My Weekend with the Vampires

So I’m just going to fess up, like a big girl. Like the 33 year old mom and MA-degree (almost) holder that I am. I am a fan of the Twilight saga. Never. In. My. Life. have a series of books held me entranced such as these four novels. It’s embarrassing. I, mostly, admit this addiction with a bile taste in my mouth because of the throes of other Twilight fans out there. I don’t identify with most of them, majority of them being about 20 years my junior. Up until I actually started reading the books, I didn’t know anyone who I, um, admired who were fans of the books. Unbeknownst to me, there are, apparently, quite a few avid readers in my extended circle of friends who have also fallen for this fantasy world.
It all started last week when I rented Twilight the movie on a whim. It was late. We were running home from a day of errands. Jeremy stayed in the car with Hayvn while I ran in to pick out a movie quickly. We wanted something mindless. There was nothing, said for Twilight. It was the only movie that seemed nothing BUT mindless—a teenage love story with fangs. What’s there to think about? And then we watched it. “Er, um…I guess I see the allure…” we said to ourselves about 30 minutes in. That Edward guy is certainly freaky, though, I thought. And why doesn’t his actions repel instead of entice that Bella girl? But still. There was something familiar about that Edward guy—his thick hair, his strong jaw, his grey wardrobe…I felt like I knew him from somewhere. By the time Jeremy fell asleep and things started getting dicey for little Bella, I knew I was a goner. When Radiohead’s “15 Step” came on during the end credits, I promptly grabbed the trusty iphone and started investigating this Twilight world. I HAD to know, right then and there, what was going to happen to those two. Luckily, I stumbled upon a thread on some random website that gave me all the answers from the final book. Whew. I could sleep that night.

But by morning, I was itching to read for myself. That Edward guy…something…about…him…

So after getting some good advice from a reader friend I trusted, I started in on New Moon. Then, three days later, I had Eclipse in my hot little hands. Then, less than 24hours later, I was launching into Breaking Dawn, which was finished, sadly, this morning at 8:15am. Hum…luckily, knowing that I couldn’t quit the Cullens cold turkey, I had decided halfway through Breaking Dawn to read Twilight after I finished. Odd, I know, but I loved them so much that I wanted to meet them all again from the beginning.

As I flipped through Twilight this morning and thought about this strange addiction, a thought occurred to me. I realized who Edward from the movie reminded me of. Morrissey with a side of River Phoenix! And who are these two men to me? Well, and I know I’m really showing my age here, but Morrissey was one of my first loves. I couldn’t have been more than 12 years old when I fell for him—his velvety voice, his thick hair, his strong jaw, I could go on...And then there’s River. Probably, as teen crushes go, he was THE crush for me…. And if that Edward guy wasn’t the 21st century version of Morrissey/River...? damn.

It all clicked. And I felt a bit better about myself. I didn’t like the idea that I could fall for a fictional character who was all of 17 years old. I liked myself even less for falling for the guy who plays him in the movie. He’s what? 23? Good God, that’s 10 years younger than me! But if I was just drudging up old crushes in a new light? Well, that was alright with me. Besides, Morrissey is still my senior, so it's not like I'm lusting after this 17 year old child, right? Right.

Anyway, I write all this—I confess all of this—so that one day Hayvn will understand why I went a week without eating, really sleeping or hardly playing with him. Lucky for me, the kid won’t remember this period of his life. And, God willing, I will never find myself so uncontrollably consumed again with a piece of fiction. But, in the off chance that this does leave a scar on him, here’s my pitiful excuse. I blame it all on Morrissey and River Phoenix.

iPhone Summer of Love

Last winter my phone died. I think letting Hayvn use it as a chew toy was another example of good idea/bad idea. Anyway, it died and I went without one for a very. long. time. I used my work phone to stay connected, but it never felt right. We just didn't harmonize, he and I. Well, when June rolled around and Apple released its 3rd generation iphone do you know what my beloved husband offered to do? He offered me his first generation iphone, telling me that he, begrudgingly, would go ahead and take the new iphone. What a man. At first I was apprehensive. I mean, those iphones are fancy. They've got gadgets and apps that bewilder me. And who has time to play with them all? Well, I know someone who does, but that's hardly the point here...But, just as I did with the trusty ipod (and just like Jeremy told me I would), I fell hard for my newish iphone. I love all of its features that I use daily, especially the camera. It's sweet. Anyway, here are some fun shots captured during my new summer-o-iphone...we really do make a good pair.


H's first beesting--on his lip! hard day for mama and baby


H in his new front yard, realizing that the garden hose is pretty cool


Jess enjoying (i think) a much deserved fruity martini for her birthday


H napping (or bronzing) on his Uncle Jonny's lap during a very exciting garage sale at the Broyles


the Broyles Boys goofing it up at the LO 'bucks


H with one of his favorite people--Tia Lealah!


a sand 'stache


H and his good buddy Eli rolling in the sand


first summer of swim lessons...H isn't so sure about all this water business...


at least they had some decent toys


J and I are gonna make H a hiker if it kills all three of us


happy face on the way to yosemite


camping means H gets really dirty and more in touch with his inner euro baby


the Broyles Boys making some backseat fun while stranded on some highway

...ok...so...did you miss us?

i want to start out this LONG OVERDUE post by admitting a few things. 1) We moved to Los Osos in April. 2) Hayvn turned ONE in May. 3) Hayvn started walking on July 8th (an early gift for Jess' bday). And 4) i think i've come to terms with my hatred over blogs and blogging. i don't facebook. i don't twitter. and while i claim that i don't do these things because what i really want is more real intimacy with my friends who do, i ultimately think that my absence is due in large part to my belief that the goings on of my little family are of little interest to people outside of our immediate circle. i could be wrong. i could be right. regardless, i think that i'll venture to say that everyone could benefit from seeing more hayvn. i know i always can. and i apologize for keeping him from you.

so, with that said, i think i'll dip my toes back into the blogging realm, hoping that my posts reach friends/family who we don't see nearly enough.

as a little teaser of more to come, here are some shots of hayvn that our friend anna took on his 1st birthday! to say i'm still in shock over his rapid growth and maturity would be stating the obvious. i think i'm beginning to understand why people have more than one kid...they grow up so darn fast you seek to slow it all down by repeating the process. i can't say we're there, but dang boy, ease up on the growing up!

Pillows

So Hayvns favorite thing is to get naked and be thrown into the pillows (not unlike his dad) before bathtime. We've always been a bit sketchy about a naked baby on our bed without protection but he has been ok so far, until the other night when this happened.

If this picture doesn't melt your heart, then you obviously don't have one.

The flighty....Ever elusive.....LOS OSOS! (cue sexy flamenco music)

When asked over the course of the past few years whether we would join our friends to live in the sweet hamlet of Los Osos I would tilt back my head in a proud and assured way and say "Ha! Me?! I live in downtown San Luis Obispo!". No I wouldn't be so pretentious, but it's how I've felt. Living in San Luis has become a bit of an identity for Sarah and me, so much so that the very thought of moving out to b.f.e. made us cringe. But now, here we are, desperately trying to find a house in this partially erected town. Really, who were the bunch of back ass ward cowboys that set up that place!? I guess most of them didn't think too much of street lamps and paved roads let alone making a road run all the way through from one end to another. But none the less, Sarah and I find ourselves drawn to this place. We love the way it feels like one of the silent, hidden northern California beach towns that we've grown to love during our travels up and down hwy 1 in between her brothers house in Half Moon Bay. I can't wait to start surfing again and go on hikes and maybe lose some weight! But this feisty bear-lady will have none of us! Twice our attempts to move out there have been thwarted. The first time, we found a cute house on Manzanita that was great but the owners were kinda weird ( not all that uncommon from what I've been led to belive). The second time we actually went through a property management group and were welcomed with open arms to a cute house on Woodland, until the home owner decided to put the house on the market....three weeks before we were suppose to move...really! now?! Why will this mercurial temptress have none of us?! ( Sarah didn't help me with grammar...I'm smart). Our haughty ways have turned her heart against us! She has seen where we come from and is jealous of our signs with the street names printed on them, the lights that illuminate roads, roads with a mysterious hard black surface, roads that aren't interrupted by a shanty house or another road randomly placed in its way...cell phone service. But we humble ourselves before you and ask that you open your gates to us, you great and terrible Los Osos!

This one is for Jess

Our friend Jessica Brown is awesome. She handles 3 kids and a busy husband and she's good at it too. She is really funny and doesn't like it when people come up to her at farmers and ask for crazy donut requests. she likes to make those people look dumb after they've left the booth of course. She'll tell you to pick up after your dog too. She is on the look out for houses in Los Osos for us to rent. she's a great friend. Oh! and she can't keep her eyes open for pictures. she's great and we love her!

First Fall Action

There's lots to get to, so let's get going...

Think Blue?

So Hayvn had his first big day at the ballpark on Sept 20th. That's dodger stadium. What a night. Four months old and already rooting on the boys in blue. You should know that Hayvn's Great Grandpa, Walt (a.k.a Pa), was a huge Dodgers fan. When getting ready for Hayvn's first ballgame, Mama had to school Daddy on the fact that Hayvn, who is named after said Great Grandpa, would not be rooting for the Giants that night. Daddy, a Giants fan simply because the boys hail from the City of his heart, San Francisco, was not happy...but he had to concede when he saw there really was no way to win. Hayvn would bleed Dodger blue, just like Pa...and just like his aunt jenny for that matter (who lovingly made Hayvn's first dodgers' outfit!)

First Time on the Sticks

Aw, a proud papa got to hand his boy his first set of drum sticks (albeit, they were for a toy drum). Hayvn doesn't have much rhythm yet (still trying to get that 'control my flailing limbs' piece down), but daddy's got hope...

First Trip to the City


If you know anything about jeremy and i, then you know we left our hearts in SF years ago when we left our home there to move back to the Central Coast. It was a good move, don't get me wrong, but for us, SF will always be the home of our hearts. since moving, we try to get back there at least a few times a year. and i've never thought it was mere coincidence that my birthday happens to fall in October, the BEST month in the City, meaning that an annual birthday trip is always a must. this year we got to take our little man along for the ride. it was so much fun to watch his eyes grow wide and light up looking at all the sights. for a little guy who loves people, the City was the perfect place for him. people couldn't get enough of his yummy sweetness.


a little silliness in the Curiosity shop...


giving a trolley car a raspberry...hayvn's signature move.


some giggles on the Land's End trail...one of the most beautiful spots in all the world.

First Pumpkin Patch

a baby amongst baby pumpkins...cute as heck.

First Halloween

so, little bear inspired the selecting of his first halloween costume--a teddy bear! it was almost too much for this mama to see him all dressed up--he was just so dang cute that i almost squeezed the stuffing outta him a couple of times.

mama and baby at farmer's market. talk about stimulation overload...candy, costumes and crazies are the perfect recipe for Farmer’s Rage. good thing this madness happens only once a year.

Hayvn's Baby Dedication

Surrounded by lots of family and friends, we were able to give thanks to the Lord for Hayvn, and to our friends, family and church for all the prayers said for him before he was even realized. our little one is the product of lots of prayer, for sure.

First Time in a Voting Booth

Mama and hayvn helped make history!

First Time in the Crib

After five months and three weeks, we decided to stop using hayvn's expensive crib as storage space for baby crap and decided to start using it to house said sleeping baby. this picture is of his first nap in his crib, in his own room. Consequently, he spent that night in his crib as well and has been in the crib for the last three nights. now when mama gets up three times a night, she's gotta go all the way to his room...to this, i imagine hayvn cunningly twisting his little hands together while chuckling softly to himself, "hehehehe..."

Well, that's all, folks! it's been quite a fall...and i'm sure the holiday season will be just as eventful. our little bear turns six months old on the 28th and we just can't believe it. it's been such a bittersweet journey so far...sweet watch him grow and learn, but sad having to say good-bye, so quickly, to his little newborn self.
...stay tuned to the blog, cause we're trying rice cereal on thanksgiving...can't you just feel the excitement?

If you wanna know how we feel...

Please direct yourself to Donald Miller's blog entitled "From Reagan to Obama, a brief Political History" located here: http://donmilleris.com/

If you don't have time to read the blog...here are some highlights that really spoke to us and reflect why we supoorted Obama because of our faith, not inspite of it...

"a few days ago I did an interview with a writer for The Today Show, and after the interview she asked how it was evangelicals could come to believe the many lies being spread about Barack Obama. In answer I came back to the insular nature of the suburban church. “When we’ve never met people,” I said, “we are easily manipulated into demonizing them. We are easily made to fear.” And I’ll add there has been a great deal of fear in this campaign. I just received a letter, yesterday, from a prominent church leader in Georgia that accused Michelle Obama, who I have met and found to be a lovely and humble woman, of being be a racist. This was not a small-town backwards preacher, this was a best-selling Christian author, who, honestly, should be ashamed of himself."

"Last year I vowed I wouldn’t make decisions out of fear. And because of that I’ve had one of the greatest years of my life. I went to Uganda and got to meet with the man who helped write their constitution. I wrapped up an evangelism project I believe will introduce more than a million people to the gospel. I rode my bike across America. All of this stuff took some degree of risk. But when calculating those risks, I realized the only reason not to try was fear. What if I was wrong, what if I couldn’t make it, what if the project didn’t work? But none of my heroes are controlled by fear. The commandment most often repeated in scripture, in fact, is “do not fear.” Fear is often something unrighteous trying to keep you from doing something good."

"While in Denver I met people from the Obama Campaign. I met Joshua Dubois and Paul Monteiro, Obama’s faith-policy advisors. Paul, like me, had been a Republican until recently. He is a staunch pro-lifer who got tired of Republicans not making enough strides on the issue and was won over by the dramatic effect economic policy has on unwanted pregnancy and the bottom-up effects of economic stimulation as opposed to the conservative, supply-side policy. And Joshua spoke to me about Senator Obama’s personal faith, his commitment to close his events in prayer, his daily morning devotions and his twenty-year history of talking openly about Jesus. I didn’t need to be won over. I’d started a mentoring foundation in Portland two years before and was attracted to Obama’s message on responsible fatherhood (along with his backing of The Responsible Fatherhood Act.)"

"I voted for Barack Obama (we vote early in Oregon) because I think he is right on healthcare (his plan will allow 27 million more Americans, including young, pregnant mothers to be cared for) and he is right on responsible fatherhood. I voted for Barack Obama because he will keep George W. Bush’ Faith-based Partnerships Program in play, only increasing its funding. I voted for Barack Obama because he has the respect of world leaders, which will be necessary to deliberate an American agenda around the world, and I voted for Barack Obama because he had the judgment to oppose the war in Iraq. I’ve taken some blows from the conservative right on my stance, but, even in public debate against McCain representatives, have not been deterred. I will not be guilted, shamed or controlled. I am not going to vote for one candidate because I have been made to fear the other. I support Barack Obama because he has beat back the dark hour of cynicism and irrational fear, and provided hope to a country closing in on itself. I believe there are great days ahead."

We stand with our Christian brother in celebrating this historical day

I waited almost 33 years for you...

As my birthday nears, i am reminded of what milestone i'll really be celebrating this year...

dear hayvn,

i waited almost 33 years to hold your hand.



i waited almost 33 years to kiss your cheek and nuzzle the sweet top of your head.



my little man, i waited almost 33 years to fall in love with your blue eyes, your heart-melting smile and your sometimes impatient spirit.



...and i'd wait another 33 years to hear you call me 'mama' and to see you take your first steps.



i'd wait this long and more to see you stand on your own two feet one day, to hear you argue with me passionately about politics and love, to see how you deal with your blessings and your trials, to know what your favorite color will be or what kind of music you'll like, and to find out if you love the mountains like I think you will.


33 years will pass in the blink of an eye, i'm sure, as i watch you grow...as i get to know the man that God has knitted you together to one day become...



my lovely son, you were worth the wait. and every day i am reminded that you, after almost 33 years, are exactly who I prayed you would be. my hayvn.

[Pushes Husband off his soapbox]

We're getting fired up in the Davenport household...and not in a good way. In a way that wakes us up early in the morning and seems to stay with us as we try to fall asleep at night. I wish this could be a cute post about our most adorable boy (cause, honestly, he is the sweetest most adorable little man ever), but, alas, it is not.

This post is about lying. I hate lying. Lying, to me, is the worst form of disrespect. It's telling the person you're lying to that either 1) you don't care enough about them to be truthful, or 2) that you think they aren't bright enough to seek or understand the truth, or that 3) they're not strong enough to handle the truth. Whichever message you're trying to relay, let me assure you, none of them are acceptable.

Now, I'm about to venture into territory I always swore I'd stay away from in these types of public arenas...are you ready?...politics. Yuck. Having grown up in a very political home, my step-father having been a small time politician (County Supervisor), I know a bit about the game...on both sides of the aisle (as they say). My mother was/is a democrat and my ex-step-father (and father for that matter) was/is a republican. Let me just say this--watching 60 minutes during dinner sometimes led to some heated conversations which resulted in either the throwing of silverware or someone storming out of the room in disgust. Some might think that this would cause me to hate politics, and they'd be right about some aspects of politics. But what it also did for me, and what I appreciate to this day, was that it engaged me. It led me to believe that opinions matter. My opinion matters. It taught me that if you don't show up and participate in the debate, then you aren't worth the American soil you stand on. It also showed me how difficult it is to really reach across the aisle, cause, let's be honest, the two sides differ DRASTICALLY.

But, getting back to lying, what growing up in a political home taught me the most is that you gotta respect your opponent. You gotta believe that they have a right, a voice and an opinion that at least deserves your respectful engagement. So when a candidate lies to me it always prickles my 'hey, that's not fair' hair on the back of my neck. It causes me to take a second look at that person and ask, "why are you disrespecting me? Why are you assuming that I'm either too stupid or too lazy to find out the truth?"

As my little family and I engage in this historical election (gotta love that Hayvn's first presidential election will result in either an African American president or a female veep), we do so with an eager ear to the facts. And I gotta tell you, sometimes those facts get harder to hear among all the crap they're trying to sell us.

So, let me encourage all of you (all 3 of you who may stumble upon our blog from time to time), don't let some one or some group tell you who to vote for this November 4th. I'm getting really tired of the, "Well I always vote this way" or "That's who my [insert organization here] tells me to vote for" mentality. That's weak and lazy...and, honestly, irresponsible. This is too important, folks. This election calls--no it DEMANDS--that we all dig deeper. That we all click onto FactCheck.org and REALLY look at who's telling the truth and who's lying. Just as we all learned in Kindergarten--lying is bad.

**Post Disclaimer**

Below is a little story I wrote for our son, Hayvn. Now some of you might note the silliness of said post. I couldn't agree with you more. But I recently went on a blogging strike cause I was sure that my lack of wit and intelligent observations made me actually an anti-blogger. I mean, who cares about my adventures with my new little son? Not many people, I'm sure.

But, then a very sweet friend of mine freed me when she told me that you can now upload blogs to certain sites that will print them out book style for you to save for all of prosperity. What an idea! I love this... and knowing this, I came to the conclusion that maybe Hayvn would one day want to read all about his first year of life. So suddenly free from the pressure of having to impress you folks, I can now write knowing I only have to impress some future Hayvn...and being his mom, I hope he has some grace for me.

This all being said, I took the soap box away from my husband (periodically) and wrote a little story to Hayvn about how his nickname went from Little Bug to Little Bear on his first camping trip to the High Sierras. His new nickname is so appropriate, that his daddy felt inspired to get a new tattoo for his little man...



Anyway, this is just a warning that most of my posts from now on may be pretty silly, with sentiments that are mostly cheesy...with the exception of Jeremy's public rants. Gotta give the guy some sort of an outlet...

Little Bug Becomes Little Bear

This is the story of how our little Hayvn went from "Little Bug" to "Little Bear" in one short week...



It all started on an early morning in Fresno of all places. Little Bug woke up at the early hour of 5am and was just rearing to go. Go where? Camping! His dad had been filling his ears with wild stories of the High Sierras and Little Bug could barely contain himself when the big morning finally arrived. Today was the day they would drive through Yosemite Valley and up the big ol' Tioga Pass to finally arrive at Silver Lake.

Little Bug was so excited that he often would just fall asleep during his journey...



But as Little Bug and his family came down from Tioga Pass (which is over 11,000 feet up!) Little Bug started to get antsy. Four hours of being content in his car seat was over and it was time for him to get out. Now.

When his family finally pulled into the Silver Lake campground, Little Bug was greeted by new family members. He met his Aunt Sandi, and cousins Brandon and Teddy. He also was greeted by his gramma and pops too. But first things first. After a long drive, Little Bug demanded a meal and some rest before he started exploring the new territory.



After settling in, Little Bug started sight seeing...extensively. There was so much to see. There were trees he'd never met, flowers he'd never smelt and a lake shore he'd never come across in his whole life. He just couldn't believe it. Little Bug was so in love with all he saw, that he deemed blinking a completely useless past time. Who had time for blinking?! Certainly not Little Bug.









But as the time went on and his non-blinking continued through much of his days, Little Bug began to see the error of his ways. Each night, as the sun began to set, Little Bug began to cry and wiggle and just make himself miserable with his new non-blinking rule. But, bless his heart, he just couldn't stop himself from looking. Even while he took a meal, his favorite part of any day, Little Bug's little eyes darted in every direction. As his crying increased and his wiggling got the best of him, his mama and daddy pleaded with their Little Bug to please calm down. But he just couldn't. And his crying got so bad, that Little Bug was no longer a little bug. He grew into a little BEAR! Growling and snarling like he'd never growled or snarled before. Little Bear's parents had no choice but to try to tame the little beast. They reached for the first thing they could find--Little Bear's blanket--and quickly tethered him around his wiggling little head. Little Bear, finally forced to tear his eyes away from the outside, was calmed, and his tired eyes finally closed and his growling finally silenced. Poor Little Bear.



When Little Bear woke up each morning, his non-blinking continued, but his parents had finally mastered the art of blanket-diversion in order to calm Little Bear's growling and snarling. Ah, Little Bear. We're gonna miss our Little Bug, but we embraced our new Little Bear and his non-blinking ways...



Besides, we know that deep down inside of you our Little Bug lives on...