Volleyball

Over the years I have enjoyed playing volleyball. Unfortunately our high school did not have a men’s team, but in college I enjoyed playing co-ed volleyball on an intramural team which won first place. That same team then decided to enter a volleyball tournament in Moab where we didn't do as well. Since then I have had a hard time finding others to play volleyball with. Each ward I have been in I have attempted to get people interested and have not had any luck. My little brother invited Amy and I to watch him play in a tournament at the University of Utah. He played for the Weber State club team. This was the first time I saw in person a team play at such a high level. They had set plays which they seemed to execute with ease. At that point I desired to play more volleyball. Two years ago when we moved into our home, I again expressed an interest in playing church volleyball which no one else seemed to be interested in. Then, one day after church a neighbor said that he and his cousins played volleyball once a week at a church house and he invited me to play. To my pleasant surprise they were quite good. They used hand signals to call plays similar to what I saw my brother's team do. Since then every winter I have played volleyball with them and have enjoyed every minute of it.

I Love Springtime!

This weekend was beautiful weather - great for planting and hot air balloons.  We have noticed balloon pilots have been out more during the cool mornings and clear days we have had.  This balloon was new to me - it has an interesting metallic gold in the design which made it stand out even more in the sky.  It floated near our home for a while and then landed in a neighborhood down the street.  Naturally, the kids in the area flocked to see it up close.  I have never been in a hot air balloon myself; I used to have nightmares about them.  Maybe someday. 

I ordered some vegetable seeds this year and Saturday I planted them in a mini-greenhouse tray.  Last year I grew some large bottle gourds from seed.  Now I'm trying to grow some small gourds called goblin eggs, a mix of large gourds, pumpkins and watermelons.  For the first time I am trying to grow heirloom tomatoes, one called Big Rainbow and one called Sweet Tangerine.  I also planted a hot pepper mix, sweet pepper mix, and a Chocolate Cherry tomato.  When the ground is ready, which is still a week or two away,  I am going to put in some sugar snap peas and spinach.  When I went to a local store to get some seed starter trays, they had pansies with huge blossoms and also some intensely bright primroses.  I couldn't pass them up, probably because I am so eager for the change of season.  This is a photo of the primroses, the coral colored one is my favorite.   I planted them in a shady spot next to our front steps.

March Madness

Is there a better month than March for college sports?  So many games played in just one month.  Typically I do not fill out the NCAA brackets but rather root for any Utah college (Go Aggies!) and all of the underdogs.  I enjoy watching a team that is "supposed" to do well get beat by a team that was "supposed" to loose.  This year however, I decided to fill out a bracket since my work is giving a plate of cookies to whom ever picks the most correct wins in the NCAA tournament.  The cookies would be nice, but I still would rather watch a team get upset in the tournament especially if it is Duke.  Let the games begin!!!

Ma and Pa painting

I thought I would show you the progression of a recent painting.  I've seen other artists videotape themselves while creating a painting so I thought I'd try it, using still photos since I don't have a camcorder.  The following painting is 24" tall by 18" wide, done in oil on canvas.

Here is the very loose indication of the figures' general size and pose.  From here I will continue to redraw and refine the shapes to make them more specific and careful.

The way I like to paint I tone (spread a thin layer of paint) the whole canvas and then use a rag to lift out the light shapes.  This method requires working fast and completing the lightest areas in one sitting.

Here I add shapes and values in the background.  For some reason my students usually like to put this part off until the last minute.  So, practicing what I preach, I try to get to the handcart and distant trees fairly early in the process.

Having never stopped to periodically take photos of a painting while I work, I later realized that the progression is a bit uneven between photos.  Especially in the beginning I find that I'm too busy concentrating to stop.  The most detrimental mistakes are made in the beginning so I try to work carefully and continuously.

Here I begin to put more detail in the cowboy's pants and rope as well as the cast shadows in the grass.

At this point I am adding definition to the woman's clothing and hair.  You may or may not have noticed the overall color shift - I did.  This is because I was losing natural daylight and relying more on my studio light. This painting was done in under two hours, and it's amazing how much the light changes in a short time.

This is the painting as it sits in my studio today.  I haven't decided whether I want to paint over it in full color or keep it this sepia look.  There are several areas that still need attention, but it's a start. 

Prayer Swap

Last week during our Adoptive Parent Training we learned about the Family Supporting Adoption National Conference that is held annually in Utah - we hope to go this year. Last year they had a keynote speaker named Troy Dunn who talked about the importance of open adoption. Here is a segment of his presentation. I really enjoyed his perspective on open adoption since he has seen it from many angles.

Adoptive Parent Training

Jared and I went to a two day workshop designed to help adoptive parents create a successful adoption experience. It was well worth our time. The best part was a panel of birth mothers who were gracious enough to describe their intense experiences to our group. These courageous women have been through a lot! I knew their stories would make me cry, and they did.

We learned that these mothers very carefully, and prayerfully, searched for a mother and father who they believed would provide the kind of care they wanted for their precious baby. It makes sense to describe adoption as placement, not “giving up” a child. They are acting for their child, not for themselves, not even for adoptive couples.

Saturday influenced our opinions about openness in adoption. Overall it is usually better for the child AND the birth mother (and even for the adoptive parents) to have contact after placement. Another speaker at the training who was herself adopted, said that with a totally closed adoption as hers had been for a long time, she had nothing but questions – no answers, no people to help finish her personal story. Now I feel we can happily provide a birth mother with the links to her baby that she will likely want. This may mean an ongoing blog with pictures, it could mean phone calls, and could mean in-person visits. That is okay – I understand that the child we would hope to have in our family will have another special person (maybe many people) who are indeed an important part of their lives.

Chat Room

Last night I had the opportunity to participate in an adoption "Chat Room" in a physical building with couches, chairs and even refreshments. Present at the discussion were individuals who have adopted, those who are hoping to adopt and birth mothers who have placed their babies with adoptive couples. Unfortunately Amy was not able to attend, but I went to learn as much as I could. The theme of the evening was about helping extended family learn about adoption and help them feel comfortable with adoption. A fair amount of time was spent on this subject, but the discussion went in many different directions as different participants asked questions or shared experiences. I was most touched by the love and courage that I saw and heard as birth mothers shared some of their experiences interacting with the adoptive couples they have chosen to place their child with. Leaving the discussion I have a better appreciation for the difficult decision that birth parents have in deciding to place their child and also choosing an adoptive couple. I enjoyed the atmosphere of learning about each others situations. Birth mothers were asking questions to adoptive couples and adoptive couples asking questions to birth mothers and even hopeful adoptive couples asking questions to both adoptive couples and birth mothers. We look forward to attending more "Chat Room" meetings in the future.