Tío Lauro put up a camera so Lorena can see and talk to Grandma Conchita whenever she wants. What actually happens is that Lorena pulls up the camera on her phone, yells at her Mom, and then her mom calls her on the phone because it is still just to inconvenient to do it all with the camera because there are too many buttons to press.
Our business partner and Lorena’s brother, Tío Lynn, had a birthday a few days back. We are very grateful to work with him. It is a little surreal for a gringo embedded in American high tech business culture to watch how things operate in Mexico. And it is not just Mexico, it is working class Mexico. Lynn has a law degree and is a practicing lawyer, but he grew up in a middle class neighborhood that bordered on a very much lower class neighborhood. He is burdened by an incredible work ethic and a soft heart coupled with intimate knowledge of how things operate in those rough neighborhoods. He has to deal with people not showing up, paying late, prevaricating, pilfering, and a plethora of other challenges both in his legal work and the construction work he does for our company. I honestly do not know how he does it, especially because in many, if not most, cases he is the last line of defense. He avoids one disaster after another, but with great joy and, I have to admit, style. I really miss being able to discuss the state of the world with him after work every night. It seems like I am operating in the dark a lot more when he is not around.
Lorena and I are grateful for our beautiful daughter every day, but on her birthday, we love to reflect on that spectacular spring morning drive to the hospital and the events that followed. She was born with a full head of dark hair and the bright blue eyes that have never changed. We like to think we did our best as parents, but really, Kelly’s optimistic and energetic disposition made it easy. We pray for daily and thank God that he gave us such a beautiful gift. We are so much more thankful that her love of God continues to grow along with her kindness and good will toward others. Kelly, we love you so much and are so proud of you, not so much for what you have accomplished, although that is pretty spectacular, but for who you are and that you continue to face your challenges with vigor and thoughtfulness.
The main reason Lorena and I traveled to Washington, D.C. this weekend was to attend a birthday party for Kelly thrown by her amazing friend group. It was an amazing assembly of highly credentialed and connected people of great good will. The amazing part was the goodness of the will rather than the highness of the credentials and connections although that was impressive, too. We left the party at an appropriate time in concert with my advanced age and Lorena’s predilection for smaller groups, but not before we got a chance to talk to many. We were grateful for her friend group before the party based on the little we knew about all but a few of the attendees. We were much more grateful after the party because we saw that Kelly is very much far from being alone and lonely. That has not always been true in her short life. We arrived home with a great sense of gratitude for that new knowledge.
We just returned from our first train trip from Richmond up Washington, D.C. to visit Kelly and back home. It went swimmingly. We are looking forward to doing it again soon. The next trip, though, is a plane flight up to New York City to visit Christian. So far this is all working out well.
Lorena and I got on the train in Ashland, VA just now and are headed to DC. We are both convinced it will probably be easier next time to start from Richmond. Really looking forward to spending the weekend with Kelly and her friends.
Christian took this picture from the front of the house on the hill in San Pedro, looking out through what we hope will be a two-car garage at Tío Lynn’s car parked on the street in front. It should be noted that that the car is just as beautiful on the inside as on the outside. We loved our time in Mexico with Lynn and love working with him on the houses. Here is wishing him a very happy birthday!!!
I love Lorena. She love’s me, too. It is really great to know both of those things. And it is fun to celebrate that on Valentine’s Day in our own quirky little ways. I kind of wonder whether every good, traditional marriage feels like they live their relationship in unique and quirky ways. If it is truly a good marriage, there is not much context for knowing whether that is true or not. At any rate, I am very thankful for my marriage and thankful that Lorena gives me a break on a lot of stuff. I cannot imagine any other woman would have been more suitable for me to marry. God has his hand in virtually everything and I am grateful for that.
This article was taken from the Eugene Register-Guard newspaper from Feb. 27, 1963. It is about Charlie Whetham, Kelly’s and Christian’s great-great-uncle and my Grandma Chapman’s brother. You might not have guessed I came from such a classy family, but wait until you read this article! He pleaded innocent and told the judge the doctor told him take whiskey baths for his rheumatism (he said “rumatiz”). We heard he was convicted, but I am not sure what was his punishment. The best part is that he was born and raised in Nebraska and did not go out to Oregon until much later. He fought in WWI. My great aunts always said that he got gassed during the war and was pretty loopy ever since, but Grandma C (Grandpa Milo’s mom), as we called her, said he was like that before he left for the war.
Even though Tío Lynn did not make it until we ate cake back at the apartment, Tío Lauro, Grandma Conchita, Lorena, and I all made it to Tacos Sinaloense for there normal incredible tacos. The weather cooperated magnificently with 75° weather on the most spectacular February 6 evening of my lifetime. Afterward, we made our way back to the apartment to have birthday mango cake and sing both Happy Birthday to You and Las Mañanitas.
Grandma Conchita turned 79 years old today and she is doing great. She came over to hang out with us today. A little later, Tíos Lauro and Lynn are coming over and we are heading out to Tacos Sinaloense for dinner!
Grandma Conchita came over last night and Tío Lynn grilled us up some steaks to celebrate the beginning of the purchase process for a new house in Virginia. The seller accepted our offer (we got the price down a little and they agreed to screen in the back porch) and we have paid the earnest money deposit and are in the process of getting the inspections done and getting the appraiser out to value the house. We found a house that is on the side of Richmond (not in Richmond, but outside) we want to live, but close to everything to which we want to be close.
We are very grateful that we were able to find the kind of house we wanted. It will be a perfect place for just the two of us to live on the bottom floor, but big enough that the kids can spread out and invite friends whenever they want. We are a short train ride up to where Kelly lives and a cheap flight to where Christian lives. The best part is that we will be close to the kids, but finding a house that works for us, does not have a ton of upkeep, and has lots of trees and potential garden space is worth gold. Hope there are no hiccups in the purchase. We do not anticipate any.
We have finalized our house search plans for Virginia. The best part is that Kelly is going to come down on the train from Washington DC to join us and look at houses. We have a rental car and a hotel and a plan to visit the top three or four on our list. Also on the plan is to just go have some good food and explore to the extent the weather allows.
We have been celebrating Lorena’s birthday for the last week or so and we only have about a week more to go! Here birthday was on a Tuesday and I had to work so all se really did on the actual day was to run down to Shake Shack to get a hamburger. We made up for it big time on Friday. Grandma Conchita and Tíos Lauro and Lynn came over and we went to our favorite taco place, Sonorense in the El Centrito neighborhood of San Pedro. Afterward, we all came back to the apartment to sing Las Mañanitas and eat mango cake from Pastelería Leti. I definitely did not adhere to my diet in any of this. Today, we ran down to the Chili’s at the mall where Lorena had chilaquiles and I had chicken fried chicken–a very nostalgic moment because that is one of the places we frequented when we were first married. Tomorrow, we are going to have our church meeting together, then probably have lunch with Lynn and Conchita. On Monday, we are going to watch the inauguration of President Trump and then head up to the hill to see the remodel progress on the house because, supposedly they will have hit a major milestone in the work on the first floor.
I am truly grateful to have spent more then thirty years with this beautiful woman. Each year just keeps getting better. We hope, God willing, that 2025 will be our final, big, cross-country move, close to the kids in a place that has easy access to a lot of infrastructure. We are looking forward to one more push to make that happen, but the good news is that we have done it so many times before that we do not get too stressed over all of the little things that go wrong because they WILL go wrong. Good thing we are just passing through in this life–it is great to have such a spectacular partner with him to take the journey.
This post is just a marker for the time Lorena and I decided not to build a house in Texas, but to move to Virginia so we can be closer to the kids and see them on weekends. More soon, God willing.
Our friend, Jill McDonald, sent us a couple of pictures that must have been taken around 1998 or 1999. Both of Jill and Lyle’s sons were very good with our kids, always paying attention to them when they were little. This is Mark, reading to both Kelly and Christian.
It really was kind of an amazing time because this was just about the time that Kelly learned how to really read on her own, but before she could read well enough to entertain Christian (which she did a ton, once she got the hang of it). We read and read and read a lot and they never got tired of it. It was nice to have these guys who were gentle and kind to the kids, talking to them seriously and answering endless questions (mostly from Christian) and showing them toys and just making it fun and interesting for them–something that did not always happen. We are grateful for those times.
Here is how I go shopping with Lorena. We go to HEB, she walks me to the coffee shop, buys me a coffee and a doughnut, sits me down, and then calls me when she gets through the cash register. Then when we get home she tells me what a great help I am and how much better it is if I go with her. I am glad to be so value added in this way. I wish I could say I did all the heavy-lifting, but that would be a lie.
We had one of the nicest Christmas/New Year holiday this year. It was quiet, but gave a chance for truly quality time with Kelly and Christian over Christmas in Washington, D.C. and with Grandma Conchita and Tío Lynn for the New Year in San Pedro. This picture is from pre-Christmas dinner at Pastis in D.C. We hope to be able to celebrate next year here in Mexico if the kids can come down. God willing, we hope to celebrate Thanksgiving in Texas next year.
Roast beef dinner and family time with Tío Lynn, Grandma Conchita, Lorena, and I.
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