Alyca's Daily Life

2009-11-24T18:35:00.000-08:00

We had an awesome trip today. I cannot stress enough the amazingness of the Vallarta Adventures crew. They totally make each and every trip. We did the Yalapa tour, which was a bay cruise followed by snorkelling and a stop at a Mexican town only accessed by boat (Yalapa). The snorkelling was the best we have ever had on the Pacific Coast, and the crew was undescribably good. We have loaned out our water-soluble camera (the one with the underwater housing), so we have no pictures...but two different couples took our pictures and promise to send them...so we shall see. Awesomeness. We had seafood (Ethan) and Mexican steak for dinner, and are in our room for the night.....

Lots of ocean swimming on the docket for tomorrow...

couple 'o pics o tide you over...

2009-11-24T06:48:00.000-08:00

2009-11-22T18:37:00.000-08:00

Back from our excursions, VERY full of a wonderful Mexican dinner on a patio steps from my building, and a stone's throw from the beach. Back to the room now for Sunday Night Football (yes, we are *those* people...), then to bed late tonight and up for a full day of sun and water.

We have arrived in Puerto Vallarta

2009-11-22T14:53:00.000-08:00

As soon as they get our toilet fixed, we are off to purchase food/drinks for the week. We always bring Uncle Dan's Original Southern dip mix, and buy cheese/crackers/sliced meat to eat with it for snacks (to skip purchasing lunch), and eggs and cheese for scrambled eggs to eat for breakfast. And a variety of adult beverages.

Off to explore this gorgeous, HUGE resort after that!!

2009-11-16T19:33:00.000-08:00

This is a mixed up album--all the pages are different sizes and shapes, only the covers match.

2009-11-16T19:32:00.000-08:00

2009-11-16T19:31:00.000-08:00

Okay, that last post was wrong. THESE three layouts are from the scrap strips class, using up your stash. Not sure about those other ones, now...

2009-11-16T19:26:00.000-08:00

Pic #4 and 5 are also from the photos first class, and are meant for 9 pictures each..

Pic#3 and 2 are from a scraps class (I think...), and pic#1 is from the Basic Grey latest and greatest class (I think...)

Just for Davinie....

2009-11-16T19:02:00.000-08:00

Some of the projects I have yet to finish....white areas are where pictures go.

Fifth picture (if I uploaded these right...is of a 6x6 mini album...

Fourth picture is another 6x6 album--this class was called Core-dinating elements, because we were going to use paper that had a different colored core, so it added dimension when you sanded it a bit. If you look VEEEERRY closely on the far left piece, there is a 2x4 inch piece of this paper. That is all we got. And there was NO mention whatsoever in the class about this paper, other than look for paper that has been already cut to this size, and glue it in place. I LOVE the blue papers they gave us (not the special core ones), but this class sucked, other than that.

Picture #3 and 2 are from a class about using shaped papers. Got some good ideas in this class, and bought some shaped papers to use later...

Pic#1 is from a photos first class--white areas are for 9 little pictures that I have not yet figured out...

2009-11-04T07:56:00.000-08:00

Because I am such an avid blogger, I started a travel blog over at travelpod.com. So as not to clutter up THIS blog with travel info...

Slightly stale....

2009-11-02T13:56:00.000-08:00

I totally forgot to post pictures of this lovely cake I made. Please excuse the messy countertop and the slightly obnoxious green color of the final cake. Let's just say I need a bit of practice...

I made the marshmallow fondant from scratch (my first attempt at that...but it was much tastier than regular fondant is), and I made a massive bowl of buttercream frosting from scratch. The cake is almond vanilla flavor, and I cut fresh strawberries to put between the layers on each cake level. It ended up being tasty, although it *does* bear some resemblence to those ghosts that always chase PacMan around...

I had a bit of an obession with some of those cake shows, and wanted to try my hand at it.

What I learned:
I have no patience for the little details. I am more of a 'meh, it is close enough' kind of person. This shows when rolling out fondant, fyi.
I REALLY need to remodel my kitchen for more counter space before I ever try this again.
Color mixing is not my strong point. That was supposed to be sage green.

No, racism is not dead in America

2009-10-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

Couple denied marriage license
By MARY FOSTER

The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — A Louisiana justice of the peace said he refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple out of concern for any children the couple might have.

Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, said it is his experience that most interracial marriages do not last long.

"I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way," Bardwell, who is white, said Thursday. "I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home; I marry them; they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else."

Bardwell said he asks everyone who calls about marriage if they are a mixed-race couple. If they are, he does not marry them, he said.

Bardwell said he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said.

"There is a problem with both groups accepting a child from such a marriage," Bardwell said. "I think those children suffer and I won't help put them through it."

If he did an interracial marriage for one couple, he must do the same for all, he said.

"I try to treat everyone equally," he said.

Bardwell estimated he had refused to marry about four couples during his career, all in the past 2 ½ years.

Beth Humphrey, 30, and Terence McKay, 32, both of Hammond, said they will consult the U.S. Justice Department about filing a discrimination complaint.

Humphrey, an account manager for a marketing firm, said she and McKay, a welder, just returned to Louisiana. She is white and he is black. She plans to enroll in the University of New Orleans to pursue a master's degree in minority politics.

"That was one thing that made this so unbelievable," she said. "It's not something you expect in this day and age."

Humphrey said she called Bardwell on Oct. 6 to inquire about getting a marriage license signed. She said Bardwell's wife told her Bardwell will not sign marriage licenses for interracial couples. Bardwell suggested the couple go to another justice of the peace, who agreed to marry them.

"We are looking forward to having children," Humphrey said. "And all our friends and co-workers have been very supportive. Except for this, we're typical happy newlyweds."

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Louisiana attorney Katie Schwartzmann said, "It is really astonishing and disappointing to see this come up in 2009." She added that the Supreme Court ruled in 1967 "that the government cannot tell people who they can and cannot marry."

The ACLU sent a letter to the Louisiana Judiciary Committee, which oversees the state justices of the peace, asking them to investigate Bardwell and recommending "the most severe sanctions available, because such blatant bigotry poses a substantial threat of serious harm to the administration of justice."

"He knew he was breaking the law, but continued to do it," Schwartzmann said.

"I've been a justice of the peace for 34 years and I don't think I've mistreated anybody," Bardwell said. "I've made some mistakes, but you have, too. I didn't tell this couple they couldn't get married. I just told them I wouldn't do it."

2009-09-14T13:49:00.001-07:00

A whole lotta travel planning going on in the Amerson household (at least when *I* am home...)

We are hoping to go to Europe in late April/early May. I checked out our frequent flier miles.....and they have halved the amount of miles it takes to fly to Europe!! Which means we have enough for FOUR tickets (or two tickets to Europe, and enough for one of our tickets to Australia). So we must go.

Shopping around (and I *DO* shop around....), I found us flights where we fly into Frankfurt, Germany, then fly home from Rome. Here is our itinerary so far...

We fly into Frankfurt (leaving here ~11am on a Friday), arriving early Saturday morning. Either we hang out in Frankfurt and spend a night, or we catch a train directly to Bacharach, on the Rhein river.

We will stay in a B&B or small hotel here. From this base, we will take a train north and across the Rhein to a town called Moselkern on the Mosel river, where we will disembark, then hike for a bit to get to this:

This is Burg Eltz, a BEAUTIFUL castle that is over 800 years old and was never destroyed/bombed, etc. Rick Steves' favorite castle. After this, we catch another train back to Koblenz (also on the Rhein river), then take a KD river cruise back down to Bacharach (another Rick Steves recommendation). More relaxing and exploring the area until Tuesday with a local rail pass.

On Tuesday, we will take a train out of Germany and into Amsterdam. Ethan really wants to go back. Hopefully, our trip will coincide with Queen's day, which is a nationwide celebration of the Queen's (official) birthday--parties and festivals everywhere, and it is also the ONE day when ANYONE can sell things. No yard sales the rest of the year--just this day!! So they have tons of little second-hand markets set up, and performances of local dance groups and music and all sorts of excitement.

We stay in Amsterdam for four nights, exploring the canals and houseboats and doing at least one bike tour.

On Saturday, we will take a train to Paris. May or may not work in a stop in Brussels. Rick Steves recommends that we get off the train for a few hours here, explore the Grand Place and have a nice lunch, then reboard and head on to Paris. However, then just completed the upgrades for the super high speed Thalys trains, so we may just go straight through. Still deciding.....

We are in Paris for 3 nights, exploring the architecture and history; we will be there for the free day at the Louvre and many other museums (along with a few thousand of our closest friends...), but we will not stress out (WE-WILL-NOT-STRESS-OUT...repeat....), and just enjoy what we can, taking in the ambiance. Definitely going up the Eiffel tower at sunset, and climbing all the steps up Notre Dame and the Arc du Triumph for their views...

We leave Paris on Tuesday, taking a cheap flight to Rome, where we will spend our last three nights. Lots of ruins and architecture and great food and dodging cars and wonderfulness....then we fly back home.

I am sure I will tweak this a bunch as I go, but this is the basic plan so far.

Looks like Mom had one more update in her....

2009-09-07T09:27:00.000-07:00

......although...I am not sure I can get past the OMG from *my* mother!! Who taught her that?!?

This email was titled "Croatia"--she went through Zagreb then on to Dubrovnik--I found her a 3 night sea kayaking tour, where you stay in local B&Bs and take guided kayak/snorkel exploration tours during the day. Sounds like it went well.

Alyca

O. M. G!!!!

Unbelievable!!!

Absolutely Awesome!!

Touched!!!!

My Heart is FULL!!

Thank you thank. You THanK YOu. SO muCh for FinDing this place and putting it all together

We are on. Our way home

WILl talk soon

Love you

Mom

A final update from Mom (now in Croatia)

2009-09-03T07:53:00.001-07:00

Hi Alyca
CheckinG in

We made it To ZegreB. JuSt. Fine
I am. Sitting on the pLane awaiting také off

Rode. A river boat last night
What a Trip that was
I. felt like I was Living inside of a postcard. It was breathtaking view of lots oF castles
UnbElievable
I am taking lots of pictures
I wont Remember whicH one was where
But beautiful any way

Let others know I am okay

Gotta hang up and FLY away

Bye

Love

MoM

Pictures from our hike up to Baker Lake

2009-08-31T18:37:00.000-07:00

Ethan and I went camping this weekend with Justin and Kim (Brian and Erin came up on Saturday). We headed out noonish Saturday to Baker Lake, and had a really nice hike up, with some beautiful views.

2009-08-31T17:45:00.000-07:00

An update from Mom

2009-08-31T17:19:00.000-07:00

I think she was having issues with the Czech keyboard.......

Hi Alyca,
Yep, got another one. Today.
It is not gold tho, but bronZe has a nice shine to it!

I am racing on the senior woman,s grand master,s.
Tomorrow, we are not racing, so we will check out the City It is so beautiFul here! The weather has been perfect!
Let eveRyone knoW I am Doing great!

Gotta hit the sack

Také care,
LovE

Final tally:

Silver with the Grandmasters women in the 2000m; Bronze with the Grandmaster women in the 1000m; Bronze with the Grandmasters women in the 200m; Silver with the Senior women in the 200m; Bronze with the Senior women in the 500m. So, you could really say she rocked it. A medal at every distance she competed in!

Today (Monday), they took a train into Budapest. They are staying there for 3 nights, doing all the Rick Steves recommended activities--their number one focus is to go to a public bath. Don't worry--they wear clothes in the public baths....

After Budapest, it is another train ride into Zagreb, Croatia; then a flight down to Dubrovnik where they meet up with another paddler and do a 3 day sea kayaking adventure. Mom got a housing for her camera that is waterproof, and promises to bring back lots of pictures!!

Mom

For those of you who are following along....

2009-08-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

A few links to make things easier.

Here is a blog by Wasabi (Mom's club in Portland). They are blogging some of the races. Mom is not involved, but they do talk about the boats swamping the first day and how some of the races are going. Mom is on (I believe) the Grandmasters women (over age 50), and maybe the grandmasters mixed team. Pretty sure about the GM women, since we saw the picture of her in the medal lineup, and the Senior women did not get a medal.

http://www.wasabipaddlingclub.blogspot.com/

Here is a link to a website where a photographer is taking pictures of the races.

http://www.dragonboat2009.com/photo-galleries

He updates it daily (so far), and there are LOTS of pictures to look through. I have looked through them ALL so far, and there is just the one with Mom in it. I will let you know if I find more......To look through the pictures, just click on one to make it bigger. Once it is up, click on the top right of the picture ( on the > symbol) to go to the next picture

Here is the link to race results--they are posted live within a few minutes of the race completing.

http://idbfworldchamps.com/

The top of the page has some navy blue buttons to get results for day 1, day 2, etc.

Are we all caught up??? Keep sending good luck vibes to Mom--there are a lot more medals out there to win, and I know she is using her medals to make a curtain for her window. She needs a couple more to finish it!!

Mom wins a silver medal!!!

2009-08-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

Mom is in Prague, and today was the first big day of racing.

I believe Mom is on the Grand Dragon women's team....because there is a picture on the link above of Mom at a medals ceremony, and reporting on the official site that the US Grand Dragons women won a silver medal in the 2000 meter race.

(It is Picture #43....you will recognize her by her cane.....)

In Australia in 2007, mom won a bronze medal in the 500meters with the Grand Dragons mixed team...so this is a GREAT start to her meet!!

Paddle hard, Mom!!

2009-08-17T08:55:00.001-07:00

After 36 hours of swearing, taking things apart, consulting the internet, dragging out our behemoth of a ladder and sleeping in alternate locations, we have finally silenced the chirping of the fire alarm in our bedroom.

We were mystified when the beeping continued despite changing the battery, vacuuming out any dust or bugs inside, resetting the system and giving it dirty looks.

We drug the ladder out of the garage and got up into the attic above out bedroom--on the internet, there were stories of people having beeping fire alarms they didn't know existed in their attics. I figured we MUST have one up there.

We were even MORE mystified when the beeping continued after we removed the unit from the ceiling (ours are hard-wired into the house, and have a battery backup). The beeping continued out of the empty hole. How the hell is that possible?? The beeping would not stop even when we tripped the circuit breaker. I figured they were mislabelled.

We nearly divorced.

I went to the manufacturer's website for tips, and followed ALL of them.

Except the tip where they say that the beeping could be coming from another source. What idiot has a cell phone with a fire alarm beep and doesn't recognize it, I thought. How stupid ARE some people??

Apparently, we are those idiots. The beeping was from our carbon monoxide detector, whose battery was running low. It is plugged into a socket at the foot of our bed, and in our teeny master bedroom, the sound bounced off the walls and we only THOUGHT it was coming from the hole in the ceiling where the smoke detector goes.

The beeping began at 5:20am on Saturday. I know this, because Ethan was just closing the garage door to go into work for some overtime when it started. I figured I needed a new battery, but 5:20am is not the time for me to be coordinated and stand on a chair, so I went downstairs and slept on the couch.

The rest of Saturday was pretty busy--Ethan spend 5+ hours using our new powerwasher on the deck (which looks fabulous now, by the way...), and I was busy with some other cleaning projects around the house. We tried changing the battery, etc in the afternoon, to no avail. Then we headed out to Justin and Kim's for the Seahawks game, and got home around midnight. At this point, we were tired and tried turning off the power to the alarm system, planning to deal with it in the morning. WHen this failed, I slept on the couch upstairs, and Ethan slept on the couch downstairs ( I totally got the better deal--the upstairs couch is COMFY!). Then, around 4am, one of the actual smoke detectors got sick of the beeping coming from the bedroom, and IT started chirping. Every minute. Both of them. I moved into our spare bedroom, closed the door and slept a few hours on the air mattress in there. Not comfortable.
After a few hours of this, I moved to the newly vacated couch downstairs for some sleep. Eventually, I got up and used a hand carved cane we got on our honeymoon to push the reset button on the smoke detector while standing on a chair(it is up on the vaulted ceiling in our living room and VERY hard to reach), and shut it up. Several hours later, after much hair pulling, we got the other alarm silenced.

I am still hearing beeping in my head.

2009-08-13T14:30:00.000-07:00

I have often felt a sort of kinship, a feeling of understanding and connection with lesbian and gay couples. The discrimination, the anger, the rudeness, the stares. I think I have a teeny bit of an understanding as to how that feels, and what it is like to be in a loving relationship that is not respected by the outside world.

In case you couldn't tell from our numerous pictures posted on my blog, Ethan and I are in an interracial relationship. Shocking, I know.

In the early days of our relationship, back when we first met in college, I thought nothing of the differences in skin color. Ethan was very sweet, oh-so-kind, intelligent and sensitive, and gorgeous to boot. What more was I looking for?? Having been raised in the boonies with almost no people with ethnicities other than my own, I had never formulated an opinion on who I would or wouldn't date.

After a few weeks, I remember talking on the phone to Davinie and mentioning his race. Not a big deal, just thought I should throw it out there. She was cool, didn't seem to think much of it, either.

Most of my family was pretty cool about things--they ALL are now. Some had concerns. Was I now becoming a part of the 'black community'? Would my kids be accepted in 'white society'?? I think it was mostly naivety and concern for me and my happiness. I am pretty confident now in the acceptance by my family of my relationship. If that makes any sense whatsoever.

Ethan and I have been together, somewhat off and on (bus mostly on) since 1995. That is fourteen years this fall. Now that my family has really gotten to know him, they love him and accept him and our relationship.

Okay, the back story. Got it???

Here in the Pacific NW, we are relatively sheltered. This area is known for tolerance and acceptance. I get funny looks sometimes when Ethan and I are out and about holding hands or presenting ourselves as a definite 'couple', but for the most part, people really don't care if we are interracially together.

Leaving this safety bubble is another thing. We have had obscenities screamed at us, rude gestures, serious anger directed our way. Why??? We were walking down a street, holding hands on vacation. This has happened in Las Vegas, it has happened in Reno, we had some issues in Miami.....

Anyway. I compare this to a homosexual couple. Screamed at for holding hands or kissing. Having people try to talk you out of your relationship. I could no more stop loving Ethan than I could cut my own leg off. He is my soulmate. We don't get to choose the skin color or eye color or shoe size or height of the one we fall in love with--you fall in love with someone's soul, and take the physical package that comes attached. I feel the same way about same-sex couples. Do you honestly think that this is a CHOICE?? That they CHOOSE to make their life more difficult by being in a same-sex relationship?? That they ENJOY being stared at and getting evil looks?? Really?? You think they do this for fun?? Doesn't sound like much fun to me. No one would choose the additional stressors that come with being gay/lesbian. This is who they are. This is how they are. Everyone is different. Everyone is born with their own uniqueness. Some differences are accepted, and some are not. I try my best to accept everyone as they are. I do not always succeed, but I do try. I think the world would be a much better place if we all at least TRIED.

2009-08-11T18:04:00.000-07:00

Because it still makes me cry every time, even a year later

2009-08-05T07:34:00.000-07:00

Because I love travelling vicariously almost as much as I love actually travelling.

2009-07-16T07:10:00.000-07:00

I feel compelled to share what an awesome trip Mom is about to take. I have been doing some European exploring, and helped Mom devise a wonderful trip that I am extremely jealous of.

On August 24th, I will drive Mom and a friend to the Seattle airport. She will be in Seattle for a dragonboat race, then leave from here to go to Prague for the 2009 World Championships of Dragon Boat Racing. Very exciting. She gets to Prague Tuesday morning, then has practices that afternoon, and the real racing starts Wednesday. Racing continues through Sunday. Paddle hard, Grammbon!!

Once she finishes racing on Sunday, the 30th of August, the real fun starts...
On Monday morning, she will board a train to Austria. Exact destination is not yet determined. The town of Graz is one option, as is Vienna. A ~5 hour train ride through the beautiful countryside, ending in the early afternoon. They will debark the train, head for a hotel for the night, then have the rest of Monday and all day Tuesday to explore the city.
Wednesday morning, they head to Zagreb, Croatia. Only a 2-3 hour train ride away. They spend the rest of Wednesday exploring Zagreb, spend a night in a hotel, then fly out of Zagreb Thursday afternoon, heading for the coastal town of Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik is where the real action is happening. Only a 50 minute flight away, this is where Mom and her friend will be met by a company called Adria Adventures (Dubrovnik is on the Adriatic Sea), who will whisk them away for a few days of adventure http://www.adriaadventure.hr/ Mom is doing the Elaphite islands kayaking weekend tour. Three days of sea kayaking, snorkelling, and seeing beautiful sights and amazing turquoise waters. Lots of fun.

On Sunday, their trip ends. They will take that short flight back to Zagreb and spend the night there. They have Monday morning to relax and see some sights, then it is off to Frankfurt, Germany on an early afternoon flight. They will head to a local hotel, then enjoy the evening in Germany. Their flight home to Portland leaves midmorning on Tuesday.

Sound like fun?? I know *I* want to go!!