A White Christmas

This year really felt like Morgan's first Christmas for me, and it turned out to be a white one! We were lucky that we were even able to get together with our families at all, considering Portland had one of the worst snowstorms in decades. I still can't believe 8-12 inches fell in the Portland area, forcing people to be stuck at home. But thanks to my sister's 4-wheel drive vehicle and Sam's steady driving, we were all together for our traditional celebrations.
Here is Sam driving on packed snow and ice on I-5 on December 23rd.
A very snowy downtown Portland with the Freemont Bridge.

We spent Christmas Eve with Sam's family, enjoying cocktails and yummy food all night. Morgan had fun playing with Aunt Kim and Grandpa and Grandpa, oblivious to the reason she was getting nice gifts. She was our cute little elf, running around in her striped p.j.'s. On Christmas Day, we headed out through the snow to my parents' house for our traditional German dinner. Morgan got her first taste of saurbraten, red cabbage, and potato pancakes. She seemed to like it, and I always look forward to this meal and good times with my extended family. Morgan seemed to get the hang of opening gifts and had fun tearing through the paper. As you can see, she was pretty excited about those presents! One gift she got was a wooden scooter. It is actually a hand-me-down from her older cousins, (Marissa and Brenna, I think!) and she is really loving it. She doesn't quite know how to scoot around on it, but prefers to do some stunt riding. She likes to stand on the seat and giggle, making sure that I see exactly what she is doing. This morning I walked into the living room to see her trying to climb up the TV by standing on her scooter! She has already taken a few tumbles, but I don't think that will deter her much in her quest to live dangerously! Perhaps we should have also gotten her a helmet for Christmas!(I wanted to post a few videos of Christmas and Morgan's scooter climbing, but blogspot.com seems to be having technical difficulties. Grrr! Hopefully I can get them posted in a few days. Happy New Year!)

Snow Days!

Last winter when we had snow, Morgan was only a few months old and barely knew who I was, let alone what snow was. But over the weekend we were in Portland for Sunday's snowstorm, so Morgan got to really experience snow for the first time. Despite the chilly weather, we ventured out to walk around the Pearl District with Aunt Kim, Grandpa Ron, and Grandma Dinda. Morgan didn't seem too impressed with all the white stuff and was definitely not interested in touching it. But she was a good sport for her enthusiastic family.We made it home from Portland safely on Sunday to see no snow here in the valley. But Monday morning we woke up to a couple of inches and school was canceled! Yes, it messes up all my teaching plans, but I have to say that I get almost as excited as my students about a snow day. There is something very special about being in a warm, cozy house cuddling with my daughter, as snow falls outside. But I did bundle up Morgan again so we could wander around our street in the snow. (Thank you to Kim, Erica, and Dinda for supplying Morgan with her warm winter clothes!) Despite being puffed up like the little kid in "A Christmas Story," Morgan was able to waddle around in the snow pretty well. While she doesn't really see snow as something to play with, she definitely loved watching the excited neighbor kids and dogs run around and play. She did fall once with a face plant in the snow, but I don't blame her for crying about that.Here is some video of Morgan walking around in front of our house.

Today I am home for our second snow day, and I'm beginning to wonder if I will leave the house this week. It's about 13 degrees and sunny here right now, and all that snow has turned into ice. I'm not sure if it's a good idea to take Morgan outside for some fresh air with it being so cold and slippery. And with more snow or freezing rain coming tomorrow, I'm thinking my Christmas vacation got started early this year. Oh well.... I can think of nothing better than having a day in p.j.s with my favorite little girl.

We Are So Blessed

As a child growing up in the United States, I never really thought much about how lucky I was. I had friends who were "rich" and others who definitely weren't, and I was somewhere in the middle. But we all had in common families and communities that could provide us with everything we needed. Then, when I started traveling abroad (beginning in La Paz, Mexico at age 10), I started to realize that what I had was pretty good. From Mexico to Ecuador to Eastern Europe to Africa, I saw the vast differences between life in the US and life in developing countries. As a traveler, I learned to harden myself a bit in order to navigate different cultures and languages. I also sometimes distanced myself from locals to make myself feel less guilty about growing up in such a privileged country. It wasn't my fault that I happened to be born in the US, but was is my responsibility to turn that guilt into something positive. After all, we have SO MUCH more than we ever could possibly need to live happily, and it makes me sad when people in our country (myself included) have the luxury to worry about things like the latest fashion trends or how to keep from gaining weight over the holidays. How lucky we are that we have these kinds of problems to deal with.

A few years ago I heard about a Portland-based international relief organization called Mercy Corp, after one of my good college friends started working there (click on the name to see their website). I was impressed with the organization and the types of aid they were offering globally: helping African women build and sell cook stoves so they don't have to go in search of firewood (risking their lives in the process), helping Central American families become self-sufficient by providing them with a pig, or supporting the health of women and children around the world. Even though money is scarce with a husband in grad school, I still feel compelled to give because I know it is the right thing to do. When I think about how tight money is this year for all of us, it seems easier to pinch pennies then let them go. But when I think about how extremely blessed we all are to have the health, education, freedom, and happiness (especially as women) that we do, it seems so easy to give. And by giving someone a Mercy Kit as a Christmas gift, everyone gets something precious. I truly believe it is important for each of us to find the charity or person or cause that is meaningful to them and to continue to give back.

Top photo: Muslim women in Zanzibar wait for their fisherman to return with the day's catch. Bottom: A beautiful Maasai girl, taken in the Tanzanian village of a man with 9 wives.

Christmas is actually fun!

According to Sam, I am a little dorky when it comes to Christmas traditions. Since we have been together, I always insisted on going out to a tree farm to (have him) cut down our Christmas tree. It had to be a noble fir and be just the right size and shape. One year (or maybe a couple years) was very rainy, I took forever picking out the right tree, and after sawing it down we had to haul it uphill through the mud. He won't seem to let me live down my past years of obsessively picking out a tree. But he is a good sport. Somehow, I have become the Clark Griswold of the family, not him. But that is because I grew up with these traditions (including repeated viewings of "Christmas Vacation") and enjoy carrying them on. (It's not like I make him string popcorn and cranberries or anything!)
This year, I have really been looking forward to celebrating a Christmas at home with Morgan. Last year we went to Mexico and I was just trying to keep up with my new role of motherhood. This year Morgan is much more aware of everything, it is also our last year in this house, and I want it to be a special one. So, yesterday we went to a tree farm in nearby Pleasant Hill that I found online. It seems like in recent years, tree farms are a lot cooler than they used to be, and this one was no exception. They had cute, rustic buildings covered in greenery and lights. We took a tractor ride out to the fields of whichever variety of tree you were looking for. There were farm animals to look at and hot coffee for sale. It was quite a booming business and way more fun than the tree farms of my youth. But that is probably because it was SUNNY! That seemed to make all the difference in the world. It was a gorgeous day to be outside and it made us totally forget all the mud and drama of past Christmas tree outings.Morgan had a great time too. She loved the tractors and was quite focused on the ride, taking everything in. She kept saying "vroom vroom" when she would see a tractor. There were lots of families with little kids to watch as well. Best of all, she loved exploring amongst the Christmas trees. The ground was a little muddy and very uneven, but Morgan insisted on walking by herself with some serious wobbling, then landing with a splat in the mud. I think she enjoyed getting her hands dirty, although she did lick her hand just like she did with the sand at the beach. Yuck!We all had a great time as a family, and that is really what Christmas is all about. Now we get to pass on all our dorky traditions to Morgan, and hopefully not too much of the drama. On our way home from the tree farm yesterday, Sam said, "I actually had fun this year!" All I could do was smile.

Beach Fun

We just got back from a relaxing weekend in Oceanside and are headed to Portland tomorrow for Thanksgiving. I don't have much time, but I wanted to add some pictures from the beach. It was so nice to get away and the weather was surprisingly nice for November. Morgan is quite a walker these days and loved roaming around the beach house. She also got to take her first steps on the beach and I of course took a million photos. Here are some good ones and a little (unedited) video.

Ready, Steady, Go!

Here is Morgan playing the maracas on Halloween. She also had fun collecting rocks (to put in her mouth) out in front of our house.
After weeks of anticipation (and wondering if it were possible), Morgan has started walking!!! Just last Sunday we noticed her standing on her own while playing, apparently oblivious to the fact that she wasn't holding on to anything or anyone. On Monday, Sam and I had her take a couple of steps between us, and by the next day, she took four steps to her nanny. Of course she is still in the wobbly stages of only a few steps at a time, but we are excited. And so is she! She gets this big grin on her face and loves to waddle toward us and fall into our awaiting arms. She has realized she gets lots of loves and praise for this new skill! Each day she gets better at catching herself before she falls and is becoming more steady on her feet. She is venturing out to walk between her toys, and she even walked all the way across the living on her own. It is magical to see the joy in her face as she attempts this new skill. I cannot imagine what it must feel like to try something so new, challenging, and liberating. And it literally has just happened in one week's time. Now, Sam and I just have to figure out how to witness this magical thing without gasping ("Oh no!") or lunging (to catch her) when she falls. That is a lot harder than we thought. This weekend, we spent some (okay, a lot) of time trying to get Morgan to walk for the video camera. And we got a couple of good clips. Enjoy!

Do you believe in miracles?

Hello family and friends (it's Sam) - the is my first official post to The Holloway Happenings. For those of you familiar with Al Michaels' quote following the improbable win for USA Hockey in the 1980 Olympics - I truly believe my getting the chance to start my career at the University of Portland is a miracle. As little as six months ago, I was told they would not be hiring in my area - business strategy and entrepreneurship. Lucky for me, they did have an opening and after a three-month saga including multiple rounds of interviews and campus visits, they picked me to be their next Assistant Professor of Business Policy and Strategy.


The University of Portland (UP) is such a great fit for me on so many levels. First and foremost, they place a premium on teaching. In addition, they support research across many disciplines and they have a talented group of scholars in my area; from whom I can learn and improve as a researcher. Last, I get to do all of this within a few miles of both sets of grandparents and nearly all of Morgan's aunts, uncles, and cousins. I couldn't imagine a better place for us.


Here are some photos of campus including the newly constructed Franz Hall (above), home of the Pamplin School of Business. To the right is an aerial shot of campus, looking south along the Willamette river toward downtown Portland. Thanks again to everyone who has supported me over the past three years to reach this point. Robin has been amazing throughout, and I owe her so much for being my rock during graduate school and through our amazing 12 (twelve!) years together.

Old McMorgan Had a Farm

One thing about being a parent that has surprised me is the amount of singing I do. I have never considered myself a singer, let alone a good one, so I always reserved that for when I was alone in the car with the radio blaring (and for occasionally torturing my husband). Somehow, though, Morgan has brought out the inner vocalist in me and I seem to sing all the time when I'm around her. Since she was a tiny baby, I started singing lullabies, nursery rhymes, Christmas carols, show tunes, and random ones I would make up on the spot. She seems to like it, and it usually is a good way to distract her when she is fussy. And the fact that Morgan really has no clue what good singing is, makes it all the more fun for me.One song that Sam and I have used on many a road trip to keep Morgan from screaming from the back seat is "Old McMorgan." (Picture Clark and Ellen Griswold from the movie "Vacation" and you get the idea.) Morgan really likes to hear her name in songs, so this one works well, especially with all the animal sounds. So the other day, I thought it was only fitting to take Morgan to a real farm. Lone Pine Farm is at the north end of Eugene, where the suburbs end and farmland begins. They grow lots of fresh produce throughout the summer, have a pumpkin patch with tractor rides, picnic areas, a corn maze, and goats you can feed and pet. The weather lately has been spectacular, so Morgan and I drove out there in search of the great pumpkin and to have her first encounter with stinky farm animals. She loved it! The pumpkins were practically as big as she was, and the goats made her giggle. She could touch their noses and pull their hair and they didn't mind a bit. Morgan especially liked watching the tractors which were giving hay rides out to the pumpkin patch. (She has a thing for engines lately, and especially loves watching garbage trucks.) It was a fun day for us and a perfect way to enjoy this special time of year.Sam has been traveling a lot for interviews, but we had some nice family time at home last weekend. We are so lucky in Eugene to have all the river paths and parks nearby. We took Morgan to the River Play park along the Willamette River and the leaves were gorgeous. Morgan is quite a climber now and can climb up six large steps to the top of the play structure, and then we slide down together. She loves watching all the bigger kids run around and is very friendly. She goes up and says "hi!" and stares at them until they respond. Over the weekend, our friends Cameron and Kristen brought their dog over to our house. McKenzie was giving Morgan lots of licks and kisses, which made her giggle and scrunch up her face. So cute! Morgan also took her new car out for a spin in the driveway, and she discovered she can push it quite fast! Good times for the Holloways!

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Last weekend we helped Sam's grandma celebrate her 88th birthday up in Portland. She is an amazing woman, and it means so much to have her as my grandma and Morgan's great-grandma (especially since all of my grandparents are no longer with us). There is nothing quite like a grandmother's love. Here are some photos of the celebration, including some with Morgan's (second?) cousin, Indira, Dorinda's other great-granddaughter. I hope when I am 88 years old, I have her positive attitude, great sense of humor, and loving family around me!

Red, White, and Clueless

As a teacher, I have the privilege of experiencing life through kids' eyes (and ears, mouths, and noses...). Teaching elementary school is often humorous, but after being around kids for so long, I get used to all their little quirks and oddities that most people from the real world would find funny. I just see it as work. But last week I started a little unit on the Presidential Election, and I couldn't resist sharing some kid insight. My goal with these lessons was to get kids involved and aware of what was happening in their country, teach them the importance of democracy and voting, and let them participate in a mock election. These are 9, 10, and 11 year old kids, mind you. We're not talking rocket science, and if it weren't for the cool website I found that explains things with cartoons (www.brainpop.com), this would be really hard to teach. To start, I gave the class a pre-test to see what they really knew. I was hoping they didn't know it all so I would actually have something to teach them. I was pleasantly surprised that most kids had a general idea about things, but there were some laugh-out loud answers, as well as some very sweet ones, that I just had to share. Here were their responses to some of the questions (spelling not corrected):

1. Who is the current U.S. President?
-Jordy Bush
-George Bush Jr.
-J.W. Bush
-we do not have one, we are going to do the election in November

2. What are the names of the 2 major political parties?
-the White House
-the U.S. Treasury
-Jef Merkly
-Gordon Simth
-George Bush
-Abe Lincoln

3. Who are the two people trying to become president?
-Brok Aboma
-John Macnan
-Rock Oboma
-Clittan
-Obrackoba
-Michane
-Arokao Boma

4. What are the requirements to be president?
-be brave
-be strong
-to now about your state
-smart
-went to college
-be trained to be president
-to be able to move into the white house
-don't be rude
-have good ideas
-don't be arrested
-leadership
-someone responsible
-live in the U.S. for 8 years
-you have to make good choices
-someone who would stand up for our country
-do things that are best for people

I promise that by the time the election rolls around, these kids will know a lot more. In fact, they may know more than you!

NOTE: I am not too involved in politics normally (although this election is certainly got me interested), but I would like to use this post to encourage Oregonians not only to VOTE!, but to please vote NO on Measure 58. A couple of friends have asked me what I thought of this measure as a teacher, and it really frustrates me. Having worked with English language learners for many years, and worked in a two-way immersion school for three of those, I understand the complexities and challenges of getting kids to be proficient in English. It can take anywhere from 1-2 years or 6-7, as each child comes from a unique background with their own set of circumstances, let alone unique learning style and age. Every student is an individual, and this measure treats students like they are learn the same. This measure simply limits schools from offering valuable bilingual programs and limits teachers in how they can best meet their students' needs. It appears that the main motivation behind this measure is to cut off the per-pupil money that schools get for each English language learner. And the fact that it was written by Bill Sizemore should also raise a red flag to voters. I could probably write blog after blog about this issue, but I just wanted to encourage people, particularly those not familiar with this topic, to vote no on Measure 58. We don't need to copy what California and Arizona have done. Thanks for listening to my opinion! Now GO VOTE!

Fall in Denial

There must be something about this time of year that makes me check out mentally. Maybe because the summer is over and things slow down. Maybe I am mentally preparing myself for a long, drizzly winter. Regardless, I think I am in denial. Last year at this time I had tiny Morgan as a good excuse to be in my own world. I hardly remember life outside my house. Now this year, Sam is about to interview for jobs that will certainly affect the rest of our lives, and I am in complete denial. There was the initial excitement (and panic) about this over the summer when jobs started posting. Then there were the preliminary interviews at the annual management conference, but then we just had to wait for site visit invitations. Well, they are happening! On Monday, Sam interviews with University of Portland. On Wednesday he flies to Santa Clara University. The following Tuesday, he flies up to the University of Victoria. And he just found out today that Chapman University wants him to interview there as well! It is a big deal to get a site visit - it means Sam is one of 3-4 candidates they are bringing in to interview. Each visit is about two days long and includes interviews with the dean, all business faculty members, and teaching a class. With four site visits planned, he has a good shot at getting an offer from somewhere. Another reason why this is a big deal, is that once he visits a school, they may send him an offer right away, even while he is still interviewing somewhere else. It could take longer than that, but the next few weeks of our lives are likely to be very interesting. And yet, I am still in denial that this is all happening. Perhaps because it really is out of my control, I am trying not to get too invested or anxious yet. I have always been pretty good at procrastinating, so I think those skills are coming in handy right now.Oblivious to this whole process is Morgan. Little does she know that by the time she celebrates her second birthday, she will be living somewhere else - possibly another state or even another country. But the good thing is that Morgan keeps me focused on enjoying the present moment, and I don't have a lot of time to stew and plan (and overplan), which I have been known to do. I also try to savor each day here in Eugene, because it will unfortunately have to come to an end. Morgan is amazing us daily with all the new litle things she notices and learns. Last weekend I was so excited when she started using some sign language we had been teaching her. We knew she understood the signs for eat, milk, water, all done, but she finally started using them! When she tried to shove her little fist in her mouth (her way of signing "eat"), I said "Eat?" and she smiled and let out the cutest giggle. So everytime she signs and we understand what she wants, she giggles. Finally we are communicating! Now many parents may not want their kids making demands at such a young age, but it's better than the annoying grunty cry/screech she was letting out lately. That was getting on my nerves - and I couldn't very well sign "shut up!" could I?Lately, Morgan has loved exploring the outdoors. Our new nanny, Justine, is awesome and loves taking Morgan outside and showing her new things. And now that Morgan notices so much more, she loves to watch squirrels and birds in the trees, touch the leaves, and watch kids play. At first she was a bit tentative about getting dirty and touching things like sand or water, but now she seems to really like it and demands we walk right on over. She still isn't walking on her own, but can motor around pretty well holding our hands. We have taken some nice walks in the fall sunshine lately. And last weekend we visited Portland, staying with Sam's parents in the Pearl District. Morgan got to swing in the city and had the best diaper changing spot in town!

Happy Birthday, Morgan!

It's official: Morgan is now one year old and going full steam ahead into the toddler years. Today I took her to her one-year check up where she flirted with the nurse and doctor, loving all the attention they were giving her....until the shots. That part wasn't so fun, for Morgan or me. Another not fun part was having a doctor ask, "Are you familiar with pinworms?" This is not something that you want to hear in relation to your child. Apparently, pinworms can be associated with teeth grinding, which Morgan was doing regularly a few weeks ago. I won't go into detail about diagnosing pinworms (and I really hope I never have to do such a thing), but it made me realize all the yucky stuff Morgan can get herself into now that she is roaming the earth. Toddlers, from what I can tell, are a bit like having an animal in the house - cute, active, unpredictable, and a little dirty. I'm sure it will be a humbling experience all around. The good news, though, is that Morgan's teeth grinding is probably just due to teething. Whew!The past week has been full of firsts: the first birthday, eating straight sugar for the first time, having a party. But I find myself beginning most sentences to Sam, "Oh, it was one year ago today that ______" (fill in with: we went to the hospital, or Morgan came into the world, or we brought her home from the hospital, or you were watching the Duck's game while I was in labor, or I was finally conscious enough to notice my daughter!). Her birth was a very magical time, and it was incredible to experience so much instantaneous love for someone. But I don't really care to think any more about all that I had to go through to get her!Anyway, we had a great time celebrating Morgan's first birthday last weekend at my parents. Our families helped us out a lot, and it was a great reason to get everyone together. And Morgan's cousins loved it too - they got to open all her gifts and eat cake! It was also a special day because Morgan got her first car - a Ford High Boy pedal car with flames on the side! She will be the envy of all the kids on our street. I have posted an album on Shutterfly if you want to check out more photos (password: theholloways). Below is a highlight reel of her party!