Thursday, August 21, 2008

here we are... on the road!

So I thought I'd get things going by posting a few photos of... what else?--my family (especially the kids).

Here's Meris, at the wheel of our brand new minivan.


He constantly corrects us when we refer to it as the car. "Actually, it's a minivan," he says.

Anyway, we went on our first family road trip last month--a three-week trip to Colorado. The shot of Meris was taken on the way home.

And here is one of Matea, proving to all that she has visited Mt. Rushmore.

And last but not least, here's a group shot of the four of us at Badlands Nat'l. Park.


Even in this relatively small photo, you can still see that Meris's eyes are all puffed up. Apparently, the skin around the eyes can be super sensitive to mosquito bites; he had a couple bites on his forehead that made his eyes swell shut!

That's it for now,
jkg

4 comments:

Clay McClane said...

Great stuff, Jen. Welcome to the blogosphere!

The McBacons said...

Loverly! The McBacons will be glad to follow your thinking, reading and knitting. Maybe this way I'll get to vicariously travel the world!

--Liz

Unknown said...

Dear Jennifer,

I very much enjoyed your maiden blog. By the way, when I first received news of Matea's birth, I asked Ariel if there was an appropriate gift I might send to celebrate the occasion. I never heard back from him. If you have any suggestions, please send them. It is never too late for a gift from you uncle.

Please give my regards to your wonderful husband. Many blessings to you and the family! By the way, Donna Ratinoff, whose husband Dr. Dennis Ratinoff is my optometrist, always asks about you and your mother. This past week she asked about you, your mother, and your brother Benjie and Kimberley. I suddenly recall your mother lives in Wheaton (I told her Evanston, where you and Ariel live--I will correct that mistake when I next see her). Where do Benjie and Kimberley live?

I apologize that I rarely write. My life is spent working 20 hour days Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (I have been semi-retired since January 2006), which oddly enough appears to mean I have less time than ever. I have been involved with a fight against a juggernaut developer by the name of David A. Taran who has a corporate front called Page Mill Properties over the past year on behalf of several thousand tenants who have been inflicted with up to three illegal rent increases in less than a year. Hundreds are being forced out of East Palo Alto at this point. I am also involved with two organizations I co-founded called EPA CAN DO and Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto. The biggest issue both organizations deal with is mortgage foreclosure counseling and intervention. I spend a lot of time on this issue. Upwards of one fifth of all homes in East Palo Alto are in varying stages of default. This situation is expected to continue for five or so years, possibly after the rest of the country has passed the crisis. There should be some major demographic changes on the horizon.

I also have records of Webster family history I want to pass on to you and other members of the family who might be interested. I have begun to store boxes of documents from my condo in two storage units in Menlo Park. I have boxes of documents from your grandfather Lt. Col. Francis Xavier Webster that involve his formerly classified work in the area of chemical and biological warfare that should be preserved and possibly made available to military historians.

I have much I would like to write to you and other family members about that may one day be of interest as your children seek to gain a deeper appreciation of their distinguished roots in the panorama of American history from the Colonial period and the origins of the Webster family with Governor John Webster, fifth royal governor of Connecticutt going forward. I have a cousin Ian Webster, who resides in San Francisco and whose passion is the history of the Webster family. I need to forward to you and others the records he has put together as a Christmas gift. I intended that last Christmas, but events overwhelmed me.

Best wishes,

Uncle William

Unknown said...

Hi Jen! So excited to be able to see how you all are doing through the blog =)

I showed my mom and dad the picture of Matea you have up and they couldn't get over how much she looks like you did when you were her age!

love,
deb