Category Archives: One WORD (Current Events)

November 20, 2012 · 1:53 PM

Moving at the Speed of Light

Cough cough. It’s a little dusty in here, isn’t it?

Five weeks have come and gone since I hit the “publish” button, and an explanation is in order.

Shocking even ourselves, Mike and I decided to move over the last month. This decision happened so quickly we could barely catch our bearings, much less document it. I do not exaggerate (well I do, but not in this case); let the timeline speak for itself: we posted our condo on Craigslist on a Sunday evening, showed the place to potential renters on Monday, offered the place to one renter on Tuesday, and signed papers that Saturday. On Sunday we toured a townhome to rent (the first place we looked at) and had our application in the next day. The following Friday we signed papers.

Bing. Bam. Boom.

If you remember anything about our previous move, you know that it went nothing like this. For instance, in our other move we actually discussed it for more than a day before pulling the trigger. In this case, it was more like tossing a coin in the air and shouting “move!” or “don’t move!” before it hit the ground.

At least that’s how it felt — the takeout pizza version. The gourmet lobster dinner version is that we’re absolutely sure that this was God showing off all over the place. He couldn’t be stopped. He took our one little hopeful dream of being able to rent our condo so we could rent a larger home and save up to eventually buy a house, and threw in ribbon, glitter and ponies. It was that extravagant.

Which is why we take credit for exactly none of it. If we’d masterminded this entire ordeal, it would have been an unmitigated disaster. Instead we just took a risk, prayedprayedprayed, watched closely for confirmations, and then saw it all come together.

Our tenant is a wonderful lady, a woman we are thrilled to have in our home. Plus she has no pets or kids, which really moved things in her direction. Our new home is in a location we love (still Kirkland) and has more space and features than we have any right having. Our first month of rent was free. Do you see where I’m going with this? Total show-off territory for Jesus.

Now we are settling in, which based on previous accounts, takes us all of about an evening. We’ve been in the new home just over a week, and everything is coming together. It’s very, very odd having more than one bedroom. It’s even odder having a staircase, and multiple doors that can separate us from each other.

“Mike?” I’ll say, fifteen times a day. “Where are you?”

“I’m upstairs, about to take a shower.”

“Oh,” I’ll say.

“Do you need something?” he’ll ask.

“No,” I reply, slinking away, “I just couldn’t hear or see you, and it’s weird…”

This is an extremely adjustable problem, and everyone says that soon I’ll have filled the house and won’t be able to imagine our former 860 square feet. But I never had a problem with our small condo; I loved it. I miss it, but I am so sure on a cellular level that this is where we are supposed to be. I’m excited, I’m decorating, I’m cooking, I’m shopping for home goods…it’s very strange when I can feel one phase of my life receding and another stepping forward. It’s even stranger when I like it.

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Filed under ForeWORD (Intro), One WORD (Current Events)

Tagged as adventure, house, Mike Reph, moving

July 31, 2012 · 10:00 PM

The Best Sport in the Olympics

When it comes to the Olympics, I am obsessed with watching gymnastics. There is no other sport that makes my palms sweat, fills me with awe, and outrages me quite like it.

I think the appeal is based in the undeniable recognition that I am utterly incapable of doing any of what they do. Have you seen the beam? It is four inches across. I can’t do a back-flip on the wide, wide ground, much less four feet in the air on half the width of a piece of notebook paper.

My favoritism also comes from doing gymnastics all through childhood and for one year in high school. I was inspired by the Magnificent Seven, and now I’m thrilled to be watching the Fabulous Five take home gold.

I haven’t specifically identified the gymnasts as women here, and that’s on purpose. One of my favorite things is watching men watch the men’s gymnastics. Whatever pride they took in their Crossfit workouts is quickly eradicated as they see gymnasts hold themselves aloft between two rings for minutes at a time. The horse? Ridiculous. The high bar? Absurd. I can’t even fathom their strength.

Can we just deal with the fact that gymnasts have to be great at EVERYTHING? It’s not like someone can saunter into the workout room and say they are phenomenal at the floor exercise. The coach would say, really? Become an expert at three more completely different events and then we’ll talk.

When you consider that, and then you see, say, the equestrian, don’t you feel the slightest irritation that they both get to be called Olympic champions? I do, is all I’m saying.

Other sports involve brute strength and incredible talent — track, swimming — but gymnastics is also risky. It feels like death is the aim of every piece of equipment. Watch someone fall from the high bar just once and you’ll shave ten years off your life. See a woman hurl herself toward the vault and try not to picture a head injury. Glance at the beam (without anyone even on it!), try not to envision a quadriplegic situation, and I will applaud you.

The outrage in gymnastics comes from its subjectivity. In swimming, track, shooting, rowing, there is the mighty clock to tell you if you’ve won or lost. In gymnastics, there is a group of judges who score each athlete. For any viewer, this is infuriating. There is no explanation given, just a number flashed on the screen that always seems wildly inadequate based on the performance given.

I always scream useless exclamations at the judges, “As if YOU could do it!” or “Where EXACTLY was the flaw in that?!” Anyone who can complete these routines and make it out alive deserves a gold medal, and maybe a suitcase of cash for their trouble.

Everyone has complained that the time difference is ruining the Olympics, but I’m grateful — it removes the anxiety. I know it’s more fun to sweat it out, but when it comes to gymnastics, I’ll take the relief where I can get it. USA takes home gold? Fantastic! I can watch them tackle the beam without fear of lifelong injury.

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Filed under One WORD (Current Events)

Tagged as gymnastics, Olympics

February 14, 2012 · 9:28 PM

It’s All for the Cause

Something magical happens when charity and best friends mix; I think it has to do with the sum being greater than the parts…

On Sunday, February 5, Meredith, Laura, Annie and I hosted a Super Bowl party to raise money for the Hutch School. The four of us make up the Margaret E. Martindale Jr Guild, started in 2010. The original Margaret E. Martindale Guild (MEMG) was created in 1986, and is made up of the friends and family of Margaret “Peggy” Martindale, better known as Laura’s mother. Peggy died of neuroblastoma when Laura was one year old, and the Guild was created to raise funds for cancer research. It has done so for over 25 years, raising more than $5 million in that time.

Chip (Laura's father), Laura, and Leslie (Chip's wife)

Needless to say, we were more than a little intimidated joining a crew of such achievers.

In our first year, we participated by helping the Hutch School students create an art project for the big annual MEMG Travel and Leisure auction. It was a minor effort, and we knew it, but it helped get our feet wet. And, I must add, the piece of art went for $1,200 at the auction, which kind of made us beam with pride (as if we, and not the kids, created the actual art). Fun fact: the winning bidder was none other than the Volunteer of the Year herself, who had no idea that I’d had anything to do with the piece.

This year, we decided to step up our game. Our biggest challenge was conceptualizing an event that would be affordable for guests our age, as well as appealing to guests of an older generation.

A Super Bowl party seemed to meet both needs and sounded like more fun than work, so we booked our venue, chose food and drinks, and then began scouting for killer raffle item donations.

It was a lot of hard work, but don’t let this photo fool you — there was very little actual lifting involved, and let’s be honest, I’m always willing to lift a case of wine.

We were stunned when 80 people bought advance tickets, and ten more showed up unannounced. It was the greatest problem we could have asked for, so we eagerly said, “The more, the merrier!”

Buckley’s on Queen Anne proved to be a fantastic location, with a private room and the freedom to decorate with our elaborate adornments: multi-colored balloons.

It also didn’t hurt that we served ribs, wings, and macaroni so good our guests went back for thirds. I’m further convinced that having two drinks included in the prices of the ticket kept smiles on people’s faces. It’s all for the cause!

We played Super Bowl Squares, which sold out quickly, and then hustled the crowd to buy raffle tickets for some serious prizes. We had a snowboard, two lift tickets, $200 in massages, $50 spa credit, $100 Tully’s card, two $85 magnums of wine, a Weber grill, a putter, and several bottles of wine.

Apart from the prizes, we all agreed that the people are what made the event a success. Everyone was so positive, so energetic, and so happy to support us. It really felt like a community event.

After all, this event wasn’t just about fundraising, it was also about raising some fun…can you forgive me for that one? If not, I truly don’t blame you.

Most importantly, we raised $2,500 to give to the Hutch School for extracurricular activities for the kids. Instead of giving to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research, which felt a little like offering a glass of water to someone with a fire-hose, we decided to give our funds to the Hutch School, which felt more like building a well.

The encouragement of our mentors, the original MEMG (Leslie in particular!), really kept our spirits afloat. They cheered us on like we were playing in the actual Super Bowl, and they didn’t stop until the last person left. In fact, they still haven’t.

Perhaps the greatest compliment of the afternoon was that several friends expressed an interest in joining the Jr Guild in September.