For Mom on Mother's Day

My mother enjoys reading our blogs. With Tilly and I being in Washington, DC, the blog has become an nice outlet to our family and friends at home. With tomorrow being Mother's Day, I thought I'd write a random post that only a mother could enjoy.

Tilly is at a Girl's Night Out with some friends tonight, so I thought I'd let you read what a typical night at home for a nearly five-year old married man nearing 30 (November) looks like? It consists of what our nights typically look like when Tilly is home. I thought about making this is a video journal or picture parade (I made the latter term up), but decided I'll just let your imagination go with the written word.

As most of you know, my first inclination is to eat. Tilly would do the same for herself in my absence. With age, I've gone from frozen pizzas to homemade pizzas with store bought dough. Trader Joe's has great pizza dough that I'm fond of, so I pounded out the dough to try my first thin crust pizza on our new pizza stone. New you ask? Yes, our original stone cooked its final pizza last month. It served us well, but was simply no match for the hot burner that was accidentally left on beneath it. Tonight's inaugural pizza is thin crust, extra sauce, less cheese, and pepperoni galore. I remembered the pineapple only minutes too late.

As the pizza cooked, I pulled out the laptop to get ready for my nightly work. Yes, I must keep up with the goings-on in Major League Baseball so tonight my, I mean, the Atlanta Braves are in Pittsburgh. They, okay I'll drop the gimmick, we had a six game winning streak as we swept our six game homestand. The fun ended last night as the Pirates defeated us on the road. We now have the best home and the worst road record in baseball.

Pizza is in my hands to eat as the first pitch is thrown. I am obviously not typing this in real time, so in the sixth inning we're down 5-2. I'll just say it, "How do we lose to the Pirates?" I mean the Washington Nationals owned us in April, but the Braves are always slow in April. Oh, you say its May? Yikes!

As the game starts, I leave the windows open to hear the traffic of the city and feel the nice breeze of the 58 degree evening. The dogs are at my feet. Our dog, Maddie, and Tilly's parents' puppy, Bella. We're halfway through our six weeks of keeping her. At present, Bella is deciding whether to bite my foot, but a quick gaze let's her know whose... Ow, there went a toe. Okay, so Bella is back in the box and Maddie is comfortably next to my feet.

I've left out some crucial details about the atmosphere. The television is off and the iPod is connected to the surround sound playing my favorite new album Raise the Dead by Phantom Planet. With my new found passion for music, there is rarely a moment that an album is not playing somewhere near me. Music post coming soon to this blog. Seriously, I promise. Maybe even tonight. During my commute, I have my iPod and ear buds in and it seems I've got a soundtrack to my life playing. Depends on the song of course, but there's nothing better than cruising around the corner for work with a great tune that gets the day started right with a view of the city and smile on my face.

Tilly will be home soon and we'll take the dogs out for their nightly walk before ending up sitting somewhere reading and listening to tunes. Unless of course, Tilly brought home another season of Gilmore Girls on DVD, which means the Atlanta Braves, music, and finishing Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. By the way, Tilly will wonder what I was thinking with this post. As I mentioned in the beginning, this random post is for my mother's enjoyment. She enjoys reading what I would be saying on the phone or in person if we were talking. Yes, I do talk as I write with more information than you could ever listen to. This post is for you, Mom. Happy Mother's Day. Be sure to ask her about the t.v. dinner Mother's Day card. Okay, scratch that.

Colbert Hangs in the Bathrooms at the National Portrait Gallery

Brent and I often watch the "Colbert Report" on Comedy Central. For anyone who has watched the show, you probably know his portrait has been on display in the National Portrait Gallery in D.C. We could delve into the more philosophical questions such as "what is art?" and "what deserves to be hanging in the Smithsonian art galleries," but I think you would miss the point of this exhibit- it's comical! Colbert's portrait hangs in the foyer of the bathrooms right next to the largest, and most exhaustive collection of presidential portraits. Colbert, however, has one claim to fame- he has the most portraits in the gallery because his is a portrait, within a portrait, within a portrait... The gallery claims it has brought a whole new type of visitor to the museum, which I can attest to. There was a line of young people getting their picture made (I had to do it for the blog...) the whole time I was in the gallery. I guess you could consider it a novelty.

The "exhibit" (it's only one picture) will end tomorrow.

My favorite time of year in D.C.

Cherry blossom season is my favorite time of year in D.C. I have a theory though on why the cherry blossom season is only two weeks- it's too cold and windy for the blossoms to last much longer here! This morning at sunrise (6:57 a.m.- 39 degrees), Maddie and I went to see the cherry blossoms around the tidal basin. Last year my grandmother, Da, was here to see them with me and the year before Brent went with me. But this year, with Brent out of town, I took Maddie. Maddie along with the 80 other dogs checking out the scene, and the 6 million tourist and professional photographers, made for an eventful trip. It was beautiful at sunrise and the weather was perfect, clear blue skies with a hint of spring in the air. I invite anyone to come visit during cherry blossom season- it really is something you have to see at least once in your life time!

But the cherry blossoms were not our only exciting activity for the day. Even before sunrise I was out stealing (I mean this in the most exaggerated sense of the word since I'm publishing this post) forsythia branches off the side of Interstate 395. This weekend I was responsible for the lay ministry table for our church ministry expo. The theme was racing and the decorations were fantastic. Two friends were in charge of the expo, Destin and Maria. I did the table with the blue table coverings and flower arrangement (although photo is before the table was completed). Tomorrow I'll greet at the table. Brent and I serve in the welcome center every other Sunday greeting visitors at our church and we also serve as needed in the nursery. We love working with the one years olds but they really wear us out!

Brent returns tomorrow from covering the civil rights game in Memphis, Tenn. I'm sure you'll get a post from him soon- he's meeting tons of interesting people this weekend, but Maddie and I will be glad when he returns. My protector dog is no longer fooled by the noise in the living room at night (see my first ever post on the blog, "Party at Maddie's House").

Cheers!

Two topics never discussed in polite company- Faith & Politics

The Event: We felt like well connected artsy types yesterday as we attended the screening for an independent film titled "Article VI". It was held at the Heritage Foundation in D.C., invitation only, and began with very nice, heavy hors dourves (and really the food is what you base the evening on) and drinks. We then joined the rest of the young professional D.C. types for the movie screening.

The Movie: It evoked emotion. That's the best compliment I can give the film. This is what the website says-In response to Americans’ concerns about his Catholicism in the 1960 presidential campaign, JFK said “an act against one religion is an act against all.” Today, the debate rages as the faith of the 2008 presidential candidates falls under the same scrutiny. Article VI examines the Founding Fathers’ vision of religious freedom and the current intersection of faith and politics.

My Thoughts: While the movie was a bit long and the cuts were choppy, the movie on a whole was fascinating. It covered a lot of history and political campaigns, but brought up real issues in our country's experiment with religious freedom. I was incensed by the actions of some and heartened by the words of others in the movie. I was also pleasantly surprised by Richard Land, the president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission at the Southern Baptist Convention. He represented baptist views very well and underscored the importance of separation of church and state both in the movie and at the screening. (incidentally, Land did mention he has not voted for the baptist candidate in the past 5 elections) The discussion following the viewing was the most interesting part of the evening. Audience members peppered the panel with questions- some "stupid" (really the best word to describe) and some very thought provoking. People around hissed and booed and others clapped and all enjoyed the lively debate.

Rating: I'd give the movie a 7 out of 10. Technically and editorially there were things that could have been better, but the issues covered and discussions evoked by the film were great. It confirmed my political views and built anticipation for Super Tuesday which is just around the corner. Don't forget the importance of your vote!

*disclaimer- I also rated highly b/c I had such a fun evening with my husband. We usually don't do much during the week and this evening we took a cab to the premier and then hit the U Street corridor to meet his work friends for a drink after the movie. It was a rooftop bar in the middle of the city- lots of fun.

Moral to the Story: Watch Out for Beamers & Dumpsters

Last Tuesday on my way to work, I was waiting at the stoplight just two blocks from our house when a guy decided to run the red light. He hit the gas to make it through the light right as it turned red and then had to swerve to avoid a car turning on a green arrow. I'm currently waiting for insurance to decide the fate of my car, which I'm rather partial to- the heated seats were a deal breaker when purchased.

Brent took me to the ER where we spent an exciting morning and next I will be visiting an orthopedic specialist for my back, but by the grace of God it was not worse.

Ok, so one small story of fate- as the tow truck was pulling away the BMW ('06, young guy driving) that hit me, the passenger door of the beemer flew open and hit a commercial dumpster almost pulling the whole door off the side of the car that was unscathed by the accident with my vehicle. Think badly of me if you like, but I felt a slightly better after that.

Its in the water

Everyone seems to be having a baby right now and I keep hearing "it must be in the water". We have three friends at church who are pregnant and a couple more we'd like to say congratulations to who just recently had babies. Matt and Karen had their twins, Charlotte and James. We haven't met them yet but look forward to seeing them in person. I was sick for a couple of weeks before Christmas so we've been waiting to visit since they are so little. And my cousin Ryan and his wife Wendi just had a baby boy.

Destin and Caleb had a precious baby boy named Noah. I thought girls clothes were fun to shop for until I went shopping with Destin for Noah- trains, puppy dogs, frogs, all the cute little blue and green things you could imagine!

Also, I received pictures from Laura and Jarrod of Micah's Christmas. He is now a little over one years old and is just the cutest little boy! Melinda and Andrew also just had a new baby and I'm waiting to see pictures. Enjoy as I show off my friends precious children.

The Grill

When you were a child did you ever receive a gift that you just wanted to tear into and couldn't wait to play with every day? Well we got one of those gifts this year! A grill. No, this is not an ordinary run of the mill grill, but a Weber gas grill with three burners, a warmer and a side burner- cooking a total of 24 hamburgers at one time! Ok, so we haven't tried out the 24 hamburgers yet, but that's what the manual says and I believe it wholeheartedly. Our first week with the grill included steaks, hamburgers with grilled pineapple and grilled onions and bacon, pork chops, blackened chicken, bar-b-q chicken and a couple of other tasty treats. Is your mouth watering yet?

We've gone gourmet now and we doing New York Strip steaks and sirloins and gourmet burgers. Half our food budget goes to meats we can grill. If the under cooked/over cooked trial food doesn't kill us the carcinogens will but until that time we're in grilling heaven! Look for more posts on this new toy in the future.

Life Happened

So you may be wondering what happened to the Gambill Family Blog. You could even guess that this was yet another attempt of ours to be "up" on technology and then lose interest after a month or two. That could be part of the delay, but the fact is life is happening outside our blogosphere and we've been unable to devote the needed time to update our family and friends on things happening in the D.C. area. However, I'm working diligently tonight to remedy this neglect.

Thanksgiving was excellent- my parents came and stayed with us. We did the Turkey Trot in downtown Del Ray (5 mile) and then had a beautiful Thanksgiving meal. But alas, we follow in the Carter tradition and have no pictures to prove it. So we'll move on to the next momentous occasion- Christmas.

UPDATE: Brent has unearthed the long lost post-Thanksgiving Turkey Trot, Thanksgiving lunch, Dallas Cowboys game skipping, and shopping nap. It also another way to see how many pictures of Maddie we can get in one post.

Thanks to Lisa, we do have pictures and would like to share a few. This year we spent Christmas at Brent's parents and had a lovely time in their new home in Searcy, AR. Aunt Kathy, Uncle John, Lisa and Matt all came to Searcy and celebrated Christmas with us on Sunday and then we had another family Christmas on the 25th followed by Christmas with Brent's aunt and uncles in Paragould.

Maddie could not have been happier being a mere three steps from the beautiful outdoors. She went out every hour to just make sure she wasn't dreaming. In another edition of "Brent will record anything the dog does with the camcorder on his mobile" you can view Maddie in all her Christmas glory wearing herself out on her holiday gift of rawhide a bone:

But wait, Christmas continued as we drove down to Arkadelphia and spent the night with my family and saw Da, Nanny and Poppy. We played cards and board games all week and I don't think we've ever eaten so much! It was a fabulous Christmas vacation and definitely made the marathon drive worth it.

Fall Festival 2007

This is a bit belated, but to top off Halloween week our church held a Fall Festival on the final Friday of October to reach out to the community of Falls Church. I was in charge of the entertainment and worked for three months to prepare and coordinate. The event was a large success and the entertainment was definitely a bonus. Brent took video which you can check out.

We had four language churches send their praise bands and we raffled off 17 huge gift baskets which only guests could register for. We had food for 300+ had to order more in the middle of the evening so my guess is we had well over 300 attend. Activities included a large moon bounce and a huge blow up maze. It was a lot of fun and I'm pleased its over! On to the next 18 things.

It's More of a Prestige Thing

Last night, we did what many married couples of almost five years do. We each saw our own movie. I enjoyed my favorite director Wes Anderson's new film The Darjeeling Limited. Tilly watched Elizabeth: The Golden Age. We discussed seeing Michael Clayton or a special early showing of Dan in Real Life. In the end, we were individually more interested in the other movies, so we decided to go enjoy on our own.

Darjeeling was like all of Wes Anderson's movies (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, Royal Tennenbaums, and Life Aquatic), which is intelligent stories with dry humor spliced with amazing visuals and cinematography. I can't name the number of times I was laughing and smiling throughout. He is the master of subtleties in a film where moments build on top of each other to provide a brief moment of enjoyment that only occurs if you were paying attention. Anderson's style is not for everyone, but they are my favorite. The visual presentation provides a kaleidoscope of colors and rich textures against colorfully dressed characters in deep layers of complexities. To make this short, his films are deftly deep with a keen dry wit. I just realized I may be the only person interested in reading reviews or a short bioptic on Wes Anderson.

The one thing I can say every Anderson movie is known for is my lack of embarrassment at being the only person laughing out loud in the cinema. Anytime I am the only person laughing at the movies, I recall the first time it happened. I was watching the movie Multiplicity with Uncle John and Lisa in Dallas during the summer of 1996. Multiplicity starred Michael Keaton in what many call the movie that killed his career. There is a scene, before the movie veers out of control, where he gets home from work late. As he is changing clothes, he tells his wife, Andie McDowell, about how one of his colleagues was fired today. Thanks to the magic of the internet here is the dialogue from the script:

Keaton: King fired DeGrazzi.

McDowell: You're kidding. Why?

Keaton: He does bad work. But at least he does it slowly.

McDowell: Who will replace him?

Keaton: The guy you sleep with.

McDowell: That's great. It's like a promotion. It's not great?

Keaton: Guess who'll do my job.

McDowell: You're going to do it all?

Keaton: (Nods)

McDowell: Will they give you more money?

Keaton: It's more of a prestige thing. They'll probably give me a plaque or a certificate for being so great.

McDowell: That's ridiculous.

At the point of "It's more of a prestige thing," Uncle John began laughing uncontrollably. Lisa and I laughed along not knowing why. With almost four years out of school, I finally get the joke. I should probably put that line on my desk as it would definitely make me laugh more often than not.

I want to wish my Aunt Kathy a Happy Birthday on Monday. Hope you have a great day.

Dancing at Venice Beach

Every year, I attend a weekend baseball event in Los Angeles. Zac and Carrie Heath moved to the Los Angeles area, presently Santa Monica, so I try to stay an extra day or two and visit. Earlier this year, we went to Venice Beach to check out the scene. I took this video of a man dancing that still makes me laugh. Hope this makes your day.

To answer your question, yes he was dancing in tennis shoes in a roller skating area.