January 9, 2010 at 12:16 pm
Very early in our marriage, I used to tell Cari that someday I wanted to live in (or build) a development where everything that mattered to me was, like, really, really close to our house. I wanted all of my best friends to live on the same street so we could hang out without having to travel far. I wanted all of the important public services close by — stores, gas stations, our church, schools, etc. I basically wanted my own little, 3-square-mile version of utopia where nothing important was more than a five-minute drive away. How cool would that be, right?
Here we are, married 18+ years and slowly it’s starting to happen here in West Richland! Have a look at the map:
Our house is inside that big circle. When we moved here in late 1998, the area was pretty dead. But as you can see, we’re slowly getting most everything we need right around us.
Elementary School: A little south of us is the elementary school where both kids have attended. This opened the first year we lived in West Richland. It’s less than a mile away.
Middle School: This is where Sean goes now, also less than a mile away. It opened … 3-4 years ago, maybe?
Fitness club: This will open on Monday. I just signed up yesterday, because about a week ago I stepped on the scale and weighed more than I ever have. Yikes! That bicycle purchase I made a year ago didn’t work out as far as helping me lose weight and get in shape; just never rode it often enough.
Grocery store: A Yoke’s grocery store opened up about 4-5 years ago, I think. It’s also less than a mile away. We don’t do all our shopping there because, frankly, the prices are pretty high. But it’s super-convenient for quick shopping trips.
Gas station: Once Yoke’s opened, all kinds of new businesses opened up around it, including a gas station that also has a Quiznos inside. Nice.
Fire station: This was already here when we moved in, but it’s comforting to know that fire trucks are a mile away, God forbid anything happen.
Sports fields: Also already here when we moved — it’s a nice little sports complex with four baseball fields, a soccer/football field, and a concession building. Very convenient when Sean spent a couple years playing Little League. And it also has a nice park with playground equipment that our daughter always loved. Back before I started working from home, the daycare that we sent both kids to was right across the street from the sports complex — again, super convenient to have that so close.
Post office/Public library: These were also already here when we moved, but again – nice to have them so close. There’s also a nice restaurant right across the street from the post office, and a good pizza place right near the library (that many say is the best in the Tri-Cities).
Still Missing
First and foremost, all our friends. I haven’t been able to convince anyone to relocate here. Yet.
Our church could be a bit closer. It’s about … maybe five miles away and not on the map.
The nearest branch of our bank is way too far away. It’s a 15-minute drive to the mall for that.
We also need an urgent care-type medical facility. A new medical office opened last year about two miles away, but we need a walk-in facility, too.
A dog park for Sparky would be cool. There’s one in Richland, about 6-7 miles away, I think. Wish that was closer.
Guess that’s about it. No place is perfect, but this place keeps getting closer with all the new stuff being built.
May 20, 2009 at 7:43 pm
Last month, I suggested that April is the best time to visit the McGees. May is awfully nice, too. And our cherry trees bloom in June, so that’s also good.
Well, if you’re thinking about visiting, you’ll need to know how to get here. For that, we turn to Tara.
She was on the phone with a friend several days ago, trying to make plans for the friend to come visit and play for a few hours. Now, Tara is not very experienced on the phone just yet so it was funny to listen to her side of the conversation and try to imagine what her friend was saying.
After all the plans were settled, the friend needed to know how to get to our house. The friend lives right near school, about a half-mile from here. She must’ve asked for directions, and that’s when Tara furrowed her brows and thought for a few seconds. And then she offered these helpful instructions:
“You carefully curve a little. Then you go forward.”
So, there ya have it. Come visit us soon, won’t you? The directions are simple. 
September 12, 2008 at 11:17 pm
My mom and dad were married 55 years ago today — September 12, 1953.
55 FREAKIN’ YEARS!!!!!
I’m sure someday Cari and I will celebrate our 55th wedding anniversary but, at the moment, 55 years of being married borders on being unbelievable. It’s unheard of. Many marriages are lucky to last five years, much less 55.
When I was visiting them earlier this year, we talked about this accomplishment. As children are wont to do, I wanted to find out how they made it happen. How do you survive 55 years of being married to one person? I asked my mom for some insight, something I could use to help make sure Cari and I survive that long. I asked her … What’s the secret to a long marriage?
Her answer:
We never both wanted to get divorced at the same time!
Ha! Amen to that. And now you know their secret, too. It’s good advice, especially for those of you who recently married.
Happy 55th to my mom and dad! Here’s to many more…
July 5, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Meet Sparky.
Sparky might have a new name soon, because some family members apparently aren’t sold on that moniker. We chose it because we brought Sparky home on the 4th of July, and things like “firework” and “M-80″ don’t sound right, and “firecracker” takes too long to say. I like the name Sparky. Seems to fit him. And U2 fans might even know the subtle U2 reference in the name, too. (Shhhhhh.)
Anyway, Sparky is the greatest dog in the world.
Sparky waited the entire drive home (about 15 minutes) before jumping out of the car, going into the backyard, and taking care of business. Way to hold it, Spark!
Sparky loves his (fairly) big backyard and doesn’t seem at all like the type of dog to try digging a hole under the fence.
Sparky obeys lots of commands. He stops whatever he’s doing when you say “no.” “Sit” and “lie down” mean the same thing — namely, get down and roll over and show my belly so they’ll scratch me and I’ll like it. Sparky still needs some work on “come here” and “go get it/fetch.” I’m not sure he realizes that he’s a retriever.
Sparky survived his first night sleeping in a new crate/house at a strange house, with strange people, with fireworks and firecrackers going off all night long, and didn’t have any problems at all. No barking, no crying, no trouble sleeping. (Sparky is a first-class sleeper.)
Sparky came bounding across the yard first thing this morning when I went outside to see him.
Sparky likes to chase ants and flies, and eats those roly-poly bugs whenever he finds one.
Sparky is going to be an outdoor dog because Mrs. McGee gets eaten alive by fleas, and already got two bites yesterday while playing with Sparky. We’ll bring Sparky in to sleep when it gets really cold in the winter. (When flea season is long since finished.)
Mom and Dad love Sparky to death. Son does, too, but is a bit hesitant with him. Daughter is glad we have Sparky, but won’t get anywhere near him.
July 3, 2008 at 11:04 am
Strange how things sometimes work out.
For months, I’ve been pushing and pushing to get a dog. But Cari (my wife) wasn’t on the same page — she certainly didn’t want a dog, and didn’t want any pet, for that matter. Plus, I couldn’t get my son to agree to be in charge of cleaning up the dog’s messes. And my daughter … well, she was opposed because dogs like to lick, and she doesn’t like that.
A couple days ago, Cari comes home and tells me that one of her fellow real estate agents found a stray puppy that needs a home, and how they’ve put up “Dog Found” signs all over the neighborhood but no one has claimed the puppy. My son wants the dog right away, and even agrees to be in charge of cleaning up after it. His enthusiasm somehow changes Cari’s mind and she’s suddenly interested in the dog. Our daughter … not quite there yet.
So we get some photos this morning from the other real estate agent (who’s housing the dog until they find a permanent home). My wife says she’s in love with the dog. My son only wants him even more. And even my daughter admits, “He’s really cute!” Here’s one of the pix:
He is adorable, but now I’m the one who’s not sure. What if he’s not healthy? What if he destroys the sofa? What if he ruins the carpet? What if he bites one of us? What if he doesn’t like it here? Plus, taking care of a dog can get expensive.
I don’t know. We’ll be visiting the dog tomorrow morning to see it in person. I have a feeling we’ll be bringing him home. Oddly enough, I’m way outnumbered at this point. Better start thinking of a name……
May 26, 2008 at 7:43 am
One of the great things about Web 2.0 is that it’s now kinda cool to sit down and share vacation photos with friends — not like back in the old days when you’d sit in the living room and go through slide-by-slide while Grandma or somebody tries to explain every little detail in the photo. Save me from that torture!
Now, you can cruise through pix and see what you want, leave comments on the photos you want to, mark some as favorites, etc. Or you could ignore them altogether and make me sad. 
I think this might be my favorite shot from the Philly/NYC trip earlier this month:
That’s a somewhat artsy-fartsy shot of Independence Hall. Turned out well, and a little messing with the exposure makes it more interesting (to me). If you’re curious to see more, the full set of 39 photos is on Flickr now.
You can see my son at Yankee Stadium, and some good action shots from the game we saw. Or maybe the room where the Declaration of Independence was debated in Philly, plus the very moving Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier with its eternal flame. We also took the kids to see my grade school and the all-boys high school I attended — kinda like the school in Dead Poet’s Society, but ours wasn’t a boarding school.
March 14, 2008 at 12:16 pm
My father-in-law died in the wee hours this morning. He was 71. I didn’t really get a chance to say goodbye to him….
Dear Grandpa Ned,
I trust there’s a good Internet connection in Heaven, and that you now have automatic RSS feeds from all your family and friends. So here are a few things I need to tell you.
You were a great father-in-law. I feel so bad for people that hate their in-laws. I’ve been blessed with wonderful in-laws that have become family to me over 16+ years of marriage.
You were a great Dad. You raised a wonderful girl, and two sons with big hearts. Good people all around. You grilled me when I called for permission to marry your daughter, not because you doubted me, but because you love her so much. I hope you think you made the right choice when you said “yes.”
You had a great sense of humor, but came up with the worst puns and one-liners ever. I’ll never hear another terrible pun without thinking of you. 
In fact, bad jokes are usually referred to as “Ned jokes” in our house. Worst of all, I’ve started picking up your sense of humor. My poor kids…..
You were an amazing grandfather. Not because you gave our kids nice gifts, but because you gave them your time. I don’t know of any other granddad that would call, not to talk to his daughter, but so he could talk to his grandson — sometimes for 20 and 30 minutes — about life, school, sports, you name it. I’ll try to do the same when I have grandkids. You were one of Sean’s best friends. Thank you for that. He took a photo of you into school today for the weekly sharing time they do. He’ll miss you as much as anyone does.
You were a good man. I miss you already.
Your son-in-law,
Matt
March 9, 2008 at 5:58 pm
I’ve told Tara that she’s not allowed to date until she’s 25 years old, but that hasn’t stopped her from starting a collection of boyfriends at the ripe age of six. Every time I turn around, it seems she’s declaring how cute someone is, and how she’s in love with so-and-so.
So, a couple nights ago, when we had about 15 minutes to kill before dinner, I suggested she make a list of all her boyfriends. It took her two sides of a sheet of paper.
Side One
Here’s what it says, in case you couldn’t tell:
1. Jason Dolly, Actor (correct spelling: Jason Dolley)
2. Jake T. Austin | Actor (yes, she used a vertical pipe as a separator)
3. Harry Potter | character
4. Shia Labeouf, actor
And then she flipped the page over, skipped #5, and listed a few more.
Side Two
6. Simon Cowell, Judge
7. Joe, Kevin, Nick Jonas Brothers
Methinks I’m going to have my hands full in about 8-10 years.
March 23, 2005 at 8:38 pm
Tara is at the age where role-playing is about as fun as it gets. Over the weekend, she was role-playing with Sean and Mom where Tara was the mommy and they were both her babies. They played it up to the hilt — lots of crying, demanding things, etc. I finally suggested to Tara that she tell her kids it was time for a nap. So she did:
“C’mon baby, it’s time for a nap. Come lay down.”
“C’mon other baby, it’s time for a nap….”
Baby. And Other Baby. Maybe you had to be there, but it was one of the funniest things I’ve heard…..
June 2, 2004 at 11:46 pm
Memorial Day 2004 is (finally) over. Our final visiting guest, my wonderful Mom-in-law, left today. It’s been a great week with lots of company visiting. The kids had a good time, the adults had a good time, the food was great, the weather fantastic … just a great holiday overall.
But it was also possibly the last holiday we’ll ever have like this.
The biggest news of the weekend is that my brother-in-law and his family are moving back east soon. When that happens, our nearest relatives will be my other brother-in-law, whose family lives 4-5 hours away in Boise. And when that happens, it’ll be the first time since 1994 that we’ve lived without family in the same town or relatively close — close enough to get together on holidays.
It’s an odd feeling, being all alone. I feel like we have no anchors holding us here anymore. Sure, we both have jobs. But for the first time in a long time, maybe ever, we’re both doing “portable” work — work that can be done anywhere, in any city in any state. When I was in TV, I was tied down. There were so few job openings that you didn’t dare consider moving somewhere because you wanted to. You only moved if you had a new job lined up. Likewise when Cari was in retail — she was tied to moving to cities within the company where openings existed. If we had wanted to move to, say, Seattle, we couldn’t until Cari could get a similar job in her company. No freedom in that.
But I can do web development and SEO for anyone, anywhere. And Cari can get her real estate license in any state. And the kids aren’t tied into a school system just yet. In the little quiet time I had over the holiday, I actually gave serious thought to the idea of moving. Maybe to Pennsylvania to be near my family. Or California to be near Cari’s mom and dad. (Then I shuddered at the memory of the cost of living in California….) Or somewhere else……
