Nerds in Love » family update

meet schmoo schmoo.

Sandra Clark — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 23:00:18 +0000

by sandra.

two weeks ago frank and i drove to hermiston, oregon, to pick up the newest member of our family. he is a 3 1/2 month old pug puppy that we’ve named mr. “schmoo schmoo” magoo.

we are VERY happy to have schmoo schmoo, but definitely feel like new parents. we worry about him when we’re not with him, get up with him in the middle of the night, and wake up at 6 AM with him every morning. oh, and we can’t get over how ridiculously cute he is!

schmoo schmoo is growing and learning every day, though. so far he’s experienced his first hike, learned to sit and fetch, and is getting better at potty training and walking on a leash. he’s also met my parents’ dogs, sugar and angel, and some of our friends’ dogs, millie and tosh. we’re so thankful that he “plays well with others,” although angel and sugar are still a little afraid of him. we still figuring out why, though, since angel and sugar are at least 3 times as big as he is.

we’re also getting to know schmoo schmoo and his quirks. so far we’ve learned:
-he snores when he sleeps
-he loves toys with strings on them
-our shoes are especially tasty
-he’s scared of heights
-he likes eating yard debris like rocks, sticks, bark, leaves, and rose petals
-his hobbies include sitting on the couch, chewing on toys, and sleeping
-he doesn’t like to be left alone

relishing summer.

Sandra Clark — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:11:23 +0000

by sandra.

frank and i recently returned from a camping trip with my family. we spent three days and two nights at the clear lake campground in the national forest surrounding mt. hood. although the campground was full of loud noises and your usual annoyances we had a good time. my favorite feature of the campground was that it was located right on the lake. we were lucky enough to see two beautiful sunsets reflecting on the lake and enjoy an afternoon floating in water tubes (thanks mom!)

our first day was spent rafting down the deschutes river near maupin, oregon. my family has rafted about half a dozen times now and has enjoyed our time every occasion. this is in part because of river drifters (our trusty guides) and also because my family is awesome. this was frank’s first time white water rafting so we were excited to share this experience with him. although he was feeling calm and confident by the time we left the river, the pictures of almost flipping the boat and ending up in the “rume of doom” may deter him from joining us again.

to see our pictures go here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nerdsinlove/sets/72157606864264993/

the second day frank and i headed up to timberline to explore the lodge and go for a hike. we were pleased to discover that the magic mile lift was running and we were able to take it to the top. we did just that and enjoyed a picnic with a view of the top of mt. hood and the nature beyond. then we hiked down across snow and past fields of wildflowers. if you’re ever looking for a good place to take out of town visitors, timberline is recommended!

it’s beginning to look a lot like christmas

Sandra Clark — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 05:51:00 +0000

posted by sandra.

normally i’m the no christmas music/decorations before thanksgiving kind of girl but this year i was ready to start blast elvis’ blue christmas as soon as starbucks’ red cups arrived. i’m not sure why, maybe because it’s our first christmas together or because i have a real house to decorate. i know it’s all marketing but the christmas decorations and music everywhere aren’t helping the urge to cover everything with glitter and garland. i’m restraining though and hoping to go for the old fashioned christmas look instead.

our christmas celebrations began with the richards’ annual christmas tree retrieval. we typically trek to the u-cut farm together to debate about which tree would be the best, even the year when it was pouring outside. this year we headed to the mountains to cut down our trees. the snow added to the christmas spirit and only caused one close call. there was much less debating too for we each got our own tree for our respective houses. oh, we really are growing up!

on the way back we the icecream cones at a nearby hamburger joint called our names — you can clearly see why.

UW Guatemala Project

Sandra Clark — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 22:04:00 +0000

posted by sandra.

in 2005 my brother, tim, and his girlfriend, carrie, visited guatemala to study human rights with a group of students from the university of washington. while there they saw first-hand the effects of genocide and war upon a country and its people. they also met with some of the country’s most prominent human rights leaders, including survivors, attorneys, and many others fighting to improve living conditions for the country’s impoverished majority.

as you can imagine this experience greatly affected the lives of the students. together they made a commitment to provide scholarships for their peers on coffee plantations in guatemala. these scholarships would support the primary and secondary education of youth who plan to invest their communities’ future. to find out more about the uw guatamala project, please visit http://students.washington.edu/uwgp/index.html.

the group is currently planning an auction, hoping to raise over $50,000. this money would establish the scholarships for at least 10 years. as a supporter of my brother, education, and human rights i invite you to join me at the auction on saturday, march 31 at the knights of columbus hall in seattle, wa. your $65 ticket will not only support the aims of the project, you’ll also receive a catered dinner, participation in a live and silent auction, and the company of me, frank, and my family. to reserve your ticket you may contact me or email maya.sparks@gmail.com.

if you are unable to attend the auction or would like to help in another way, i invite you to:

donate merchanise, services, or gift certificates to be auctioned on the night of march 31.
make a tax-deductible donation. checks should be made out to “uw foundation” with “guatemala project” written on the memo line. please mail your check to the group’s supervisor, professor angelina godoy, box 353650, university of washington, seattle, wa 98195-3650.

thank you!