This post is from a dear friend of ours, Marni Myers, who lives and works in the Washington, DC, area. We strongly encourage you to support her effort, as we have.

Buck

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A few weeks ago, Buckley kindly invited me to be a guest blogger on The Buck and Mike Blog. Since then, I’ve mentally written this post dozens of different ways, trying to strike just the right tone and include just the right content. The result: Scrap all previous attempts and just be blunt. The purpose of my post is this: I’m raising money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which funds cancer research and supports those currently battling cancer, and I’m looking for donations.

Three years ago, I watched my brother lose his battle with melanoma at the age of 30, leaving behind a wife and two young children. Since this death, my family and I have rallied around this worthy cause, namely through our participation in the Foundation’s LiveStrong Challenge—an event held in various locations throughout the country every summer in which participants walk, run, or ride their bikes to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The atmosphere at the Challenge is inspiring, as everyone there has been personally affected by the devastation that cancer causes. Many of the participants are cancer survivors and some are fighting against cancer right now.

This year, I plan to ride my bike 70 miles in the hilly countryside around Philadelphia to show my commitment to finding a cure for this pervasive, despicable disease. In previous years, I’ve gone 40 miles, so 70 will be a stretch, but I figure that is what the LiveStrong Challenge is all about. I’ve already raised over $500 and would like to see that figure top $1,000—not only because this is an extremely worthy cause, but because I have a friendly competition going with my brother-in-law. I have won every year so far and see no reason to discontinue that trend.

Cancer touches everyone. If you don’t know anyone who’s had cancer, just wait. If no one close to you has yet died of cancer, just wait. I believe we can change that pattern by pooling our resources to find a cure.

There are thousands of worthy causes out there vying for attention. Today I ask that you focus on mine. Any donation, no matter how small, makes a difference. To donate, visit my personal fundraising webpage here. Let’s stop this thing called cancer in its tracks! Thank you.

Marni rides with

The kids headed home today, alas. We had a wonderful time with them. They were patient, hanging out in our small un-airconditioned house during a heat wave and having to sleep in an unfamiliar place. They were great little troupers and Liv is an amazing mom. Luckily, small children come to young couples with the energy and strength to adequately care for them. Keeping up with a two-year old and a three-year-old was not easy!

Three-year-old Sydney is a gem. She is a total drama princess, with a thousand faces and mini-performances only her mom can see through. Syd is fiercely loyal to—and protective of—brother Rob, making sure no one gives him a hard time or speaks harshly to him. As if he couldn’t take care of himself!

Unfortunately, Syd caught some sort of 24-hour intestinal bug over the weekend (it wasn’t my cooking, I promise!) and spent a difficult night throwing up. Ever the neat one who doesn’t want her hands dirty (just like her mother when she was a 3-year-old) she never missed throwing up in the commode or the special bowl recruited for combat duty. Rather than whine and carry on, she bravely rested, cuddled her mom (who was by then coming down with the same thing), and took the nursing without complaint.

Most indicative of the changing times and great parenting, Syd is happy to report to anyone who will listen that she is proud to have three grandpas. We are all lucky to have her as our granddaughter.

At OMSI, Syd learned about where foxes and raccoons live and made sure this fox was hugged and kissed before tucking him into his den/bed.	Syd gives high marks to the hummus and pita served at the OMSI cafeteria.	Syd provides a ray of sunshine whenever she smiles. Here she is wrapped in the quilt, her mother’s favorite as a child. Since 1984 it has been “Puppy Blanket.”
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Sick Syd is comforted by Mom (who doesn’t yet know it but is about to come down with the same thing).	A fan of every Disney princess, Syd is indeed a princess in her own right.
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The troops wind down at the end of the day with their favorite activities: Abba shares a snuggly moment with Rob, who is wrapped in his pirate quilt, night bottle in hand; Syd with Puppy Blanket, one of the Grandpa’s teddy bears, and the binky she is only allowed at bedtime; Mommy Liv blogging about the day.	Rob is right at home, sleeping in the same way he does in his own bedroom. Good night, Sweet Prince.

They have only been gone twelve hours and we miss them terribly.

Somewhere along the way, grandson Rob became “Roberto,” “Berto” for short. He’s the cutest and most energetic two-year old we’ve had the priviledge of being mauled by. Whether chasing, wrestling, or snuggling for an afternoon nap, he’s a joy to have around.

The days of the kids’ visit are flying by too quickly.

Thursday at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

Exploring critters with Abba	A pause for liquid refreshment	Berto is sure he’ll look better in Abba’s cap

Cathedral Park, under the St. Johns Bridge

Grandpa wins the wrestling match. This time.	The cutest grandson on the planet looks just like his grandpa at age 2.

We have been slow blogging for a few days, but our reason is legitimate. Liv and the grandkids are visiting for a week and we are having a great time. And we’re feeling very old every time we wrestle on the floor or the grass and then have to get back up on our feet.

More pictures on the way.

For all you Frenchies and the rest of us francophones . . .

Vive la France!

Helpless, as ex rips boy away

Parental rights » Even contracts don’t protect gays in Utah.
By Rosemary Winters

Gena Edvalson tried for years to be a mom. So when her partner of six years, Jana Dickson, became pregnant through artificial insemination and gave birth to a boy in March 2006, nothing brought her “instantly more joy.”

And nothing brought Edvalson more pain than a recent court ruling depriving her of a chance to even visit the child.

After all, she had eyed every ultrasound. She had read Little Quack to “the little guy” when he was inside Dickson’s womb. She had clicked on a flashlight throughout his first night home from the hospital to check on the sleeping babe.

Both Salt Lake City women, were “mama” and—with the help of lactation medication for Edvalson—both breast-fed the newborn.

But the two split up when the boy was 17 months old and last week, after a yearlong legal fight, Edvalson was cut off from any contact with the 3-year-old she loves as a son. A 3rd District judge, citing a 2008 Utah law, upheld Dickson’s “fundamental” right, as the biological parent, to refuse visitation.
» Read the rest of this entry »

Michael Jackson, whose Moonwalk brought the house down during his 1983 at Motown 25 Live performance of “Billie Jean,” was not the originator of that exciting dance move. I stumbled across a video of tapdancing great Bill Bailey that is amazing. The entire performance takes my breath away, and the Moonwalk comes at the end. Michael Jackson may not have been first on this move, but his execution is arguably the best. Enjoy!

(Read and view more about jazz dancing at Off Jazz Dance World.)

On Tuesday we stopped by Portland’s Museum of Contemporary Craft with a couple of visiting artist friends. I spent a few minutes in the museum a year ago when I first arrived, but it was good to share it with friends.

The Museum of Contemporary Craft has been around since 1937 and so it shows a maturity and depth of understanding of crafts that you would expect. It is not a big place, but the space is full of light and the pieces are beautifully exhibited across two floors. There is no admission charge, which is much appreciated by students, starving artists, and we under/unemployed souls. A bonus is The Gallery, a fine museum shop with some superb craft pieces, books, videos, cards, and other things available for purchase. Some of the craft pieces were done by artists in the current shows.

One of the current shows, Call + Response, was especially good. I was particularly taken by the amazing wood structures by Karl Burkheimer and stunning textiles by Jiseon Lee Isbara. (The photos below are borrowed from the museum’s web site.)

Karl Burkheimer, Five Fourths, 2008. Wood, birch plywood, rice paper; 83 x 62 x 62 inches	Detail of Jiseon Lee Isbara’s “Scattered,” 2008–09; Cotton fabric, cotton and silk; thread, hand and machine stitched, inkjet printed; 2.5 × 3.5 inches to 8.5 × 11 inches each

This little jewel of a museum should be on your To Do list whether you are a Portland-area resident or a visitor.