The 2013 Christmas Letter...

December 2013

Friends and Family:
The older I get the faster time seems to fly. Hence, this year has been a great big blur!!! Since I am writing this on Christmas morning, this is a Happy New Year letter. I hope you all cheerful and rested from all the Holiday craze and ready to ring in 2014 with reckless abandon! And I can’t wait to see the challenges a new year will bring!

Emily is still in Nebraska… half a world away… studying mechanical engineering at UNL… Yea Cornhuskers!!!! She completed her first marathon in May and did a magnificent job!!! She then came home and helped me complete my marathon training! Yea she is that amazing!!! Currently she works at the Lincoln Children’s Museum while attending rigorous engineering and math classes. One more semester and she will be half way to graduation!

Bob is still employed and we still have health insurance! In his spare time he is a member of the Willamette Valley Woodcarver’s Guild and the Water Fowl Carving Guild. His work is amazing! And of course the woodcarvers keep us busy with social events and dinners.

Meanwhile, I have gained employment in the local school district as a one-on-one instructional assistant. It is challenging at times but the kids seem to make it all worth it in the end. I have also continued to run… more of a sanity check at times!! I ran my first marathon in 25+ years and although I didn’t get the time I was shooting for, I finished and yes I will probably run another one! Meanwhile, it is relays and mud runs… yeah, because who doesn’t like to get all dirty and live out of port-a-potties!!!

Hugs and New Year Wishes,
The Oregon Curtis Clan

Reflections on Family

This Christmas season brought with it family moments, as most holiday seasons are inclined to do. However, this year two dramatically different events have played out on social media. The first is the wedding of my cousin to her spouse and the second, coincidentally in the same family and both occurred on the same day, is my cousin's daughter fighting a very serious brain issue in ICU. Neither of which I would be aware of if it hadn't been for Facebook.

 Obviously, the wedding was a very happy event. Joining the two was actually a whirlwind decision made possible by the federal court system granting same-sex couples the right to marry in Utah. Even though Jes and Anita have been a couple for years and have an amazing son who is almost 5, their union hasn't been recognized officially until now. So, congratulations to the happy couple, I love you both and wish you a beautiful life of love and happiness.

On the other hand, the same day, Jes's older sister, Rickie, received a phone call that one of her daughters was rushed to the ICU with a brain bleed and the prognosis wasn't good. So for that branch of the family, the stress of having to secure last minute plane tickets and accommodations, became the priority. Over the past week we have received daily updates that Rachel is doing well, but still has a long road ahead toward a full recovery, however, baby steps in a positive direction are a good thing and I firmly believe in the power of prayer!

So... my point... from the high points to the low points in our lives, sometimes takes only seconds, and in today's world, it is often played out on a virtual stage. That doesn't minimize the emotional flow and the happiness or worry that we feel for our family.

Jes, Anita, and Dane... I love you and miss you and we will celebrate next time we meet.

Rickie, Kimball, and Rachel... I love you too and I pray daily for peace and your full recovery. At some point, Rachel, I really want to meet you and all your siblings, because family shouldn't be separated for so long without face-to-face contact.

A Question for the Ages...

Facebook... it is a great place to meet people and get to know them, however sometimes it can catch you off-guard. Recently a new found friend posted this:

“Dear You (You know who you are),
I'm not a bad person and I have a lot to offer people. I am also human which means i'm not perfect. I make mistakes and suffer the consequences just like everyone else. I ask forgivness and I give forgivness equally. Please forgive me as I have forgiven you. I know I don't need your forgiveness to move on, but I would feel a lot more closer if I knew you were ok. ~ I don't want to start a new year with reqrets of so I lay it at your feet and hope for the best. ~(name)”

I “liked” the post and then my friend wanted to know what it meant to me. Hum... I liked it because it touched my soul and in a nutshell offered an anthem of love and forgiveness from an anguished individual to a friend. Yet there is so much more to the human story...

There are multiple themes that weave through the seemingly short paragraph, which gives way to the beginnings of a short doctoral thesis; however here are a few of the more prevalent themes I found and my beliefs:

Worth of the human soul: society tends to place value on everything, especially human life. I happen to believe that the significance of life cannot be measured by any yardstick that the world has or will try to determine merit. One of my favorite quotations, “if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.” ~Albert Einstein, demonstrates that every living creature has importance, it is finding that value and magnifying that value that adds incalculable joy to human existence. A simple example in m y life is a friend of mine that lives with Down’s syndrome. She enjoys a simple life, yet she possesses the uncanny ability to remember names and dates. Undoubtedly she remembers my family’s birthdays and anniversaries with better accuracy than I. Yet dropped in Times Square she would be immobilized by the traffic and twinkling lights. We all possess different strengths and weaknesses. It is through our interactions in this mortal life that we build our strengths and strengthen our weaknesses and hopefully help others do likewise.

Perfection: This does not and will never exist in mortal life. It is the “Great Lie” of human existence. Yet, we all strive to get there and alas, fall drastically short. Human nature “encourages” us to put those down that do not reach this unattainable measure of the human experience and to ignore our own short comings... I choose to follow the Biblical interpretation of this cultural phenomenon. “Judge not least ye be judged,” and of course, “why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?” In short, we should all look into bettering ourselves instead of focusing on others… easy to say, tough to do. I know I struggle with this particular facet of mortal life and hope that others may find it in their hearts to forgive me of my frailties, which brings me to the next topic.

Forgiveness: The pinnacle of all virtues. I believe the simple act of forgiveness is the ultimate form of love and charity. It requires handing over the pain and anguish of injustice and replacing it with the feelings of kindness and compassion. Again easier said than done, but it is easier when we either know the person and understand their situation, or we personally have been down that same road and know full well the emotions and trauma faced by the unfortunate soul begging forgiveness. It is even more difficult when one forgives without the benefit of the other party’s willingness or knowledge... that is the beginning of knowing and understanding one’s own soul. That is true love and the highest form of charity one can bestow on another.

Regrets and new beginnings: Since we are all imperfect beings (as stated above), our existence will be rife with situations and circumstances where we feel remorse or lament our actions toward another individual or creature. It is part of the human experience. We also have no control over others (as much as we may try), each soul is given the agency to feel and do according to their conscience. As much as we may want to start fresh or have a new beginning, this does not always happen according to our time frame, hence the necessity for the previously mentioned forgiveness factor.

Wow... this turned into much more that I imagined and has also given me many topics to “process” as I run... I believe future updates to this blog will happen from time to time. Thanks for the opportunity to stretch my grey matter!!!

The Curtis Family Top Ten of 2012

The Curtis Family Top Ten of 2012:

10. Spending Thanksgiving with Family in Washington… except playing Skipbo without Emily was depressing.

9. Janna’s new job at Battlecreek Elementary. Yea Bears!!!!

8. Family visiting and running the Portland to Eugene Relay… 178 miles of pure fun!

7. Janna completed her first half-marathon and has found joy in Mud Runs… Warrior Dash and The Cheadle Challenge were conquered this past year.

6. Emily graduating from West Salem High School and delivering the best grad speech ever!!

5. Family visiting for Emily’s graduation and just being there for her momentous occasion.

4. A visit from Cousin Dane and his moms where we explored the beach, Newport Aquarium, Voodoo Doughnuts, and OMSI – Grossology rocks!!!

3. Visiting mom in Utah as she received the Silver award for being a diabetic on insulin for 58 years!

2. Bob is still employed!!!

1. Emily off to college in Nebraska – Go Big Red!

 

Band on the Run: A most EPIC Adventure!!!

Running has always been an emotional release for me. It helps me think, relax, and just plain put my life into perspective. So when approached about doing a relay three years ago... I was game. Little did I know the effect that one little relay would have on me.

I wouldn't call it an obsession, an intense passion, but not an obsession!

Check out year three of EPIC Oregon:

One only needs to believe in two things when running a relay... that your teammate will be waiting to take the bracelet when you are done and most importantly... there are port-a-potties at EVERY exchange!!!!

Life is good with 12 amazing running friends, two stinky vans, and one very loud COWBELL!!!

By the way, for Christmas I need a bullhorn!!!

Best Laid Plans

Quilts are not always a cut and sewn proposition. Sometimes there are bumps along the way and decisions that quizzically impair the over taxed brain. This is what I refer to as “a quilt block.” Not the traditional 8x8 or 12x12 or even the gigantic 14x14 sized piece of pieced material, but a snafu or glitch that throws the entire quilt design into disarray. Hence, the quilt is blocked and needs a quick kick to get it revved up again.

I just was not happy with the black and white printed logos… they were too black and white. The rest of the quilt was swimming in color and then up pop these awful black and white squares. Don’t get me wrong, I love the logos… they are the beautiful art work of Salem-Keizer students through the years. It was the combination of the colorful fabric and the black and white logos. It was the default option, as the Foundation does not have digital access to all the color logos for the past 30 years. However, the contrast between the very colorful fabrics and the black and white of the logos was stark and dowdy. I was not feeling the Awesome 3000 charm.

The Awesome is not a black and white affair. It is drenched in color and excitement. The craziness of kids putting sparkly dye and huge ribbons in their hair so mom and dad can recognize them from the stands!! It is the gigantic nature of GEO and Clifford as they mingle with the crowd. There is the pancake breakfast… not to be consumed before running!!! And the activity village where one can spend a few moments between races and maybe complete a fun gift for mother’s day! The Awesome has grown from a small race with 300 kids to an event that not only raises money for teacher grants, but encourages families to spend a fun healthy morning together. Through it all there have been growing pains and changes for good and not so good, however the end result and overall consensus is, “Let’s do it again next year!”

Back to the quilt… I needed a fresh take, a new idea, or something that would make the logos pop in the quilt. I tried coloring the alligators in with green pens… that only produced big alligator blobs without definition or detail. I then attempted to color the fabric with diluted acrylic paints…

It had worked on another project. That seemed to wash out the color and design. Thankfully, Louise and her computer oriented husband put their heads together and digitally colored a couple of the blocks. The alligator came out vivid along with the reds and yellows interspersed in the logos. The colors were not exactly like the original designs, yet it gave just enough pizzazz to pop the logos from their white backgrounds and make the gators come to life! We also decided to ditch the neutral colors and stick to eye popping primaries. Yes we would have to re-print all the logos and buy more fabric, but in the long run, it would be worth it.

The Awesome 3000 is an event meant to be relished and relived. The quilt needed to exhibit those same qualities and be cherished for lifetimes to come! Which means, sometimes you need to step back, assess the plans and happenings along the way and change those things that need changing... sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, regardless, the Awesome was, is, and always will be...

AWESOME!!!

Best Laid Plans...

Quilts are not always a cut and sewn proposition. Sometimes there are bumps along the way and decisions that quizzically impair the over taxed brain. This is what I refer to as “a quilt block.” Not the traditional 8x8 or 12x12 or even the gigantic 14x14 sized piece of pieced material, but a snafu or glitch that throws the entire quilt design into disarray. Hence, the quilt is blocked and needs a quick kick to get it revved up again.

I just was not happy with the black and white printed logos… they were too black and white. The rest of the quilt was swimming in color and then popped up these awful black and white squares. Don’t get me wrong, I love the logos… they are the beautiful art work of Salem-Keizer students through the years. It was the combination of the colorful fabric and the black and white logos. The foundation does not have access to digital files of the full color designs so in order to make things uniform, I chose to go with the black and white logos for all the years. The contrast between the very colorful fabrics and the black and white of the logos was stark and dowdy. I wasn’t feeling the Awesome 3000 charm.

The Awesome is not a black and white affair. It is drenched in color and excitement. The craziness of kids putting sparkly dye and huge ribbons in their hair so mom and dad can recognize them from the stands!! It is the gigantic nature of GEO and Clifford as they mingle with the crowd. There is the pancake breakfast… not to be consumed before running!!! And the activity village where one can spend a few moments between races and maybe complete a fun gift for mother’s day! The Awesome has grown from a small race with 300 kids to an event that not only raises money for teacher grants, but encourages families to spend a fun morning together. Through it all there have been growing pains and changes for good and not so good, however the end result and overall consensus is, “Let’s do it again next year!”

Back to the quilt… I needed a fresh take, a new idea, or something that would make the logos pop in the quilt. I tried coloring the alligators in with green pens… that only produced big alligator blobs without definition or detail. I then attempted to color the fabric with diluted acrylic paints… It had worked on another project. That seemed to wash out the color and design. Thankfully, Louise and her computer oriented husband put their heads together and digitally colored a couple of the blocks. The alligator came out vivid along with the reds and yellows interspersed in the logos. It wasn’t exactly as the original designs had been colored, yet it gave just enough pizzazz to pop the logos from their white backgrounds and make the gators come to life! We also decided to ditch the neutral colors and stick to the eye popping primaries. Yes we would have to re-print all the logos and buy more fabric, but in the long run, it would be worth it.