Though they won’t take the winner’s stand in the Indy 500, they’re champions in my book. Today, the Eides and Bulthuis’ hit the race track at a high speed go-cart track. The Bulthuis’, including me, kept the bottom places filled, but we had fun. These go-carts really go fast! We raced three times with 30 laps each time. My nephews, Mikal and Zachary, consistently took the top places. Brother-in-law Mike was pretty proud of his fastest lap time, which beat everyone else. The ladies kept the cameras and cheers going. We wrapped up the evening with a dinner at Outback Steakhouse.
Friday, December 30, 2005
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Catching it on the right day
This past week's weather has not been kindly to skiers and snowboarders. But today was the exception. The temperatures dropped last night and today, so there was fresh snow on the slopes and partial sunshine. My sons (-Bjorn, due relational priorities) and I made the trip up to Crystal Mountain and had a blast. There were a lot of people that had the same idea, so we had to fight the crowds at the lifts. Tonight we are driving to Lynden to be with family for a few days.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
vacation project
The last couple of days have been fairly lazy: reading, running and shopping. I decided to be a little productive. After painting the master bathroom this fall, there was one part that needed finishing. Above the shower the wallpaper was too moldy and torn to paint, so I ripped it off and installed some pine wainscoat material. Because it always stays damp up there with four showers a day, I stained and varnished the wood so that it can be easily wiped off. I also repainted the ceiling with a semi-gloss enamel. Hopefully, this will be easier to keep clean of mildew.
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Merry Christmas!
A Merry Christmas from the Bulthuis family to all you who frequent this blog. We hope that each of you are enjoying your loved ones and celebrating the birth of our Lord.
Friday, December 23, 2005
Bulthuis' Break into the 21st century
After dragging our heels for ten years, we finally joined the cellular world. I had refused to get into a contract and Esther had refused to do the pre-pay thing, so we have been at a stalemate for a year. We found a company that has competitive monthly rates with no contract, so we took the plunge. So far we have been pleased. We signed up on-line and got the phone in three days. We had a couple of customer service calls that went great. My sister has been with this company for seven years and been very satisfied. Plans start as low as $10/mo. So if there are any other hold outs out there, you might consider Consumer Cellular. If you do, mention me as a referral and we each get $10! (bulthuisp@mac.com)
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Bulthuis Boys Band
Every December, the chords of carols echo through our house. It's the one time of the year that I heat up my Cornet and abuse my lips. Bjorn is a little rusty on his clarinet, but Calvin is in shape with his saxophone. I was struck tonight that over the years, I quickly went from leader to flunky in the band. It didn't take long for my sons to surpass my meager skill level. We tried to get Esther on the piano and Markus on the drums, but we couldn't convince them. The four of us boys watched 'King Kong' in the theatre this afternoon. It was long but I enjoyed it
Bulthuis Christmas Celebration
Yesterday, we were in Monroe at my nephew Aaron's house for the Bulthuis Christmas celebration. We all opened gifts from Mom which we had purchased ourselves, as well as gifts presented to her. It was fun catching up on eachother's lives. A new generation is emerging as Jorren has recently been joined by brother Caden and cousin Anika. The commotion eventually got to mom and she needed to retreat for a while to the quiet basement. It was great to have sister Ellen at our house for a couple of days. She is up from Sacramento for the holidays. She will spend the next week or so with mom in Lynden.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
the prodigal buoy returns
As I was admiring the view once again this morning, I noticed that my lost buoy had returned! Some of you may be thinking. - "The dummy was just looking yesterday at a high tide, and now it's low tide, and the buoy is snagged on something" - wrong. The buoy was absent all day yesterday, even at low tide. My best guess at this point is that during the lowest evening tide, the chain snagged on something, submerging the buoy yesterday. Then last night, during the next low low tide, it worked the snag free. Whatever the cause of the mystery disappearance, my mooring system is still intact.
Saturday, December 17, 2005
the lost buoy
As I was admiring the beautiful view this morning, I noticed that there was something missing. The buoy which I use to moor my boats has disappeared. It must have floated off to some nearby beach where some happy boater will retrieve it and use for himself, compliments of a negligent Southworth Sailor. The last time that inspected the line, I felt confident it could make it through the winter. Evidently not! Well, this means that I will have a little work this spring a some low tide, trying to retrieve my anchor line. This evening we helped out with the Angel Tree banquet at church, where children of incarcerated parents receive gifts that are requested by their parent and purchased by church members. It was a great evening of joy and appreciation.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Ninth time's a charm
Every year Mr. Nathan and the Sedgwick music program put on a great Christmas concert. Tonight was our ninth and final year of this concert, as all three of our boys cycled through Sedgwick band, one at a time. The highlight of the concert is always the advanced band, which this year is exceptionally good. They played a medley of the Nutcracker which was impressive for a junior high. Calvin plays first chair saxophone, but denies being the best in the school. We are crossing our fingers, hoping that our last son will try high school band.
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Calvin and I watched Narnia this evening. I really enjoyed it. Since I have been reading the book to my class, I was aware of the little differences with the book narrative. I think that they are minor, and the movie portrays the book's message in an authentic way. My favorite actor/actress is Lucy. The Stone Table scene was powerful and so suggestive of the crucifixion. This afternoon was such nice weather. Esther hauled us down to the beach to drag up some driftwood for some decorations.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Up and at it again
This summer, our good friend Tom started a blog which captured his wit and random penetrating thoughts. After an extended hiatus, he is back at it again! If you have not enjoyed his verbal musings yet, it's time you check him out. Click on 'Tom's blog' which is on the left of this page. And while I am promoting blogs, I will mention that my favorite resource for the emerging church is tallskinnykiwi.
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Chilly Chores
There are certain December outdoor chores that fall upon the shoulders every American husband. I completed the two biggies in one day. The nice weather on a Saturday was the determining factor which made it all possible. Today I counted all the aggravating things about stringing lights and I think I know why most men have an aversion for the project. 1) untangling the mess of wires and bulbs (and keeping them untangled.) 2) bulbs breaking as one tries to move them around the roof. 3) bulb hooks get caught on shingles. 4) strings fall in wet gutter as one works 5) hooks break off and bulbs hang funny 6) one never has the right extension cords to do the job. I could go on, but I might discourage some delinquent husband who still has to do it. The other 'biggie' is getting the christmas tree. When the boys were younger, it was a traditional family outing. Now, it is left to me to do myself. It is certainly a more efficient operation. I was back at the house with a freshly cut tree in a little less than an hour.
Friday, December 02, 2005
Peter Powder
Markus and I took the opportunity of a day off from school to go snowbaording at Crystal Mountain. The snow was super - better than I have ever seen at Crystal. There was at least 18" of powder. There were quite a few skiers on the mountain for a Friday, but even by the end of the afternoon, we were still finding untouched powder to plow through. Sore muscles were screaming at both of us after our first day on snowboards this year. I felt like I redeemed a day that had been stolen from summer. You see, unfortunately, most teachers in our district would rather have a day for 'grading' after each trimester, than a day of summer; not to mention a host of other 'non-student days.' I would rather do my grading at night, during the long winter evenings. Our union has pushed the school year to the 23rd of June :(
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