2 Brides, 2 Grooms, 2 Weeks & 2 Weddings...

Mr. & Mrs. Korey Nelson!
Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Rich!

       Well, it was a wild summer but we pulled off 2 weddings in 2 weeks! No small feat!  
       But now both weddings are behind us.  So is the open house in southern California as well as my Costa Mesa road trip last weekend to deliver gifts to Paige and Korey.  Finding room in their studio apartment for the presents was no small feat either.     
       So, it would appear that I've run out of excuses for my blogging hiatus.  And my school quarter starts tomorrow which is probably as good a time as any to get back into a good daily routine, which will include more quotes and comments from K2 ad nauseam.  Stay tuned!   

Oh My Goodness!

       
       We had a great reaction from Andrew the other day when I mentioned I would get the wedding invitations Andie had just addressed in the mail the next morning.  Andrew exclaimed: "Oh my goodness!" It came out like "Oh, no this is all happening SO FAST!"
       Now I should clarify that Andrew insists his remark was more about the fact that the invites all had 65 cent stamps and he was calculating the cost. 
       But, some soundbites take on a life of their own and "Oh my goodness" will forevermore be code for "Yikes!" as far as Andie, Andrew and I are concerned.  
       Although, in another context, I had a different "Oh my goodness" reaction to the engagement photos of Andie and Andrew they took on Stanford campus Tuesday night.  The pictures are "oh my goodness" code for adorable!  I can't wait to get copies of the Nelson's (Paige & Korey) and the soon-to-be-Rich's to hang in the house.
       We now have so many darling pictures of both couples that the hard part will be choosing our favorites!  

MOTB!

       I've been using the MOTB (Mother of the Bride) acronym for email exchanges and it occurred to me that I am not your average MOTB because I can use the acronym to stand for Mother Of Two Brides!
       When people realize I have, not just one, but 2 weddings, I get the expected "whoa, you must be busy" commentary.  And, I suppose we are in the throes of weddings-on-the-brain but these are the kind of life events we live for.  
       So, Brent and I are delighted to be gaining 2 sharp son-in-laws!  They're a welcome addition to the family and we feel blessed!
       Now, as the double MOTB, I can't shirk my self-appointed role of giving good marital advice to my girls.  Ongoing, unsolicited and completely free!  Aren't they so lucky?  So, today I'll direct them to a short but clever ditty by American poet Ogden Nash:
       "To keep your marriage brimming, with love in the wedding cup, whenever you're wrong, admit it; whenever you're right, shut up."  

“C” is for Cookie...

       When my homemade cookies turn out well, it’s pretty much a fluke.  In fact, I made a delicious batch of carob chip cookies (circa 1982ish) that I’ve been trying to replicate for the past 30 years.  To no avail, much to Brent’s chagrin.  So, the fine art of baking is not something I have much talent for.  
       Luckily, I can probably quit attempting to bake wonderful cookies because Andrew Rich happens to bake cookies that rival Icing on the Cake!  Andrew’s cookies are so good that Maria even dreams about them!  Of course, Maria is pregnant and that can throw people into all sorts of cravings and weird dreams.  But still.  No one has ever mentioned dreaming about anything I’ve served.    
       Andrew claims he is a newcomer to his baking hobby, which I think just shows his natural talent.  The cookies on the platter at left were devoured at Paige’s bridal shower.  
       My dad always says every that every family needs at least one doctor, dentist, lawyer, whatever and how fortunate that we should shortly be getting one amazing baker in the family!  

Celebration Season....

     Andrew Rich’s birthday is July 1st and everyone who knows Andie is well aware that her birthday is the 4th of July.  And now, there is even more reason to celebrate in July.  As of Thursday night, Andrew and Andie are engaged!
       That’s right!  Andie is known for speed and it looks like their engagement is no exception to this rule.  As Andie nicely quoted on Facebook:  “Because when you realize that you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”  (Billy Crystal to Meg Ryan, When Harry Met Sally) 
       So, it’s been a whirlwind courtship but a healthy and happy one.  It’s always a good sign when everyone who meets Andrew is impressed and everyone who knows him speaks highly of him.  Now Paige’s official maid of honor doesn’t need to clamor for the wedding bouquet; she’s already got a ring on her finger.  
       A date has not been set yet but the wedding will likely take place before the end of the year.  So, the Knudsens will score not just one great son-in-law (Korey) but hopefully two in 2012!
       Congratulations to Andrew and Andie - the Yin and the Yang!   

The Strength of America...

       “The great and admirable strength of America consists in this, that America is truly the American people.” - Jacques Maritain
       Like America, our 4th of July Birthday Girl is a strong one too! In fact, Andie loves to demonstrate her abilities by picking up her mom or siblings and Webb is a much better sport than I am about getting scooped up.  
       While I might give Andie a hard time about some of her purported superpowers, I have to admit that, at times, she can be a  force of nature (in a good way of course :) 
       Steve Maraboli said:  “Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.”  And, it’s true.  Life can be full of surprises and Andie’s had her fair share of bumps in the road but she always rallies and carries on.  So, yes, I’m inspired by her tenacity and strength; even if I prefer not to be carried around.  
       Happy Birthday to the USA and Andie K! Shining examples of strength in action!    

The Queen of Country School!

             Happy 30th Birthday to Almaden Country School!  Andie and I are so happy we got to join the celebration yesterday!  It felt quite nostalgic!  
     Almaden Country School is a magical place; especially when Nan Hunter is on campus.  Yesterday there were droves of old-timers like us who came to hear tributes to the founders.  Steve Hayden even sent remarks from Apple University in China. 
     Right after the “formal” celebration Julia Hatch crowned Nan “The Queen of Country School” and fixed Nan up with a tiara and cape.  It was perfect because Nan is absolutely the queen on campus even if the new students don’t realize the influence and impact she has had on the school.  
     What a fun treat to see so many old friends and familiar faces from the years we spent at ACS.  I love the vision of the school and the vision Nan had when she started Almaden Country School in 1982 (which happens to be the year Andie was born too).  Such a great year and such a great school!   

Definition of Terms...

     We had a good laugh yesterday when something came up about Paige recruiting Andie to be her Made of Honor. We don’t know whether it was a typo or if we need to enlighten Paige on some of the wedding terminology. Andie is quite sure she is already made of honor and is considering the Maid of Honor position too.  
     I think Paige is working under the assumption that Andie will take the job because she is already handing out assignments.  And, I will say, I’m quite impressed with Paige and Korey’s organization skills.  I might get to sit back and let the bride do all the work on this wedding!  With help from her made/maid of honor of course!

Running in the OC!

Equinox sponsored a great athlete for the Orange County half marathon Sunday morning.  Paige  represented the club well finishing in the top 10 women overall and 2nd in her age group!  This is out of almost 9000 people running the half! Go Pooge! 


Andie flew down Friday night planning to cheer on her sister but in a stroke of luck someone else on the Equinox team dropped out leaving Andie with a bib number too. 


One daughter in peak performance rocks the race and another daughter, in a last minute decision, pulls off a formidable performance (just winging it).  In my humble opinion, I’m doubly impressed! Bay Area women show the OC how it’s done!  


Racing on Sunday is something we are trying hard to avoid (living in Utah would make this effort so much easier) but it turns out that if you run fast enough you still have plenty of time to go home, shower and still make it to church on time!  Way to go Knudsen girls!  Awesome running!     

In Transit...

Andie had a tiny issue recently when someone at church tracked her down and grilled her on special ed minutiae.

Later, when we were discussing options for those frustrating times when we get accosted with someone’s battery of questions, Deanna (Webb’s girlfriend) gave us 2 great lines to use.

If the grand inquisitor is someone we'd prefer to end the conversation as quickly as possible, Deanna suggested we simply say we’re “in transit” to imply we can’t stop to chat or answer or engage in their long-winded conversation, thank-you-very-much.

If we’d like to talk but feel in a rush we can just announce “walk with me” basically telling the person we’d like to talk to them (or, listen might be more accurate) but we’re so busy at that moment, that they’ve got to follow us around.

I’ve never told anyone I’m “in transit” (although I will now! thanks Deanna!) but I’ve actually beckoned Andie to “walk with me” all the time. She’s faithfully followed me around the house while I put away laundry numerous times.

We like Deanna’s sage advice! The next time I’m awkwardly cornered I can just shrug my head, give a quizzical I’m-sorry-about-this look and apologetically remark that I’m in transit. I’ll keep you posted on the effectiveness of both phrases. Even if they don’t really work I definitely like the sound of them. "In transit” especially has a nice ring to it!

Come Together....

“Come Together, Right Now...Over Me” - The Beatles

Just a week ago it looked like Andie might be moving back to Los Gatos. She’d signed over her Menlo Park lease to another girl and had to be out by the end of March.

But, everything in Palo Alto that felt good was too expensive and everything affordable didn’t seem like a viable option. Hence, things were not panning out, so an interim move back to 25 Alpine was the plan.

Still, as much as Andie adored the idea of moving back in with us (who wouldn’t want to live with us, right?), she claimed the commute to teach in Palo Alto was the vexing problem. Or maybe we were problem and she didn’t have the heart to tell us. But, either which way, it was looking inevitable (much to Andie’s chagrin).

Then, Andie was saved by an 11th hour housing option that miraculously “came together.” We’d been planning to load her stuff last Friday night and bring it back to LG on Saturday. But, she and another gal saw a place Thursday night, signed a lease on Friday and we helped them move in on Saturday.

Every now and then, things just seem to come together! Andie feels quite certain that higher powers were looking out for her on this one. And, hopefully she’ll still come down to LG to hang with the old folks too!

Death, Be Not Proud...

One week. Two stories. Three deaths.

First story: Dave Francis, a wonderful podiatrist in the Saratoga Ward, passed away on Monday, after a valiant fight with cancer. The theme for Dave’s funeral service yesterday “A Life Well-Lived” was appropriate for a man who was good to the core. I don’t know the Francis family well but was touched by the sweet tributes of his five adult children for whom he was clearly their hero.

67 years of age doesn’t sound young (to some) but I don’t think of Dave Francis as old either. He feels like a peer, so the aging bar is a moving target I guess. But, his death felt premature. Although, there was still a peace about it; a sense his life had meaning and his death was not the end. The crowded service spoke to the impact his example had on the lives of others.

Second story: Thursday brought an terrible tragedy that rocked Andie’s world. George Hodgins (pictured at left), is one of Andie’s boys! She took care of George while working at the Morgan Autism Center, and helped his family with private respite care. Andie brought George over swimming, took him to movies and the mall. Even though George’s autism left him unable to speak, Andie and George had a special bond.

But, George’s mother, Elizabeth Hodgins, in an awful snap of judgment, killed George and then herself. Andie’s been in shock since she heard the sad news. It feels surreal to read the headline article in the San Jose Mercury News and then learn it’s describing Elizabeth and George.

The shocking news was heightened because while Elizabeth had done the unspeakable, the autistic parent community felt her awful plight. Struggling to care for autistic children is unrelenting; especially as they age. George was 22 years old and even though he was fairly high functioning in his understanding, his inability to speak was a huge challenge.

It’s hard to imagine how hopeless Elizabeth Hodgins had to feel to commit such an egregious act. On one hand, as Andie recalls, Elizabeth, was doting and constantly over-parenting George’s every need (get him just the cookie with the sprinkles, make sure you take him to the Disney store, he likes this game but not the other, etc) but on the other hand, it completely exhausted her. George was their only child, yet, he required full time supervision.

George’s death and Elizabeth’s suicide is deeply tragic on so many levels. After working so closely with the Hodgins family, this will leave an indelible imprint on Andie . It’s hard not to wish there had been a better support system in place for the Hodgins family.

“Grief is in itself a medicine.” - William Cowper

Full of baloney....

Yesterday was Fast Sunday and halfway thru Sacrament Meeting Andie whispered what I thought was: “Do you have any bologna at your house?”

My first thought was “poor Andie, she must really be starving! Bologna? Really?”

But it turns out that Andie was actually inquiring whether we have any “Bolani” which makes a lot more sense. Bolani is this cool Afghani flat bread we’ve been purchasing at the Farmer’s Market and Whole Foods.

So, the answer to both questions is an adamant no. I have no bologna in the house. And, I have no bolani in the house.

Now, I have never purchased bologna in my life, which is why I was puzzled by Andie’s question. It’s just never really been part of my food repertoire. And I didn't have any bolani because technically bolani is bread (which I have given up for Lent). Although now, thanks to Andie and the power of suggestion, I craved bolani for the rest of the day!

Another name for you is Paige...

“A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves - a special kind of double.” - Toni Morrison

Andie had a funny exchange teaching Primary in the Los Gatos Ward a week or so ago. When she told her class that that her name was Andie Knudsen one of the boys added “And another name for you is Paige.”

People in our ward get Paige and Andie confused a lot. Not the people who know our family but 3 other groups: the elderly, young children, and new move-ins. When Paige returned home after BYU people would inadvertently call her Andie. Now Paige has moved but Andie’s been coming and she’s getting referred to as Paige.

It’s not beyond the realm of understanding since they can look alike. But, their personalities are pretty different which is why people who know them don’t usually get confused.

But, Andie was delighted to be told that another name for her is Paige, and because of the frequent mix-ups the girls have gotten used to answering to anything they’re called.

I was thinking about my girls this morning since they’ll be hanging out together in southern California today! Hence this post about their similarities (looks) and differences (radiant but unique personalities). Sisters!

“If you don’t understand how a woman could both love her sister dearly and want to wring her neck at the same time, then you were probably an only child.” -Linda Sunshine

Where the Buffalo Roam...

This might be a “had to be there” experience but hopefully it will still work with the retell.

A week or so ago, Andie told a friend that it had been a rough morning getting out the door. This was shared (of course) via text messaging. So, I think her text officially said: It’s been a tough morning; I had a hard time getting out the door."

Justin replied (also through text): “Why? Was there a buffalo in front of your door?”

This achieved the desired result and immediately made Andie laugh (which she shared with me and I found it quite hilarious). Just the visual is perfect; you’re having a slow going morning, a hard time getting your act together and then you try to get out the door only to have a buffalo standing in your way!

Neither Andie or I can figure out what caused Justin to think of a buffalo blockading her exit but we definitely thought it was funny! In fact, I don’t know about Andie but I think it's hard to focus on a challenging time getting out of bed when you are suddenly plagued with bison images. Well, at least I got a kick out of the buffalo visual for most of that day (and then some) albeit I am fairly easily amused!

Top on the List...

Andie and I have talked a bit about the dating scene recently. Suffice it to say, it gets old. And no, I’m not a participant but I do understand that simple fact. In some part, the monotony has prodded Andie to take a break from her singles ward and spend some time in our family ward for now. Maybe she just needed a change of scenery.

But, Andie made a comment that really impressed me (enough to even blog about!). Basically Andie’s new criteria in potential candidates for dating is looking for a father for her children.

That’s a bold statement but quite honestly it’s a great plan. Guys that would make lousy dads can immediately be given the heave-ho. Obviously there needs to be a companion connection too, but her dad measurement standard can clearly weed out some losers before she even needs to consider her own attraction.

Since I’m really hoping that all of my grandchildren will have amazing parents, I’m a big fan of Andie’s current dating stance to make sure any candidates would be good fathers. This should eliminate guys who have no goals and sit around playing video games.

It wasn’t the metric I used per se, but, I think it’s safe to say that my kids are blessed with a pretty great dad. Furthermore, I happen to know he’d do absolutely anything for them!

Primary is prime time....

Andie got to substitute teach one of the more darling Los Gatos Ward Primary classes yesterday and they learned all about families! Meanwhile, the mother of one of Andie’s students was substituting in Relief Society so I heard her sweet lesson on women in the church during Christ’s ministry.

Maybe it is partly due to yesterday being a fast and testimony Sunday (ie. hunger might make me more humble and teachable), but I felt a great spirit during the whole church block.

Sometimes people are shocked to learn we spend three hours worshipping but it’s never really bothered me. I feel blessed for church attendance in innumerable ways. For one thing, it’s great to be among families that inspire me and make me want to try a little harder to be a little better (a la President Hinckley). I honestly feel like the Sabbath church block is a privilege.

I mean, seriously, look at these darling 5 & 6 year olds Andie taught in Primary; does it get any cuter?

Ta Da!

The case of the missing passport.

So, Andie’s passport has been missing for about a year; pretty much since we returned from the British Virgin Islands.

There has been some dispute as to whose possession it was last in. This is due to the fact that I’ve been the longstanding designated keeper of all Knudsen passports.

However, as a passport keeper (and a good one at that!), there is one specific place I keep passports. So, when Andie couldn’t find hers and it wasn’t where I keep Knudsen passports, I was fairly confident it wasn’t lost on my watch.

Still, missing things unnerve me. We scoured Andie’s room at home to no avail. Since then, the search has continued, mostly at Andie’s Menlo Park place, also without success.

Finally, Andie secured a new application and even took the lovely passport photos. Which, once you start shelling out cash for a new passport, is just when you are likely to find the old one. According to my rules of logic.

Andie even mentioned to me that she thought it might turn up this weekend. We agreed that if the passport wasn’t found by Monday she should indeed mail off the replacement application.

Sure enough, low and behold, the passport pitched up on Friday night! No, not in my stuff. Yes, in Andie’s Menlo Park apartment. Apparently, it was found in a bag that Andie had taken to the B.V.I. that had gone into storage since our return (last January). Ta Da!

Of course, at some point along the way, I offered a reward if anyone found the passport (just hoping to spur on some excitement about the search). So, now I need to make good on coming up with a reward; but make sure it won’t inspire any other family members to conveniently lose their passports!

Tea, Chinese Tea, is the Best Tea!

This post relates to one of Andie’s special talents.

Since Andie has been going to The Nutcracker at least annually for her entire life, it shouldn’t surprise anyone to learn that she’s written lyrics to Tchaikovsky’s entire musical score.

Andie pretty much has a song to accompany every one of the dances. The rendition that gets stuck in my head is hearing “Tea Chinese Tea, is the best Tea.”

We’ll see The Nutcracker in San Francisco later this month but on Friday night we saw Sophie Ryvola in the San Jose Ballet production. Then, Andie entertained us all the way home with her original lyrics.

I’d only heard Andie's version of the Chinese dancers before last weekend but she’s got verses to go along with the whole ballet. And even though her lyrics are kind of goofy, it does take a creative mind to put words to every dance in The Nutcracker!

The Grass is Always Greener...

The Grass is Always Greener! Or, The Hair is Always Thicker!

We’ve had a little “the grass is always greener” situation here on the home front and to make sure we don’t miss out on the lesson, I’ll recap the story, with permission from the main character. The title of the story is “Hair Extensions Gone Awry!”

Andie’s hair has never been thick and it’s never gotten particularly long. But when Andie toyed with the idea of hair extensions I thought it sounded ridiculous. But who listens to me?

Seriously, though, Andie’s a beautiful girl and I think the whole concept of expensive hair extensions is lame. My apologies if you’re reading this and you have hair extensions. I’m sure yours are lovely.

But, my logic didn’t sway Andie and I guess my vote didn’t carry as much weight as the stylist. So, on went the hair extensions and the result was not what Andie had expected. Although you couldn’t argue with the fact that her hair was suddenly long (very long) and she suddenly had lots of it. But it looked more like a wig for a Halloween costume than anything natural. Oops!

Suddenly the only thing Andie wanted, desperately more than anything else, was her own head of hair back. And, after one trip to the salon to see if cutting the extensions shorter would redeem the look, she was convinced that the hair extensions had to go. Which was no small feat to remove them either. After Brent and I tried unsuccessfully (cosmetologists we aren’t), Andie had to have them professionally removed.

So, it was quite a fiasco and an expensive way to learn that sometimes when the grass/hair looks greener/fuller on the other side, it just wouldn’t really look good on us.

Andie has a newfound appreciation of her own hair now. And, I doubt she’ll have any desire to try hair extensions ever again!

So, the moral of the story (besides not getting hair extensions) is to be happy with who you are! Be yourself! And, of course, ...always listen to your mother!