Laguna Beach and Big Red

Here's Laguna Beach

This is the view from our terrace

Dad just bought an expedition. Nice color, eh?

Happy birthday Tyler!

I found these pictures recently. Aren't they cute?

We had a fun time doing our bbq best on Tyler's birthday. He's tending for the next three days while Dawn takes a nurses' aide course. She loves the classes, but realizes the work might be hard. She would love to be a nurse!

Happy Birthday Tyler!

An extra big shout out to Tyler on this, his birthday. You the man!

Repost of the Lodz, Krakow pictures.

Hello, in case you missed it the first time, here are some of our earlier pictures with subtitles

Happy (Late) Birthday Mama!

This week an amazing woman had a birthday. Let's all join in to say a big happy birthday to her. We love you mom!

Thanksgiving Festivus

Hello one and all! Just wanted to post a question/comment request out to everyone. I think there are only a few of us that are going to be in the same locale on Thanksgiving day, but I talked with Jenni, and her and Danny will be in Utah the weekend before. So we were thinking that we should have a Currit feast that weekend before Thanksgiving and hopefully catch some people before they leave town (namely me and Rilee...).

Since we will be having a traditional Thanksgiving dinner on the actual day, we were thinking that maybe this dinner could be the non-traditional Thanksgiving we have always talked about. Like who actually likes turkey? Who would rather have honey-baked ham, or duck, or huge mountains of slowly cooked ribs? Huh? Huh?

Anyway, I thought this would be a good format to start giving suggestions on what we could have at this dinner. So start posting what you would want!

Or say its a dumb idea.

Travis and Agata, feel free to post as well!

Pictures from a Polish wedding in Poznan

Przemek and Iwona Wedding

The first ones are of our trip to a friend's dzialka.

Possibly there will be a slideshow below this:

Happy Birthday, Dawn!

I definitely need to take more pictures of Dawn. Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Dawn!

Tomorrow (the 24th) is Dawn's birthday. She wants a day off to read a book and eat dinner with Tyler and to nap. So I'm tending the girls until bedtime. They are a full time job. Happy birthday, Dawn! We love you so much and hope you have a wonderful time.

Fotos

Here's a link to some photos I put up on Picasa.

http://picasaweb.google.com/travcurrit/LodzAndKrakow?authkey=Gv1sRgCKP5tqSI59vgnAE&feat=directlink

Checking in

Just saw that Mom put an APB out for me on the blog a month ago. Sorry if I've been uncommunicative. Please everyone feel free to chat me up if you see me online on Gchat or Skype. I'd love to hear bits from all of you.

Congratulations Danny on the 50 mile run!! That's spectacularly awesometastic. I enjoyed the details in his blog post. I think I would feel like puking after eating all that green goo, too.

I saw the pictures from the Labor Day trip up Brisky Canyon. Those are the things you miss most when abroad. It was fun to talk to y'all while you were there. Grandma and Grandpa have a huge fan in Barbara. They started sending her the Currit Chronicles, and she makes us translate every word, even the parts about flowers or people she doesn't know.

We went to Krakow last weekend to meet up with friends from the History department at UW. One was in Lithuania doing research, the other in Prague on vacation. I'd been the Krakow a couple times already, but always for real quick, sort of in-transit visits, so I decided I'd take the chance to go again. Agata and I took the train down on Friday morning from Lodz, and then I dragged her and one of my visiting friends to Auschwitz, for what was supposed to be just a short look to cross it off my to-do list, but ending up being about as nasty as a trip to a concentration camp sounds. It was a strange combo: to get there, we had to take a half-full bus that meandered through every village on the way, doing 70 kilometers in about 20 hours. Once there, there were Disneyland-size crowds everywhere. We did the tour in reverse to avoid having to hire a guide. Auschwitz II - Birkenau is striking in its immensity, giant fields of barb-wire, guard towers and barracks. The main camp actually looks like a pleasant little town. Except the buildings are full of human remains and gas chambers. Very disturbing.

On the way back, about 100 people were in line for the 30 spots on the second-to-last bus out of there. We decided to throw delicacy aside and push our way through to the front. Agata led the way. She can be quite the fighter.

Krakow itself is straight out of a fairy-tale, an extremely charming medieval European city. I had somehow missed that before, probably because I had insisted we head out to the post-war Socialist-built districts. We had a great time just doing touristy things with my friends, visiting churches and museums, stopping frequently in quirky cafes and bars, and eating delicious pierogi. We stayed in a hostel that had the benefit of costing only 10 dollars a night and being located right in the old town, and the downside of being located right above a karaoke bar. We didn't get much sleep.

We're back in Lodz now, trying to buckle down to work. I'm trying to wrap my head around doing a dissertation, make connections and explore archives, apply for future funding, improve my Polish, and study for my exams. In reality the days seem to blow by before I get through a tenth of that agenda. Agata is plowing through her dissertation, making steady progress in my opinion, but frustrated a bit herself. On Friday we will head to Poznan for our friend's wedding. I'm quite excited to see a real Polish wedding. It's going to be in a castle of some sort. We'll also have a bit of time to see Poznan itself, which is supposed to be quite nice.

Happy Birthday Jenni!

Happy Birthday to Jenni on the fifteenth of September. What a summer she has had! She is now the glad owner of an upright piano of good quality. Ask her about the classes she took in Canada. It's all very interesting. We enjoyed seeing she and Danny and the boys last weekend. We love you Jenni! You are a special, one-of-kind, unique, fantastic person.

End of Summer

What a concept! Summer is about over. We had a sudden change in the weather in Washington and followed it all the way home. I was just getting into the heat! I wore shorts and flip flops, enjoyed the cooler evening, went on water slides at Cowabunga Bay twice. I had at least three more months of summer in me.

I'm writing this to inform anyone reading this month's Currit Chronicles that Dennis and I were on the trip over Labor Day, and we are still breathing, talking, making some sort of impact, at least on each other. We were there.

Agata sent some pictures of their apartment. It was very modern and nice. I can't tell the size, but the layout looked good. It might be a hard place to leave. But they must. We are looking forward to Christmas (and Thanksgiving).

The kitchen remodel is going well. The work of measuring and imagining it is in full progress. Once we get to the destruction-construction stage, we have to know what we are doing.

No more daily Deseret News!! How will I ever eat my breakfast? What has happening to my life? Half the folks don't have land-line telephones, no daily paper, nothing to watch on tv. Deseret News will be on line and delivered or mailed once a week. It's not the same.

Jak started school. He has a friend name Amir. He likes his teacher. Things are going well.

l will post more news later. Love you all!

Mom

Washington

Danny flying kite

Kite

Jenni and Milo

Jenni and Milo

September

Ollie in cabin doing a little cheesecake

Dennis and boys

What are little bros for?

Family in September

Our Sunday Thai dinner. It was great.

Wonderful meal in Washington

Gma and Ollie and Milo

Jak on porch of cabin whistling

End of Summer

Dawn and Lilah

Alex's new house in Provo

Rilee and Tommy

Laurel and Curious George

Happy Birthday Rilee!

Rilee is back from the Ukraine and feeling a lot better. She had a bad cold while she was there and hayfever didn't help. She meant wonderful, fun people from all over the world. the hostel she stayed in was good. Rilee says she will definitely go back to Kyiv, and that it is absolutely beautiful. She especially enjoyed the buckwheat (cooked). Now I can't imagine that. But I would like to try it. The candies and desserts were great. She also was there for the Kyiv temple open house.

Happy Birthday, Rilee! I will post pictures of her latest vintage outfit. It is so stylish.

Happy Birthday Milo!

Happy Birthday Milo! What a year it has been. This kid has been everywhere. Even now he is on the road somewhere in Idaho with Jenni, Jak and Ollie. I know his Dad really misses him. We love you, Milo, and look forward to playing with you soon.

Officially Missing Travis

If anyone hears from Travis, ask him how he is doing and please post a sighting here on the family blog. We haven't heard from him for a while.

Rilee is in the Ukraine. From what we hear, all is going well. Tommy is working extra hours and counting the days until she returns. So are we.

Alex is feeling better. He was sick when he got home. Lots of rest, time, eye drops and minimal eating have improved him. He will see Brynna soon. I want to hear her version of Thailand.

Dawn has worked her last day in the cafeteria. She is glad to go part time. I look forward to what she will accomplish in her home and with her girls.

Cowabunga Bay is fun. We are going again on Friday. As Tyler said, " who knew I would have so much fun in the parking lot of VF Outlet."

Milo has a birthday coming up and so does Rilee. Happy Birthdays!

Jenni is driving to her family reunion at Bear Lake. Danny will be going to camp with the young men in his stake. He is in charge of the hike.

We had a wonderful barbecue tonight. The winners were: grilled pineapple and patty pan squash grilled whole. And steak dipped into the baba ganoush. Oh my.

We miss you all!

Missing Barbara

I remembered Agata's Mom, Barbara's, cake today. It was about this time last summer that she was in the Seattle and made it for us. She chilled the dough then grated it and added fresh plums. It was so good! Tyler thought it was the best cake he had ever tasted. Agata and Travis and Barbara came to Sandy with us. We had a great lunch at the Mexican restaurant in Springville and saw the quilt show and the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. (even I am not sure I spelled Oquirrh correctly). We need to learn how to make that cake! I very glad that we had a chance to spend time with Barbara and Agata. I'm missing you!

News from Home

Hi Family wherever you are. We hear from Travis in Germany on Saturdays and really enjoy those phone calls. He is working hard, learning a lot, and enjoying it. I guess it's hot in Europe. I think Agata is coming soon. Things seem to be going well. We're grateful for that.

Alex and Brynna are winding up their summer in Thailand. It has been a challenge! It will be good to talk to them in person. I'm sure our understanding of the whole experience will change. Alex has spent the summer in a nice apartment in the city. Brynna lives with a family in the country. They will be going to Laos and also to the beaches in Southern Thailand. Alex should be home after the 15th of August.

Rilee and Tommy bought a car, a white Honda. It looks very nice. It took a lot of shopping to find the right car. They are in Escalante today. There are thunderstorms and flash floods in the area, so they may have altered their plans to hike down the canyon. Rilee goes to the Ukraine on the 31st of July. Tommy is very busy at work. Rilee's birthday is in August.

Dawn quit work! Then got rehired parttime with full benefits on the book floor. It's been a traumatic week. She and Tyler feel good about the decisions they are making and have great hope for the future. Tyler would like to work more and Dawn would like to be with her girls more. It's time for a change. Dawn quit work because she hated it. She always wanted to work out on the book floor.

Jenni is in Canada this week learning how to teach Suzuki piano. Danny and the boys are surviving and will return to Canada to finish the course with Jenni. They are in Langely, B.C. just out of Vancouver. Danny says the time in Canada feels like a vacation to him, even though Jenni is very busy in classes.

I am busy with the young women at church, gardening, reading, yoga, cooking, but not cleaning. I tended Laurel and Lilah yesterday and really enjoyed it. Dawn, her friend Amy, and I had Inn and Out burgers for lunch and visited. I had a hair appointment Tuesday that took 4 hours. My hairdresser didn't have another appointment so she also gave me a pedicure, chemical peel, waxing while we talked. It was fun. But oh this house. I must clean.

We love you all! We know you are all living real lives with lots of decisions, accomplishments and frustrations. Thanks for sharing them with us! We are also living real lives, and really enjoying them. Dad bought a new computer for downstairs. He is moving forward on his dream to stream hulu to the upstairs tv. Anything to support choice in programming. He is also running. He is reading Chi Running (remember to read Born to Run to be reviewed after Labor Day). He is able to run and doesn't get hurt. It's hard to go as slowly making changes as you need to, so he's had to rest and heal a few times.

Keep in touch.

Love, Mom

Happy Birthday Alex!

Happy Birthday to Alex on July 10! That will be in about 12 hours in Thailand. Alex will be back in Salt Lake on August 15. He and Brynna start school sometime the end of August and then are travelling to Colorado for Labor Day. They both seem to b e enjoying their summer in Thailand. It started out a little rocky, didn't it? He has a quick trip to Atlanta in August. Happy Birthday and have a great time in Thailand!

Jak and Ollie

Okay Okay I know that's Ollie. At least maybe someone will comment if I make a mistake. How is everyone doing? Have you checked out Brynna's pictures on Shutterfly? I really like Poo and Pee. And Travis is in Berlin. His room situation seems pleasant. I asked him how he liked the food. He said he ate African street food and it was great. Now read the pictures about the marathon. Remember it's Jak and OLLIE.

Marathon Pictures

Jenni and Danny after race

Jak and Milo

Qwest field was very crowded

The bus ride home

Happy birthday Laurel!

Laurel is two years old today! We are invited to a barbecue/birthday dinner at Tyler and Dawn's house tonight. What a gentle, busy, entertaining girl she is. She loves to be outside and loves to listen to birds and look for them. One of my favorite things about Laurel is her ability to amuse herself. She wakes up from her nap and reads books and plays under the big trundle bed. She seems to really enjoy that alone time. She asks all the time for Jak/Ollie/Milo and loves to skype with them. Happy birthday, Laurel!

Happy Fourth of July

July 2, 2010

Hi to all out there. I can't get my pictures posted on this yet, but I will keep trying. Something is wrong between picasa and blog. How is everyone doing? I have had a marvelous two weeks. I went to girls camp by Price, Utah. It was, on all levels, a fun party. The day after I returned home, Dad and I flew to Seattle. Danny and Jenni ran in the Rock and Roll Marathon the next day. What an event! The race was in downtown Seattle, mostly on the viaduct and other trails. Danny was placed in the elite runners, just behind the Kenyans. He placed 53rd out of a field of over 4,000 runners. His name was on the front page of the Seattle Times on Sunday! Jenni finished happily after run-walking the half marathon. She looked great! Ollie ran out to meet her and ran to the finish line with her. Danny was pretty wasted when he finished. I think we figured out what the salt packets were for on the race tables. But we went to a noodle house on King Street and revived him. The kids walked for a long time and put up with the huge crowds. It was a lot of fun. Later in the week Jak showed us Discovery Park where he went to preschool. He knew it well, even the trees. We loved seeing it and hiking through it. We had a lot of fun playing with the kids and visiting with Danny and Jenni. Seattle weather was cool. We like that. Utah is hot and dry now. It's supposed to cool off for the 4th a little.

If anyone has heard from Travis, tell him Hi from me. He is travelling to Berlin this weekend. I hope it all goes well. And how is Agata's research coming? I think she should write a book with photos and brief notes about her research. I would like that.

Tommy and Rilee are going to Idaho Falls for the holiday. We might see them tonight.

Well, back to the neglected housework. We are barbecuing with the neighbors at the Kaz house tomorrow night. You are all invited.

Love, Mom

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all you wonderful dads out there. I am very pleased with the kind of fathers my boys are. I can't think of a better example than your dad and his dad. Enjoy the day!

I'm going to girls camp on Tuesday. I'm back on Thurs. then we fly to Seattle on Friday morning. Danny and Jenni are running in the Rock and Roll Marathon on Saturday. We will be back home on Wednesday night, late. Here's hoping girls camp is fun and I get some rest. Otherwise I won't be such delightful company.

Travis heads to Germany on July 4. Alex and Brynna are going back to Thailand after some gorgeous photo ops in Cambodia and Vietnam. Tyler and Dawn are working hard and barbecuing whenever possible. Tommy and Rilee and in Idaho right now. They should be back tonight.

We love to hear from you!

Mom

Happy Birthday Tommy!

Happy Birthday Tommy! It's been quite a year. Dad and I have enjoyed this year so much with you and Rilee, the family and friends. We look forward to the good times ahead. We love you!

Missing You

Thanks for the great blog and pictures, Alex and Brynna. How do you get on a water buffalo? Yup, I'm missing you. Maybe things are going better with Alex's busiest schedule. Or maybe he just made it sound positive.

Travis made it to Paris. They have had their adventures in a short thirty six hours, including stomach flu and a few stitches, but I think things are going better. It is possible to get medical care in Paris. I was relieved to find that out.

It's hot and windy outside. Soon a cold wind will blow and a storm will come. We have storms every day this week. I'm going camping with the girls in the ward in two weeks. It's becoming clear to me that it will rain on us. Of course. That's the weather of May and June. I hope we can all tough it out. (me especially).

We are going to have a little bbq with Tyler, Dawn, Rilee and Tommy tonight. I'm looking forward to seeing them. Dawn and the girls went to the zoo today. Aren't zoo passes great?

Danny's been a bit sick. He's still going to run the marathon in a few weeks. Jenni is running the half marathon. I've read most of Chi Walking. I'm going to keep trying to figure it out. It's kind of confusing. Maybe I do it already! Wouldn't that be nice.

Take care everyone. A little news is very welcome (pictures, too).

Love, Mom

Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and then Laos

Hey fam!

How is everyone doing? I thought I would throw an update up on here about how the summer has been so far. One word can pretty much describe it:

Busy.

It has been insanely busy. It is definitely wearing me out.

Besides that it has been a lot of fun. Brynna is surviving and starting to really love it here. On Wednesday the we will travel with the group to Cambodia until Tuesday the 15th. On the 15th me and Brynna and a smaller group ofstudents currently interning in Cambodia will travel down the Mekong to some small villages along the Mekong delta in Vietnam. We will spend 3 days there and then travel to Ho Chi Minh City, where we will spend 2 days (during which we will go to what the Vietnamese call the "American war" museum). Then we will come back to Chiang Mai, Thailand. Roughly two weeks later we leave about a 3-4 day trip to Laos.

All in all I'm really looking forward to all this traveling. We are going to see some pretty amazing places. I'll make sure to post some photos.

Anywho, I got to go to bed. Love you all!I'll leave you with a couple pictures ofThailand so far.

This is us on the way to an orphanage some of the students are working at.

nothing beats a water buffalo ride through rice fields, right?

Happy Birthday Travis!

No explanation for these photos, except now I see that Travis looks cold in each one. Happy Birthday Travis! Hope you soon finish all of that work and relax and enjoy your journey to Iceland! Well, briefly, really to Europe. We love you. Thanks so much for coming to the wedding. You are a very enjoyable and very loved son. Say Hi to Agata for us. I'll try to send you some German genealogy.

Love from your Mama