L.A., EUGENE, PORTLAND, SEATTLE, SAN FRAN

Where have we been? Why have we not been posting weekly blogs? My goodness, we've been all up and down the west coast!

First off, we have been chosen by a very special person to adopt her baby boy, due to be born in August in Los Angeles. Daddio, Vanessa and I traveled to spend some time with her and her 4 y.o. daughter at the beach. We had a wonderful time. We feel fortunate to have been chosen by them. We are consumed with thoughts about this child every single day.

While we are in regular contact with the birthmom, we are also amassing ideas for boy names and keeping up our busy schedule.

This is the end of track and field season for Daddio. He has been so busy, you can't imagine. In addition to having six Conference Champions this season, he went to the Regional Championships in Oregon and then the NCAA National Championships in Arkansas. After the college competitions were over, he was off to coach his elite athletes, "Uncle" Chris and "Auntie" Shea-Shea at the USA National Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

I don't want to brag but... Daddio is the only coach in the U.S. (the world?) to have a male and female multi-event athlete with the world standard. You may recall there is a minimum standard to be a competitor at an international competition, called the "A" standard. It was hard for Auntie Shea-Shea to get that last year, but she was one of only 3 high jumpers in the nation to do it, so she made the team.

Well Uncle Chris made the "A" standard last year in the decathlon by scoring over 8000 points. Auntie Shea-Shea made the "A" standard this season in the high jump, and she just barely missed making it in the heptathlon this season. Her mark in Cuba would have gotten her to the Olympics in the heptathlon, but this year's World team is harder to make than the Olympic team.

To put that feat in perspective, she has only had one full season of training for the heptathlon - SEVEN events in one - and had only tried the heptathlon three times before she got her first international competition this month. She represented the U.S. in Cuba and won the event, scoring over 6000 points, which was the "A" standard for the Olympics. It got raised to 6100 points for this year's World Championships.

The winner of this weekend's USA heptathlon, Diana Pickler, has "only done 4 heptathlons this year," while Sharon has only completed in four heps her whole life. She came in second. She made the World team. Okay, that's pretty unbelievable.

Daddio got a lot of compliments on the development of Uncle Chris in the decathlon, and Auntie Shea-Shea got a lot of television time on NBC for making the team in two events. They broadcast her final heptathlon event - the 800 meter run - in its entirety, whereby you can see her winning with great authority. In order to score 6100 points - the World "A" standard - she had to run the 800 in 2:19, so she crushed that goal by running a personal best time of 2:13. The announcers let everyone know that's what she had to do - the Track Town USA crowd loved it. Nice job, Auntie Shea-Shea.

So it's a big old dealio that Auntie Shea-Shea made the World Team in two events, the high jump and the heptathlon.

Uncle Chris, who was unable to compete in Cuba due to an injury, came off the D.L. to place 4th in the U.S. this year - also shocking and wonderful. Daddio described the week of coaching in Eugene as being, "like hiking a mountain, with harrowing moments and great views: it was hard and emotional, but ultimately fun and exciting."

When we weren't at the track and field championship meet cheering on Van's babysitters, we were visiting with members of our Urban Family. Funny, after being friends for 20+ years, we all happened to have delayed having a family for one reason or another. The visits were very brief, but oh, so wonderful. Even if we only see each other for a few hours once per year, it makes us laugh and recharges our batteries. Here are some highlight photos:


Mary, Vanny, Michelle and Graeham.

One year old twins, Juliette and Amelia. Juliette is talking but not walking and Amelia is walking but not talking. What a duo!

Pete loves VanNannerkins. We only got to see him for an hour or so before bed.

VH1 and 5 year old Graeham played non-stop.

Nature girls celebrating Graeham's fifth birthday in their birthday suits.

Katja and Todd's baby Anja, age 1.

"Yes, you can pick one flower. Only one." What a little garden gnome.

Anja's parents. Everyone in this photo thinks they are the lucky one.

Vanessa had never seen a seven foot arch before. She made it all the way over.

Allan and Beckett on the zip line. Beckett is 20 months old and such a little lovie.

Duncan, age 5, led Vanny on a creek walking expedition through Ravenna Park.

In other news... it was Daddio's birthday while he was working, so Sharon and her parents took him to dinner. Vanessa and I, along with Grandma and Granny, pitched in to get Daddio a new surfboard of his choosing - since his longboard is over 40 years old (he found it abandoned on a beach 25 years ago) and surfing is the only recreational activity he does lately.

Other VIP Vanessa fans we saw but didn't get photos of: Granny, Chelsea, Bjorn, Doris, Shawna, Thilo, Kian, Eugene and Yolanda, Hayden, and Auntie Maribeth and Auntie Sarah.

"Auntie" Nell is on the cover of the July Runnersworld. You know, that little publication with a circulation of 650,000.

This weekend we are headed back to Granny's to pick up our next house guest, Fleur, from France. She is 6 years old and flying across the world, alone, to stay with us for a month to learn English. Quite the girl, no?

So, in closing, we are collecting names for our baby son. Please: give us your suggestions.