The Wacky Wakan Family Blog

2010 Wakan Highlights

2011-01-24T15:14:00.000-08:00

Feliz Navidad de la familia Wakan!

Merry Christmas friends and family! The Wakan family was called to serve in the Spanish branch (congregation) for church four months ago. Duane is doing great as the Branch Clerk, the rest of us are slowly picking up on the language. However, it has been a good experience so far.

As a family we traveled to Seattle in the spring, the Oregon Coast and Utah this summer, and had fun exploring Victoria, BC this fall. Currently we are also part of a new schooling program with the boys, called APPLE - a parent involved style of learning – where 90 hours of volunteer time is required by each family. It is a great opportunity for us as parents to really know the kids and their parents, and come together often as a school community. We are thoroughly enjoying this new program. Well, now onto each individual:

Baby Wakan: Hasn’t made too much of his or her personality known yet, but has a great heartbeat and is planning on joining us around June 11, 2011.

Gabriella just turned two years old… We could just leave it at that, and I’m sure everyone would be fairly accurate in filling in the rest of the story.  But, to add to any stubbornness and screaming that comes with the age, she is also extremely sweet and loving. She is saying a few words, and we often hear, “Mah-ie, yook. Yook, Dah-ie, yook.” (Translation: Mom, Dad, Look!) And when we look, she will be pointing at something, or be in the act of doing a cute trick she wants us to see. Reading is a favorite past time, and this year some of her favorite stories have been The Wheels on the School Bus, Click, Clack Moo, and Olivia. Olivia is a little pig, and Gabriella’s adorable version of her name is “We-we-bia.” As an awesome helper, Gabi especially loves to be in the kitchen with mom mixing something up, or lately on mom’s hip, assisting in spreading dry-wall mud unto the remodeled bathroom wall. She is a great cuddler, and really loves babies. Hopefully it will stay that way for the next one. We love Gabriella’s sweet hugs and kisses and most of all her wonderful laughter.

Blake is a seven year old having a blast in his first grade class. He is a great reader and his favorite books are the series “A to Z Mysteries”. The new movie Legend of the Guardians is his latest favorite movie. For past-times, he loves drawing, coloring, crafts, making his own stories and books and both he and Zach can spend hours in the playroom working on their favorite Lego projects. Seattle was his favorite vacation spot because he says “With the zoo and museums there is always something fun to do.” As part of theater club at school, he got to be Glen Miller in the school play about Jazz. Concerning the cross-country club he was in, he says “I was really good at running, but after a few days, I just got bored of it.” Now he prefers to ice skate. Blake’s giggle is contagious, and he is a great big brother and big helper.

Zachary is a nine-year-old fourth grader. His big project for the year has been vision therapy, to correct an eye condition called strabismus. This is where one eye is slightly mis-aligned from the other, and hence they do not work together. It’s easier to fix when younger, so those of you with kids, please have your children’s eyes checked by kindergarten. Zach has been a trooper with the entire process; going to weekly therapy, consistently completing nightly eye homework, wearing a patch when necessary, and being patient with Gabi, our mini eye-therapist who likes to “assist” Zach often. Ever the book-lover, Zach’s latest favorite is the “How to Train Your Dragon” series. He was great at cross-country, and we were amazed that for the entire mile he ran during the meet, he had a smile on his face.  As a cub-scout we were proud that he completed his Wolf this fall, and he says his favorite activity was going to see the tigers at Cat Tales. Zach has a great mind for math and money, and enjoys earning extra money doing chores around our house. He likes working for the neighbors even better though, because they pay a lot more than mom.

Anngela changed positions at work this spring; starting a new division of the lab. As the first employee of the BioAnalytic lab, she and one other co-worker helped get it up and running. Training with the instruments for a week in San Francisco was part of the deal. Now instead of drug testing, she is mostly testing patient samples to determine certain vitamin levels. Her work schedule is 5AM-1PM, so she still is with the kids in the afternoon, running from school, to vision therapy, scouts, library, church, etc… It has cut into her time for working on the house, but this summer we were able to paint the house trim red, sod the backyard, and get it all landscaped. Taking a landscaping class in the spring was a fun way to get it started. Currently, we are in the middle of the bathroom remodel. It’s amazing how long these projects can take, but the end product is always rewarding.

Duane's adventure with the Census Bureau still continues. His new role is presenting data workshops to Native American tribes out of the Seattle Region (5 states). His goal is to help empower tribes to use census data to boost grant writing and also provide some tools and techniques he's picked up through his planning experience. Already this past year Duane has had a great time teaching the older kids at the elementary school Google SketchUp, an architectural design program. Who knows, maybe Duane has a new calling in life? Sadly, Duane only played tennis one to three times this past year, so if any of his tennis buddies want to move to Spokane, just give us a few months heads up to get him back into shape.

This past year has been a great one for our family, and we hope it has treated our friends and family just as well. May the love of Christ fill each of us this holiday season, we love you all.

Love,
The Wacky Wakan Family

Why the 2010 Census matters

2010-04-05T10:18:00.000-07:00

Why does the 2010 Census matter? It means over $400 Billion dollars allocated across the country. Your community needs its fair share of funding for infrastructure improvements don't you think (schools, hospitals, roads etc.,). It also is about democracy! The founding fathers of this country desired that 'we the people' have recourse over those who govern us...that is carried out by each congressional seat and voting districts, all enumerated through the census.

You may be a party loyalist for the right or the left, regardless, each elected official uses census data to make decisions that impact our daily lives. Good data leads to good decisions. Make sure your community is participating in the Census by talking to friends, family and neighbors. Don't wast 1.5 billion in follow up costs...if someone knocks on your door, realize you just cost us the tax payer, $57.00 dollars. Get your questionnaire mailed back today and let's be counted!

Best in show...what we don't want to know!

2009-12-14T15:48:00.000-08:00

I asked a co-worker why she was watching a video of a dog running on her work desk top computer (dog porn is prevalent at the work place), and she began to tell me about her prized pure breed weenier dog and how she had always dreamed of having one to show off to friends etc. Apparently some recent unfortunate revelations have turned her off completely to breeding dogs as they have a plethora of genetic defects that effect most "pure breeds". She told me of how her particular weenier has problems going poop and its hind legs won't work due to its elongated back causing spinal problems. She must apply a daily enema "to get things moving" and feed the dog steroids (its tendency for causing shortness perhaps) in order to rehabilitate.

We got to thinking about dog show judges, their evaluation requisites, and just how warped we as a society have become to breed man's best friend into a bunch of dysfunctional prancing constipated yappers. I look at Hollywood and see the blind leading the lost as the Nip/Tuck showcase their mutant mutts having undergone decades of elongation and abbreviations themselves. What makes a pure breed so special? After all, the run of the mill mutt can walk and run without losing its breath and agitating is digestive track.

As I look at the larger picture and realize that without a diverse gene pool we would witness a greater manifestation flaws in the human form and function. My question is...is there a significant difference between breeding dogs and eugenics (the breeding of humans)? Once you believe a dog is better for its breaded traits, what is to stop you from believing humans should only mate with healthy doctors and pharmacists? You might think..not me, that was something only Hitler was did under his evil regime...however, you might be surprised to hear that some historic figures including our US Presidents were also proponents of Eugenics.

"In practice Eugenics lead to political and social policies that included selective breeding, influence in reproductive practices, and later genetic engineering. Eugenics encompasses two types of social policies which fell into the categories of "positive" eugenics (encouraging the designated "most fit" to reproduce more often) and "negative" eugenics (discouraging or preventing the designated "less fit" from reproducing)."

I remember a lecture in my Native Studies class in college, where my professor outlined an example of negative eugenics executed against Native American women in urban locations that was actually ratified by a city council in the state of Indiana. In this case a women's reproductive powers were procedurally taken from her against her will. My hope is that we begin to realize that without diversity in our neighborhoods, families, churches and city councils, we begin to quietly adopt themes of eugenics, and dangerously leave the power of policy making in the hands of a few polarized individuals with no legitimate recourse to stop them. Please embrace the diversity of your neighbor's culture, religious practices, language barriers and be grateful we get a different view on life...oh and feed the loud average looking canine down the street a doggy biscuit!

A New Portrait of America

2009-11-17T16:19:00.000-08:00

A video that educates our friends, neighbors and those who might unnecessarily live in fear, of why the 2010 Census matters. Please be counted on April 1st 2010, It's in our Hands!

Do you know any good jellyfish recipes?

2009-11-16T16:31:00.000-08:00

I read the article on jellyfish swarming the coast of Japan and parts of China and started thinking how this was a perfect example how neo-liberalism leads to environmental degradation, economic chaos and potential starvation.

What can be done? Not a whole lot. Land based industries and mankind are the primary cause for the proliferation of jellyfish.
"China's coastal waters offered a perfect breeding ground: Agricultural and sewage runoff are spurring plankton growth, and fish catches are declining. The waters of the Yellow Sea, meanwhile, have warmed as much as 1.7 degrees C (3 degrees F) over the past quarter-century."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/climate_09_jellyfish_menace

My question is what can markets do to offset the need for destroying a non-renewable resource such as fish, mangroves and our oceans? My answer: jellyfish, squid & sea-weed recipes. Picture a scene of a giant squid strewn across the table, garnished with sea-weed and kelp. I know my next soiree will sparkle!

I hope governments come to a solution or resolution that address these seemingly "far away" issues that "don't effect me", so our children can take their kids to the ocean a see a whale being whale off the coast of Washington, Oregon or Alaska.

Change comes slowly

2009-10-22T21:22:00.000-07:00

Well it is sad to say that since grad school, I have not really opened a book for leisure or just to relax and not think of work, politics or religion. Since house projects are taking precedence over any escape purchases such as a flat screen HD, a far off trip to exotic Mexico, or Hawaii, I have had time to read. I did not grow up an avid reader, and I probably won't ever be one, but little by little things are changing so long as I don't get lost in the web of ESPN (I miss Utah football immensly!). These three books acted as a catalyst into reading...I need more recommendations from you that may keep me going for the next few months.

First Wakan kiddo to get stitches...

2009-08-22T21:07:00.000-07:00

And the winner was Gabriella - poor little thing. So, this morning I put her in our upstairs bathtub and was letting her play around in the water. Above the bath is a small window with a pane on the outside, and inside area that had a stained glass decoration, and then a pane on the inside. Well, I went to go wipe the inside pane, and it fell out, into the tub, hitting Gabi on the way down. It was a deep, ugly cut along her hair line, above her left eye. Duane and the boys were cleaning the church so I ran to the neighbors with a crying Gabs and asked if she could drive me to the ER while I held the washcloth on her head to keep the pressure there. At the ER we waited our turn (which seemed like forever), and Gabi did pretty good when they weren't looking in the wound or cleaning it out. Unfortunately, I lasted well through most of it, but I'm embarrassed to say that I almost passed out near the end of the stitching, and had to lay out on the bed next to Gabi while they finished her up. It's a good thing Duane was there to be with her. Anyway, five stitches later she is doing well and sleeping peacefully now. I guess we know who the toughest little Wakan is turning out to be.

Some news then some history then some news again.

2009-02-21T15:35:00.000-08:00

We bought a house! I had to fireman's carry Anngela over the threshold, but it was fun (narrow front door). It is an old 1907 craftsman style home, just what we wanted. It is in a gentrifying neighborhood that is on a well planned grid, with a service alley way and detached garage. If you did not know, this would probably still be the desired layout of most neighborhoods had it not been for the influx of WWII vets that needed immediate housing after the war. New Urbanists have praised the traditional neighborhood designs our grandfathers planned and houses they built. It is close to a pedestrian friendly retail area called the Perry District. We looked and looked and after getting out bid on a smaller home with less square footage and pulling out of a Town-home in Idaho, we ended up with a home that we know was meant for us! It needs some minor cosmetic repair which will require some hard work, but we could not pass up on the open floor plan and space galore for a growing family.

This house is on a wide street, but we will park in the garage at the back.

Our master bedroom has lots of windows! Perfect for neighbors to see my naked body ;)

Our kitchen has lots of space for my wife to do the dishes!

Our living space needs some work (floors) but Cinderella will take care of that too!

History witnessed!

2009-01-21T12:33:00.000-08:00

I tuned into the historic presidential inauguration of President Barack Obama yesterday while I was on facebook and on a conference call. I was so happy to see some real progress from our national citizenry in voting him into office in November. I am glad he called our nation to stand-up and shake off the dust and move forward. I was also glad that he told the nation that we must uphold the values that were laid by the founders of the constitution. I was also glad that he pretty much told the outgoing administration that living in fear is not what we the people of this country are about. These are lessons I have heard time and time again in church. I may not agree with his political stance on all issues, but taken as a whole, I am so grateful we have a strong leader with talents and intangibles that will bless our nation and the world.

Important Questions

2009-01-07T18:22:00.001-08:00

Can a person be sued for sexual harassment if he or she works from home? Apparently my wife has had enough of my so called "advances". I vehemently deny her claims and state that the time showed 5:01 p.m. and that I was off the clock. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

What a statement!

2009-01-04T13:49:00.000-08:00

In my opinion, the performance put on by the Utah Utes in the Sugar Bowl was the most profound of any college football team this year. Not only did they prove themselves deserving of a national championship, but they made all those SEC good ol'boys self-promoters eat a big piece of humble pie. Before the big game, the only comments I heard from broadcasters and analysts, was that Utah would make it a close game and would avoid humiliation. In my opinion they made it too close, they should have blown out Alabama by 30 points or more. Barry Switzer, a former college coach said "There is not one player on the Utah Ute's team that would be recruited by the University of Alabama." I think the opposite is true. What a pathetic display by the SEC traditional powerhouse! Too fat, too lazy, unmotivated and completely overwhelmed. I could not be prouder of my Alma mater. Go Utes!

Brian Johnson threw for 336 yards and Sugar Bowl MVP

Proud Utes (Even though I am Sioux)

My wife's chest...I will blog about that later ;)

Screaming at the Spokane template!

2008-12-27T23:21:00.000-08:00

For the last two years in Spokane, we have experienced record snow falls. With this record snow fall comes an accompanying record amount of frustration, business losses, building damage, street and plowing costs, state of emergencies and stuck cars and buses. In order to drive around here, one must be a bit intrepid to navigate streets, with the hope that the guy in front of you knows how to drive in snow, and/or is not a licensed geriatric. My frustration comes not from what has and will result from these big storms in terms of monetary crunches, flooding, car-port collapses and traffic accidents, it is the fact that we in Spokane, will continue to invest in a dying car economy and inefficient template that sucks our resources dry while providing no alternatives when weather extremes nail us...and nailed us they have! I am just saying we need alternatives in public transportation now...not later, now! Would not a light-rail system be perfect in times like these? Imagine a north/south line extending from the Northtown Mall or Hillyard to the South Hill, and a high speed train connecting Coeur d'Alene, ID to the EWU campus. My hope is that we in Spokane will start to learn from these record breaking storms, and make investments that allow us to "plow" through these times without shutting down the region and laying off city and county employees to manage unpredictable emergency costs. The only thing I am predicting is more of the same and that makes me sad...and potentially unemployed.

Gabriella Noelle

2008-12-12T19:42:00.000-08:00

I have some better pictures for your viewing. Although all newborns are beautiful creatures from heaven, they usually need a few days before they start showing some of that beauty (it's all the slime). The same holds true for yes...even a Wakan child.

Gabriella has arrived!

2008-12-06T13:21:00.000-08:00

We are please to announce the arrival of sweet Gabriella __?__ Wakan. She came into our lives today at 11:05 a.m. weighing a healthy 8 lbs 10 ounces and was 22" inches long. Anngela did a great job and was fortunate not to have a prolonged labor and delivery. She started the real contractions at 6:30 a.m., her water broke at 8:00 a.m. She was born on the living room floor (this was our plan), with the help of our midwife Linda, and my sister Nancy. Gabby is healthy and nursing well. We feel so blessed and invite you to rejoice with us today.

I look like Laman!

2008-12-04T22:34:00.000-08:00

Anngela made me do this! As you can see, I was not having the greatest time of my life. There was a Nativity display at the Stake Center with surprise... Nativities from all around the world. It was very nice to feel the true meaning of Christmas, although a Nintendo Wii would go a long way to bolster that same spirit of joy.

The blues...are over!

2008-12-04T14:09:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, I was laid off from my job about a month ago. I was trying to stay positive despite the fact that Anngela was going to have the baby in the beginning of December. I was alerted to the fact that a lot of planners are being laid off in the public and private sectors. Despite these trends I have had some good things happen in last month to cheer me up. The Democratic party came out victorious, the Utah Utes pummeled BYU 48-24, and I was able to spend some quality time with Blake. I came to the realization that I was better off than an unemployed BYU fan who voted for the GOP party! That guy is going to need some prozac. I did get some great news yesterday, I got another job! Working as a planner for the Bureau of the Census. I get to work with Native American leaders and members, in an effort to get the highest census count possible for Eastern Washington. I feel blessed as I applied for this job the day after being laid off. I would have missed the deadline if I had worked one day more. Crazy huh?

USA's next 2012 GOP candidate.

2008-11-07T09:20:00.000-08:00

I know most of my family, friends and associates are very politically conservative, which is just fine. After years of frustration with my own party I voted for Barack Obama and have, well... received a lot of flack from all y'all conservatives. It just shows you that there is opposition in all things. In that same spirit, I have found a picture of my brother in law Caleb who lives is Southern Utah. I do not know his political affiliation, but I can take a good guess. It just points out that we all have on opposite twin somewhere in this world.

Why He-Man Woman-Hater clubs are necessary!

2008-09-17T23:01:00.001-07:00

So I was browsing a set of pictures we had take on the camera from the last few weeks and came across this picture. I don't know why but it just struck me how a second grader is already being sized up by the opposite sex. Little Zach still thinks girls are disgusting so all is normal, but the girls are totally checking him out like a bunch of love-struck starry-eyed teenagers. I have since come to the conclusion that girls are the devil. Notice how the boys are working so diligently to stay on task, while the girls are plotting our demise. What chance does the little guy have but to form a support group of toad catching, monkey bar swinging, bath boycotting chums who will not succumb to the wiles of the female race?

Your 7 years old now, starting making money for papa!

2008-09-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

The little lemonade stand money making miser turned a year older. Happy Birthday #7 Zachary! Star Wars Clone Wars came out that same day in the theater, which went great with his choice of cake: Anakin and Obi-Wan fighting on Mustafar, with volcano and all (great job Anngela). The evening was spent with family and friends opening presents (legos and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were favorites) and swimming. The next week I took Zach golfing on a little Par-3 course where I had played for the very fist time some 20 years earlier. Anngela took Blake to play miniature golf (something more their level). Zach actually scored a legit 5 on a par 3, pretty good for his first time golfing. Its good to see that the months of serious training involving the Wii and a Spongbob golfing game on nick.com are paying off. When we got back together, Blake asked Zach if he got a hole-in-one. "No, did you get a hole-in-one?" To which Blake's honest reply was "I got a hole-in-every'one'." :) Our boys sure do make us laugh.

A little girl coming our way!

2008-07-27T10:45:00.000-07:00

Its a girl! She will be making her appearance in December. All of us are really excited, especially the boys. I like the name Gabriela from the Argentinian tennis player, Gabriela Sabatini.

Think about it!

2008-07-09T21:09:00.000-07:00

I love this HBO series called Flight of The Conchords. They are the 4th most popular folk parity duo in band in New Zealand. A tribute band who plays their same songs is slightly more popular. My friend Jeanette sent me a link and I have spent the last two days laughing. Check them out on HBO.

Oh Nelly

2008-07-02T19:16:00.000-07:00

We took a small trip up to Nelson British Columbia and camped for 3 days. As we got to Nelson, I told the boys how different Canadians and Americans really are. I advised them to never...never look at one straight in the eyes, for fear they will cast spells, and force us into using "eh" after every sentence. That's how their quest for world domination begins eh, ...dammit!

Will we change the way we live?

2008-06-12T11:52:00.001-07:00

With the price of gas soaring across the country, one must question if Americans (Westerners in particular) will change our behavior patterns? The automobile template designed here in "good ol' Spokane" is now rearing its ugly head. A little known fact about Spokane is that its urban area is less densily populated than the often cited "worst case scenario" of Phoenix, AZ. This means that when we start begging for trip alternatives besides just driving, we will have to fork out more money to create and extend light-rail and high-speed commuter trains. Since my family cannot afford a vacation to a far off destination, I though I would create a virtual family vacation. The pictures are of the Wakan family on a street in another city somewhere... in my mind.

Yes, I like to model

2008-04-10T20:33:00.000-07:00

This is a 3-D model I made for the City of Spokane Valley. The concept is of a city center not currently available to residents of the 5 year old municipality. It would be a significant and much needed change from strip malls and 5 lane one-way streets to pedestrian oriented places.

Don't touch it Chunk!

2008-04-06T12:34:00.001-07:00

We took a trip to the Oregon Coast over the Easter Holiday and saw the "Goonies" house in Astoria, the LDS Temple in Portland and some breath taking vistas along the coast line. It made me happy to be in the Pacific North West.