Scenes from the weekend

So, on Friday night, we went to our friend Elias' sukkah. A sukkah is little hut (built according to specific rules) that Jewish people build to commemorate the holiday of Sukkot (so that should pretty much clear things up for the non-Jews that read our blog!). A sukkah can have many meanings, but, basically, I think of it as a sort of booth that you build and invite your friends to to honor fall/ the harvest (as you can see, I go in deep for the theology!).

Anyway, it was really fun - even if temperatures on Friday night did deep into the high 30s.When you're in the sukkah, it's traditional to shake the lulav and etrog. We weren't so prepared, so we did our best improvisation.Saturday-day I headed over to the yarn store for some help on Mike's socks. I started these socks in January, but it's been slow going since then. Last week I found myself stuck on the heel, and I realized that no amount of reading the directions was going to help me. I needed some real, in-person help. And I got it! I wish I could say that that the heel on the first sock looks great, and that the heel on the second sock is coming along swimmingly. Alas, while the heels are serviceable, they're not really perfect - I hear that takes practice . . . .

Saturday evening we went to see baby Zachary and baby Zachary's parents. Zachary is getting big!And then we played with Zachary's gifts.When we came home, we made a small batch of apple cupcakes with a variety of cream cheese frostings (regular, maple, and ginger). Even though we couldn't really tell the difference among all the frostings, the cupcakes were yummy!

(Mini) goats rule the world

They're taking over!
Legally speaking, of course.

Also, the Goat Justice League? For real?

Japan Reunion, part II

This afternoon we went to a little party where we got to see our friends Daniella and Diedrich. Daniella and Diedrich are actually from Seattle, so they were back for a little visit and to take care of some business. The party was in their neighbor's yard and was held to celebrate the new landscaping/design of the yard (which was totally beautiful and very magazine-worthy!).

It was great to hear how our friends were doing, what they're doing next, and just generally to catch up. The more we settle back into our lives here (if things are really ever settled, that is), the more I realize what a special time Japan was and what special people we met there.

Like I said above, the party was lovely, the yard was beautiful, and the food was sooo delicious (at one point they even made s'mores! I gotta get me a yard!).

Here's a picture of the four of us:

If I had a hammer

Today Mike and I built houses with Habitat for Humanity (and the YLD). We put siding on a house - it was hard work, but satisfying. The work site was right near the foothills of the Cascades, so the view was beautiful. Also, unlike the last time we volunteered, it wasn't pouring rain.

If we weren't so busy with school (and school associated things), I'd really like to go more regularly.

The Windy City

I just got back from the gigantic annual conference from my academic field. The conference was really large and overwhelming but also productive, and the best thing about the weekend was that I got to spend time with Andy, the originator of the days of power, his wife Kate, and their dog Dexter (he also answers to "Richard Gere").

In addition to that, I got to see my old high school friend Leonard (he also answers to "Leotard"), his girlfriend Ester (she also answers to "Hector"), and Renny, his friend form college.

Here are some pictures:

Goats gone wild!

What is it with the goats around here?

For the record, I still want a puppy.