Vogtian Chronicles 2010

Vogtian Chronicles 2010

Hi. I’m Iris Qia and I just turned 10 months old.

When I was born, on February 13th in Tucson, my whole family was there. My Dad’s parents David and Terry Rattray, my Mom’s parents Jim and Suzi Vogt, my Dad Nick, and, of course, my Mom, Wendy.

I think everyone thought I was a football because they kept passing me around. Here is a typical picture. I’m the one being held by my Mom.



So, why “Iris Qia”? First, my Mom and Dad are big Laker fans and the team colors are purple and gold. So I was named “Iris” after a bunch of bald, sweaty seven footers.

And since my Mom is half Chinese, they opted for “Qia”, which means “everything in its proper time”. Also, since my Mom and Dad will soon be getting their Ph.D.s and value smarts, and because they like to shop for bargains, I can be called “I.Q.”, like I’m smart, too, or “I-QIA”, just like the Swedish warehouse store.

I’ve grown up a lot since I was born. Here is what I look like now.

Everyone says I’m cute. Ever seen a baby that wasn’t cute? Didn’t think so!

Jim and Suzi spent a whole month in Tucson when I was born. Suzi cooked and helped my Mom adjust to her new lifestyle while Jim lost a whole lot of golf balls trying to play that silly game. Everyone else came to see me also - Kelly, Aaron, cousin Everett, Kristina, and my Dad’s brother, Uncle Josh and his wife, Caitlin, and aunt, Julie (my Dad’s sister), visited and David and Terry came back a second time. Who can blame them - I’m so darn adorable!

Well, enough about me, as I suspect my parents are sending out their own Christmas cards. And since Grandpa David and Grandma Terry are sending out their cards also, it is up to me to tell everyone about my Grandma Suzi, Grandpa Jim and my aunts Kelly and Kristina.

First, Aunt Kelly and her husband, Aaron, and Everett are great dancers. If you click on the icon below, you can see them. Try it!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

I don’t know how they find the time to dance like that, with Kelly teaching yoga at UCLA and managing a free-lance public relations business, Aaron being the Chief Development Officer at Tierra del Sol and Everett studying so hard as a Kindergartner as well as playing AYSO soccer and being a Ninja Jedi warrior.

Of course, I think Everett is kinda cute, don't you?




My Aunt Kristina got her Master of Arts in Art Therapy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in May and she is now working for a therapeutic agency on the South Side of Chicago and living with her boyfriend, whose name is Chris, but to me their names sound alike. Here they are at the ceremony:



Kris and Chris are coming to California on Wednesday and so am I! Everyone, including Danielle Alkov will decorate the Christmas tree and get ready for the Big Day! We should all have a terrific Christmas. It’ll sure be the best one I’ve ever had.

I wasn’t able to make the trip to Chicago, since I was only 3 (months), but Jim and Suzi, Kelly and Everett all went for the graduation ceremony. They had a ball in Chicago, then Jim took everyone on a nostalgia trip to St. Louis, where he was born, and to Columbia, Illinois, where his Dad (my Great Grandpa) was born, way back in 1901. On the way, they stopped to visit Jim’s cousin, Mary, and her family. Here is a picture of all of them outside Mary’s house in Alton, Illinois.



Once in St. Louis they found that they were staying right near where Grandpa Jim grew up, and they went to visit his old home. Needless to say, the house ain’t what it used to be. Here's what it looks like today:




Grandpa Jim thought it would be fun to have everyone on the front porch just like he and his family did back in about 1953. Take a look!



And now:




Then they crossed the Mississippi to visit Columbia and see the general store that my Great Great Grandfather built way back when. The building is still standing and it looks great. Here is a picture.



I got my passport just in time to go to Oaxaca with my folks this summer. Wow, sure glad they didn’t leave me at home. Tucson gets kinda warm in July!

Grandpa Jim and Grandma Suzi also used their passports to visit Berlin then fly on to Egypt and Jordan. They were gone for a whole month, which is about 10% of my entire life, and they say it got pretty hot there, also. A temperature sign in Luxor (that’s in Egypt) read 51 degrees Celsius! That is 135 degrees Fahrenheit, and that is even hotter than Tucson. Take a look at how my Grandma weathereed the heat



Grandpa Jim tried to take a picture of the sign but his camera melted. But here is another picture of them on their trip.



Suzi also fell deeply in love with her Egyptian tour guide. Here is a picture of Suzi and her Egyptian Boy-Toy:




In September they went to Las Vegas for an international Martial Arts tournament where Suzi competed with her team. They got several gold metals but they aren’t really gold. Here is a picture of Suzi and her group.




I don’t know why Jim keeps attempting to play golf, because in early October he strained his back and then herniated a disk, so some doctors had to operate on him. He says the rehab is gruesome. Here he is doing his exercises last week in Palm Springs.



Well, that’s about it for now. I suspect that some of you are wondering how a child of my age could write a letter like this, but, after all, my initials are I.Q.!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

Hugs and Kisses,

Iris Qia and all the Vogt Family
Iris
I

Vogtian Chronicles 2009

Vogtian Chronicles 2009
Dear Friends and Family:

Greetings to all and to all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

As 2009 comes to a close, we are pleased to announce the addition of 1 and 7/9ths new members to the family.
On May 9th, Wendy married Nick Rattray, a fellow Ph.D candidate at the University of Arizona., at a very rustic ranch south of Tucson. The wedding was a three day event and we think everyone who attended had a terrific time. We certainly did.

Nick's Mom, Terry, performed Herculean chores getting a lot of things arranged and Wendy, being every frugal, arranged for the most beautiful flower arrangements from Trader Joe's and what everyone said was the best wedding cake they ever ate, thanks to Costco.

The ceremony was preceded by a tribute to the bride and groom's grandparents.


The wedding ceremony took place as the warm Arizona sun was beginning to set.


The wedding also gave us a rare opportunity to get a group photo of our extended family.

And on February 7th, 2010, Wendy and Nick are expecting their first child. If you calculate the timing between the wedding date and the due date, you'll understand why they took an hour to get from the ceremony to the banquet.

Nick did his Fulbright field research in Cuenca, Ecuador while Wendy completed hers in Oaxaca. They are now safely at home in Tucson writing their dissertations. They have additional grants well into 2010, and after that, who knows where they will settle down.Jim and Suzi will be in Tucson for the month of February to be with them when the baby arrives, so that Suzi can to help change diapers while Nick and Jim work on their golf games.

Please note that thus far we have been unable to get the NFL to change the Superbowl date, so we won't be able to host our annual Chinese New Year and Superbowl Party, but we will definitely resume the festivities in 2011 (unless someone has another baby).

Kristina is completing her Masters work at the Art Institute of Chicago and absolutely loves the nice winter weather.
Kristina's graduation is in May and we plan on attending and then taking a drive around the area, hopefully getting down to St. Louis to visit Jim's old hometown. Kris then plans on remaining in Chicago for another year or so. She has made some very good friends in the city, has a neat new beau, also named Chris, and is establishing herself in the Chicago art therapy community.

Kelly, Aaron and Everett are busy with work and school in Sherman Oaks. Kelly obtained her yoga teaching certification and is conducting classes at UCLA when she isn't busy with public relations work and taking care of Everett. Aaron continues fund raising with Outward Bound and will now be working exclusively for the national organization.

Everett is 4 1/2 and totally into Star Wars and all of its characters. He dreams of becoming a Jedi Knight when he grows up. This summer he met one of his Heroes on his first trip to Disneyland (thanks, Aunt Becky!) Meanwhile, he is proud to announce that he caught his first trout on a trip to Mammoth this Fall.

Of course, someone else baited the hook, cast the line, and reeled in the fish, however it was all done on his Batman spinning reel, and therefore counts as being caught by young Everett (call me "Ev").

"Ev" also found time to taste a few of the local sweets






This summer Jim and Suzi went to South America, including the Peruvian Amazon, where Suzi went piranha fishing. They were delicious!























And to Machu Picchu,where hiking the mountains at 9,000 feet literally took our breath away












And to Lima, where Suzi and Georgia
enlisted in the local militia (our friendly neighbors, Len and Georgia [Danielle's parents], joined us on the trip.











And to Cuzco, where Suzi showed a local lady how to cook potatoes in an outdoor hearth,


And, finally, to the Galapagos




Thus far, Tucson and Chicago remain our only destinations for 2010, although Japan, Egypt, the Dalmatian Coast and Barstow are possibilities.

The kids will be here for the holidays, so it is time to put up the tree and retrieve the decorations from storage.

We hope that 2010 brings each of you good health and prosperity. Have a great one!

The Vogts

Vogtian Homestead - Christmas 2008

GREETINGS FROM THE VOGT FAMILY


Dear Family and Friends:

Welcome to Vogtian Chronicles 2008. If you can't get this because you don't have email, be sure to notify us .

As a quick recap, we are well and happy as clams as we close out the Bush Era and move forward. Our only loss is our wonderful Golden Retriever, Denali, who passed away last Spring.























But we are thrilled with our new pets and you are invited to our housewarming anytime.

They would love to have you for dinner.
































So, the economy sucks and we decided to look for a new home.

First, we borrowed the corporate jet from General Motors,



























En route to our destination we stopped off to pick up a few essentials:





























And upon landing we purchased a used 4x4




























When it broke down [while still on warranty] we had to resort to alternative transportation.











When the balloon ran out of air, we chose yet another mode of travel



























But the river got a bit rough and scary,




















































So, after fighting off the hippos and crocs we decided to take a local taxi




























Eventually we reached our destination.

Some of the ladies were a bit hesitant to welcome us with open arms when they saw Jim
























But the guys were literally jumping with joy when they saw Suzi.






After washing our hands we decided to enjoy a picnic and the local constable joined us.
You can tell by his expression that he couldn't wait until we moved into the community.







Finally, we got around to house-shopping. Here we are inspecting a prospective home with our Century 21 realtor

:




























While we really liked the home, the neighborhood was a bit shabby.









We kept looking and finally we found our dream home




























And the Mother-in-Law guest house was perfect





























but we insisted on some needed repairs before moving in:





Fed EX delivered our luggage just on time





And after we cleaned up litter in the backyard,




We decided to throw a block party. At first our new neighbors were rather suspicious





Fortunately the president of the Homeowners' Association held a meeting to discuss us,






And with his help and Suzi's charm the community accepted us and joined the party.













































































































Water is a bit of a problem, however we frequently visit the nearby pump and fill up our jugs.




























We don't have a clothes dryer yet, so we improvise.


















W



While you might not be impressed with our new home's exterior, Suzi really turns out some gourmet meals in the kitchen







and to save a few bucks and not have to hassle with local traffic, we usually eat and entertain guests at home.





























































We can't say enough about our local wildlife























































The vegetation is fascinating and we can always find firewood.
And, of course, we absolutely love our sunrises and sunsets and the great outdoors


















































































































































































































































Certainly, most importantly, we were fortunate to meet some really cool people who we are proud to call friends

friends
















We also enjoy going for walks with our pets.




While we were happy in our new locale, the presidential election caused us to return to the good old USA. Here's looking forward to a new and brighter future.



This lengthy blog is the result of Jim having too much time on his hands.





















Suzi has become a gym rat, Tai Chi, weights and aqua programs almost daily, while simultaneously helping Kelly taking care of Everett.





Everett is now 3 1/2 years old and a standout in his Bumblebee pre-school class.





Everett is a big Brando fan - absolutely loves On the Waterfront





Here is our favorite Christmas present for Everett:

























Kelly is working for a public relations firm and PR looks like a career field for her, although she has talked about going back to grad school once she and Aaron have established their family.

Aaron is a fundraiser for Outward Bound. We are giving him your home phone numbers so he can call and solicit donations. We suggested he call in the late evenings, around midnight. Be nice.

Wendy was fortunate to get two prestigious grants, a Fulbright-Hays and a National Science Foundation grant, and is doing research in Oaxaca in preparation for writing her doctoral thesis on the immigration of Central American women moving through Southern Mexico hoping to reach the Land of Opportunity.

Her grants will most likely keep her in Mexico through 2009, but she will be back in Tucson in May to get married.

Married! "OMG"! Little Wendy with the scuffed knees from soccer, the mischievous child that kept us up at night. The one who brought us to tears at the airport when she flew off to Europe with a friend after graduating high school!

So, Nick Rattray will be the newest addition to our family. He is also on a Fulbright and has spent the last year in Ecuador doing his research and writing his dissertation in disability and social inclusion (whatever that is). He should be getting his doctorate in 2009. This summer they traveled the Amazon. I think Nick ran out of razor blades in the jungle.





Kristina, the baby, is now 23. She spent a year in San Francisco rooming with her friend Danielle before entering a masters' program in Art Therapy at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She absolutely loves Chicago and, being a devoted Obamamaniac she regaled at Grant Park on Election Night. If you saw the crowds there that night, you undoubtedly saw her. She was the one with dark hair.









Kris has not been without company She arranged to visit Danielle, who is now in her first year at Harvard Med., in Boston and Wendy visited her in Chicago en route to Mexico. Suzi and Jim visited in late October.






Kris has finished her first semester and is right now in Mexico visiting Wendy and brushing up on her Spanish and tequila. In fact, while writing this we received a Skype call from her and Wendy. They are going to a party tonight. Not like they've been deprived of parties recently.

Kris and Wendy will be home for Christmas. ETA is December 22nd.

In March everyone went to Puerto Vallarta for a week and were able to escape without buying even one timeshare. Our resort had a small train ride around the grounds and Everett loved it. He also got to see a bunch of turtles hatching on the sand. As you can see from this picture, he literally wore himself out. Too much cerveza.












While in Mexico he gave his dad a lesson in slam dunking.















As you may have gleaned, Jim and Suzi visited Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana this summer. They also had a brief layover in Amsterdam but did not actually stock up on essentials.

On behalf of the entire clan, we wish all of you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanakuh and a better new year.

Love, the Vogts (and Campbells)