I’m not sure why I feel like I need to justify posting just pictures. But here it is:

My brother on a mission is allowed to look at family blogs. His computer time is Mondays so I thought I’d post some pictures today from our trip to Spokane for his viewing pleasure. Keep up the good work bro!

One of the great things about marriage is the convenient access to your spouse’s area of expertise. For example, when Richard has a dental related problem, I am readily available to address his need and offer solutions. My most frequent response is

“Floss more.”

Richard is an accountant by trade. And I had to laugh one night as a friend of ours, also an accountant, put together a spreadsheet to keep score of our card game. From what I understand these guys live and breath by spreadsheets.

Richard keeps meticulous financial records. He is the master of the budget. Which brings me to my previous point. I have a need, Richard is right on hand!

This morning he helped me set up a budget spreadsheet. I won’t get into the details because I would probably just embarrass myself by showing my prior lack of understanding. But a spreadsheet is capable of a great deal. It evolves, adapts and basically does all the math for you. What is not to love about that?

I’m so glad that having a spouse with talents and interests different than my own allows me to broaden my horizons with minimal effort. It’s a really great feature of the institution of marriage.

And, if you have never used a spreadsheet, I encourage you to find the special person in your life who can enlighten you. It is my new favorite computer tool. (And I haven’t even scratched the surface of what Excel can do. )

On the Saturday night before Easter as I put together the baskets I realized I had the makings of the lamest Easter ever. No fake grass. No toys or even books. Just candy. And to top it all off I had bought the dark chocolate version of my favorite Easter treat; the Mini-Eggs.

I know dark chocolate is supposed to be better for you. But when it comes to chocolate I am not interested in anti-oxidants. I am interested in creamy milk-chocolate goodness.

So I was pretty disappointed with the way things were looking for Easter morning. But then a thought occurred to me that caused me to breath a colossal sigh of relief.

Easter isn’t even about candy or toys!

Our Easter turned out to be great. Cameron learned about the resurrection of Jesus Christ at church and told us all about it at home. The boys are typically easy to please and were content with their candy. Although it took some serious persuasion to convince Cameron to take some of his candy to our neighbor across the street. And the fact that it was so difficult for him made me all the more glad we did it. I had no idea he was so greedy. Maybe it’s just the egocentric nature of the four year old.

Forget the dark chocolate, I wanted to eat up my adorable little boys.

The big birthday party was the day before Cameron’s birthday so on the actual day of his birth my sister Adri and I took the boys to a place in Boise called Rafiki. It’s a little on the expensive side but it was great sister-bonding time. While the boys played we sat on a couch and read magazines.

We did talk too. And tried this dance game.

Terrible picture, but it was cute.
Talk about cute… Charlie totally gets this expression from Adri.

Good times. Sisters are great. Cousins are great.

The other day at Fred Meyer Cameron totally surprised me by asking for Macaroni & Cheese for dinner. I was shocked because we never eat that. We don’t eat it because I never buy it. I never buy it because when I am at the grocery store I don’t think to buy it. And I don’t think to buy it because we never eat it. It is a cycle I have never been too keen on breaking.

Because it is, afterall, macaroni and cheese.

Under normal circumstances I would have been happy to oblige, it is practically the cheapest meal out there, second only to Ramen noodles, and it is also practically the easiest thing to make. Second only to Ramen noodles.

But since I just finished reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and I am currently reading In Defense of Food these were not normal circumstances. I’m being brainwashed you see, so when my child requested an “edible foodlike substance” for dinner I panicked.

I had already been planning to plant seeds to start my garden but I thought it would be best to include my boys. I want them to understand that food does in fact come from plants. Even if that bean seed Cameron brought home from church never grew into something we actually wanted to eat.

We had a delightful week in Spokane. We even had a special opportunity. Richard is such a frequent dweller at the Davenport Inn that he earned a free night’s stay in the Presidential Suite. Ooh, ahh! 3,000 square feet of luxury. By the way, that is twice the size of our house.

The bellboy informed us that the last guest he settled into the suite was Tony Bennet. Huh. Richard was sure that his tip was terribly inferior to that of Mr. Bennet. Oh well.

We don’t have cable at home and I rarely keep up on the news. But with lots of free time and no meals or laundry I was able to get my fair share of FoxNews, MSNBC, and CNN. It was enough news to last the rest of the year. But there were three big stories that were sort of a dark cloud over my glamorous hotel stay.

#1. Amidst SEC investigations and company failure, the CFO of Freddie Mac commits suicide leaving behind a wife a young daughter.

#2. Drowning in debt and accountable to investors whose money he poorly managed, a New York lawyer kills himself, his wife and his two teen daughters in a Baltimore hotel room.

#3. An all-american medical student, engaged to be married this summer is arrested and charged with kidnapping, robbery and murder.

As I lay in that ridiculously large bed I couldn’t help but think over and over “How can I teach my children that money doesn’t matter?” I don’t mean to be naive, I know that it matters. But not that much.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved the dual shower heads and victorian motif. But I couldn’t help feeling that it was all… empty. Unfulfilling was the word Richard used.

I know that money doesn’t buy happiness. I know that logically speaking. I especially know that after pondering endlessly these terrible tragedies. Yet, it is

so.

hard.

for me to not want wealth. Most of the time I want to be rich. I won’t deny it.

I wish I could say that my trip to Peru cured me of materialism and greed. Sadly, I am not cured. It did make me very grateful for what I have. But I pray that I will be able to conquer what remains of my gluttony before something terrible happens as Heaven’s way of really teaching me a lesson.

I feel like I have been able to do and blog about two amazing things within the last month. Anything I blog about now will just seem ordinary. I’m okay with ordinary.

This week we are in Spokane with Richard. We are enjoying the pool, the cable, and the maid.