but the timing never seemed right. We knew we wanted a rescue of some kind, but we also wanted a breed that would complement our lifestyle: we exercise, eat, and then write for several hours a day, plus we live in an apartment; we're home a lot, but not all the time; we take long car trips. 

And then we looked into retired greyhounds: large but lazy dogs bred to run very fast for short intervals and then rest quietly in their crates for hours at a time. After we got back from the wedding, we went out to the GRA to pick our dog, as I've said before. And last week, we got to pick her up. 

Meet Boudica ("CTW Royal Gait"), aka, The Royal Bo.

She's here. It's been challenging so far because she's clearly never lived in a house before, never walked up or down stairs before, never heard or seen a car or a bus before (except for the truck that drove her and 20 other dogs to Canada). For the first day or two she almost never looked us right in the eyes. She's still very much in a period of adapting to our life and our home. But she's a sweetheart. And she's our dog.