INCS Conference, Austin

In late March, we packed up the car and headed down to Austin so I could moderate a session of the 2010 INCS conference. The conference was held at the AT&T Conference Center on UT's campus. In addition to conference rooms, the Center also has a pretty swanky hotel. Here's Little Ted enjoying the comfy bed.

While in Austin, we were able to catch up with Ted's cousin Erica and her husband Greg. We had a great dinner with them and, later in the evening, also enjoyed the company of Nicole, Erica's sister.




The thing that we enjoyed most about that trip, besides the cozy accommodations, was being able to enjoy the company of people our own age, a thing we rarely get to do on the island we call our hometown.

Paul Frank

Little Ted is finally big enough to fit into the regular seat of his Bugaboo stroller (previously, we had attached his car seat to the frame), and he loves going for rides in it. Mommy and Daddy like it because it's lightweight, easy to use, and it gets lots of compliments.

Spring Break

These pictures are from our Spring Break in early March. As you can see, Little Ted really likes visiting Grandma and Grandpa Gonzalez - they have fun toys!









This last picture of Eric and his fiancee Shelby is from our family trip out to eat - which we hardly ever get to do - fun times.

My Little Valentine

Here's Little Ted in his Valentine's Day outfit, courtesy of Grandma Robles.

Catching Up

Yes, it has been a very long time. I have many pictures to post, and a video or two, but I thought I'd try to fill in the gap with some info on what we've been up to out here first.

After we got back from our Oregon trip, we had a short period of time to settle in before I had to go back to work and Ted had to go back to school. I was hired for a full time position by the local community college. While excited to have my very first full time "real" job, I wasn't too excited to leave my Teds at home. And Ted was slated to take the second semester of first year Arabic and participate in the Model Arab League during the spring term. We were able to arrange our schedules so that one of us would be home with the baby at all times.

Right before my first faculty meeting, Little Ted got sick with a stomach bug. I won't go into details - you can use your imagination to picture what it was like. All I will say is it was very messy, and I felt like I washed all his clothes two or three times that week.

Over the next couple of days, I started feeling sick, as did Ted. By the time my first day of work and his first day of school rolled around, we were all well, but Little Ted was not 100% yet and could not eat his normal portions. He was also teething and hit a growth spurt around that time. All that added up to a cranky baby and a rough couple of weeks for everyone as we adjusted to our new schedule.

But we all pulled through in the end. I am very proud of my hubby. Not only did he take on the responsibility of being a stay-at-home dad this term (a huge job in itself), but he also worked really hard in his classes, both of which presented their own challenges.

I managed to get through the semester and even sent off one chapter of my dissertation to my advisor, but that's all that I accomplished on the school front. As far as work is concerned, I feel that I had a successful semester and really enjoyed teaching my classes.

It wasn't all work this past semester (though it was mostly work). In March, we went to visit Ted's parents for spring break. It was nice to have down time. In April, Little Ted had his 6 month doctor's appointment. He weighed in at just over 16 lbs and was 25 inches long. He did well, even though he had to get several shots. But he already has a fear of the doctor's office - he remembers the exam table and the crinkly paper and associates that with getting shots. It's become enough of an issue that I can barely change his diaper when we are at Dillard's because Dillard's has the same set up for a changing table in the women's restroom. And in April, Little Ted was baptized during the Easter vigil service. We were able to celebrate the occasion with Ted's parents and nephew and Little Ted's godfather, Bryan, and his fiancee.

Little Ted recently visited the doctor for his 9 month check up (can you believe it!). He is now 19 lbs and 27 1/2 inches long. Surprisingly, that puts him on the low end of the scale for height and weight. But as far as we're concerned, he's a big guy. His doctor phobia reared its ugly head during the visit. While the doctor was examining him, he cried his eyes out - crocodile tears, beet red face, the works. The doctor joked that he was giving her a complex. Other than that, the visit went well, especially since he didn't need any shots.

The spring semester ended 2 weeks ago for Ted and last week for me. We are both breathing a sigh of relief - but not for long. I MUST write my dissertation this summer. I just sat down and calculated what that will require. Yes, it will be a mad pace, but it must be done. That means that Ted will be on baby duty for several hours during the afternoon, and I need to stay focused and write! write! write! from now until the beginning of the fall term. But I promise to try to keep the blog updated better during the process.

Pics from Early February

These pictures show Little Ted enjoying his new high chair and Bumbo, both Christmas gifts from Grandma & Grandpa Gonzalez, and his exer-saucer (perhaps the best gift ever), from Aunt Susie & Uncle Danny.

Latest Baby Photo Shoot

I know it's been a long time . . . I promise more content soon. But for now, enjoy some baby pics. Grandparents, aunts, and uncles, you will be getting copies soon.

Videos from Oregon

I've posted some videos from our Oregon trip on our "other" web page because they load easier and faster on that site than here. If you'd like to see them, follow the link below

http://sites.google.com/site/tygonzablog/

If you have trouble accessing the page, send us an email and we'll get you added as a viewer.

Christmas in Oregon

We had quite the trip to Oregon over Christmas. We ended up spending the night in the DFW area before our flight because our flight left at 9:30 a.m. No matter - it gave Ted and I an excuse to visit some of our old Dallas haunts, namely NorthPark and the Cheesecake Factory. That night at the hotel, we ordered room service - PB & J sandwiches and chicken tenders. Kid food . . . yummy! Bright and early the next morning, we were off to the airport (in the cold). Thanks to Ted, a very experienced traveler, we had a detailed game plan that helped us get parked, checked in, and through security without a hitch.

Little Ted managed the 4 hour flight beautifully. He only cried once, and only to tell us he needed food, pronto. We couldn't have asked for a better baby.

A downpour met us in Portland. Ted navigated us through the rain and into Albany without too much stress. Upon our arrival, we picked up a key from Aunt Carol (who graciously let us take over her home during our stay - thank you!) and then grabbed lunch. We were pretty famished by that point.

One night of recovery from travel and we were ready to spend time with family. We spent the next day with my grandparents. At the time, grandpa was checked into a nursing home that is on the same property as my grandparent's home. We introduced grandma and grandpa to their great-grandson and enjoyed their company.

We spent the next morning with grandma and visited grandpa after breakfast. Later that evening, grandpa passed away. Words can express neither the sadness we felt nor the love and support we received from family and friends on the occasion of his passing. His funeral was held the following Tuesday; all of his children, their spouses, his grandchildren and his great-grandson were in attendance.

My parents arrived the Sunday before the funeral. In the days following the funeral, we were able to do some "touristy" activities with them and other family members. We went to McDowell Creek, which is very icy in the winter (surprise, surprise), to Corvallis to see Christmas lights, to the Oregon coast (though it was frosty, foggy, and cold in Albany, it turned out to be a beautiful day at the coast), and to the Tillamook Cheese Factory.

Christmas was spent at Grandma's, where we opened gifts. Little Ted is a pro at unwrapping presents, though he found the paper to be much more interesting than the gifts themselves (with the exception of the Hot Wheels cars that Uncle Marlin and Julie gave him). We had Christmas dinner at the Lakeside Center (on the same property as Grandma's home). There were 25 in all, including Uncle Glen, Aunt Lois, their sons and daughters-in-law, cousin Cindy, and the Eichelberger clan.

As you can probably imagine, Little Ted was a big hit. He is especially fond of his great-grandmother, who made sure he was well fed and well taken care of. He also enjoyed playing with Luke, his only cousin (and a distant one at that) on my side of the family. Of course, grandma and grandpa were thrilled to see him again and very sorry to see him leave.

Our flight home was delayed due to snow in Dallas. We ended up leaving 1 1/2 hours late, just enough time for a couple of inches of snow to fall in Portland and ice to collect on our plane. But once again, Little Ted managed the flight beautifully. He was only momentarily bothered by the crying of a toddler in the row across from us, and I'm sure if he could talk, he would have borrowed one of his cousin Matthew's exclamations, "Stop crying!"

We enjoyed the trip immensely and were especially grateful to be able to spend time with my grandfather and introduce him to Little Ted during our visit. Ted and I will both cherish our memories of those two days.

We also decided that we will have to go back in the summer, when we can explore the parks more and visit places like Crater Lake, Mt. Hood, Sisters, and Mount St. Helen. Guess that means we need to start saving our pennies!

In Memoriam

Gaile Eugene Eichelberger
March 26, 1934-December 18, 2009



My grandfather, Gaile Eugene Eichelberger, was born in Shickley, Nebraska on March 26th, 1934 to Helen Kuhns and Glenn Aaron Eichelberger. When he was quite young, the family moved to a farm near Broken Bow, Nebraska, where he grew up. Grandpa was the oldest of eight children. His siblings include Vera, Stanley, Joe, Arla, Merle, Ray and Max. As children, they were known to be jokesters and pulled pranks on each other. Moving ahead several years, my grandfather married Laura Mae Roth in Sweet Home, Oregon on July 10th, 1955. My grandparents worked in Albany at the Mennonite Home for the Aged until 1956. My grandfather’s duties included milking cows and driving a tractor. From there, he and his family moved to Nebraska to help his father on the farm. They stayed for two years. In 1959, they returned to Oregon and, with the exception of a brief stay in Idaho, my grandparents have lived here since then.

After returning from Idaho, grandpa worked at Cooley’s Dairy. He started out milking cows but soon had a delivery route. He worked there for about ten years. He then took a job with Albany-Lebanon Sanitation in 1970 and worked there for twenty-seven years. My grandfather made many friends on his route, including Eric and Matthew, two little boys who waited expectantly for his weekly arrival. Grandpa retired from this position in 1997 but continued to work for Albany-Lebanon Sanitation during the summers for the next four years.

In addition to the service my grandfather provided to the city of Albany during his working years, he found time to serve his neighbors by caring for their lawns. I remember when grandma and grandpa lived on Vine Street, across from the canal. In those days, mowing the lawn could be an all day affair. Grandpa would start out by mowing his own lawn, a job that he approached with care. Then, he would mow the lawns of one or two neighbors. From there, he would mow the stretch of grass along the canal that was directly in front of their house, though he often took it upon himself to mow the entire bank of the canal to ensure that the job was done. He was a man who took pride in the appearance of his neighborhood and who believed it was important to lend your neighbors a helping hand.

My grandfather was a long time member of Fairview Mennonite Church. He served the congregation as a deacon and a Sunday school teacher. He also joined a team on a mission trip to Costa Rica in 2002. I for one was very surprised when I learned about his trip. I’ve always known grandpa to travel by car and stay within the borders of the U. S. and Canada, so it was an extraordinary feat for him to take such a long trip at the age of sixty-eight, and it showed the lengths he would go to help others. He and his team did various maintenance jobs at a church there. During the trip, my grandfather stayed with a family that attended the local church. He enjoyed his stay there a great deal and even maintained contact with his host family after he returned home.

During his retirement years, grandpa enjoyed visiting people and spending time with friends. He also liked attending local high school football games, where he got to know even more people. Most of you know grandpa was a devoted Nebraska Cornhuskers fan. He followed the team’s progress though the good years and the not-so-good years. As a testament to his good will and generous nature, though committed to the Huskers, he did not hold it against me for enrolling in a competing Big 12 school, nor did he reject my husband, who is a fan of the Texas Longhorns. He prioritized his family, even when football conflicts arose.

My grandfather is survived by his wife, Laura Mae, who stood by his side faithfully for fifty-four years; by his daughters, Susan, and her husband Danny; Carol; Rebecca and her husband Larry; Delene and her husband John; Anita and her husband Wendell; and by his son, Marlin. He is also survived by his favorite granddaughter (grandpa’s words, not mine), Yolanda, and her husband Ted; his favorite grandson (again, his words), Luke; and his favorite great-grandson, Little Ted, to whom he was introduced shortly before his passing.

Each one of us here today has a certain memory of grandpa that we will carry with us. For me, this memory is of my graduation. On that occasion, grandpa took the time to write me a special note to tell me that he was proud of the person I was becoming. Today, on the occasion of his passing, we express a similar feeling of pride. We have gathered to recognize that we are proud of the person he was and that our lives were enriched by knowing him. We remember a life well-lived and mourn its passing. And we take comfort in knowing that he remains with us in the memories we have and the legacy he left behind.

The above is a longer version of a tribute I read at my grandfather's funeral just three days before Christmas. My grandfather was diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer during the Fall. It turned out to be very aggressive, but he battled it with courage and dignity.

Grandpa passed away two days after we arrived in Oregon. He was able to meet and spend time with his first great-grandchild during those two days of our trip. We know that he had been looking forward to this event for a long time, and we couldn't be more grateful for the time they had together.

Grandpa will be dearly missed.

Sweet Slumber

This sleepy head moment is brought to you by the sweet potato, Little Ted's favorite food. He fell asleep eating the night before we left for our Christmas vacation.