Week 52

Friday, December 24, 2010
Chillin’ at Grandma’s house . . . it smells so good!

Saturday, December 25, 2010
Wishing everyone blessings and joy!

Sunday, December 26, 2010
How wonderful to see 

four generations gathered in one room!

Monday, December 27, 2010
It takes three Aunts, a Grandma, and one mom 

to help complete Rylan’s 456 piece lego creation. 

Where are the cousins when you need them?

Tuesday, December 28, 2010
A mass exodus left us a quiet day with the Grandparents.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010
After snow and ice in Spokane and 

a jack-knife truck in the pass, we are finally home!

Thursday, December 30, 2010
I’ve got the BEST website guru ever!

Friday, December 31, 2010
Bringing in 2011 with a new blog . . . 

check me out at www.courtneyhopp.com

From my family to yours—Happy New Year!

 

Week 51

Friday, December 17, 2010
Heading to a party with musicians and 

white elephant gifts . . . could get interesting.

Saturday, December 18, 2010
According to Facebook, my top three words used were:

1: OUT - used 15 times

2: FUN - used 10 times

3: GO - used 10 times

Sunday, December 19, 2010
Currently without water . . . busted water main 

at the bottom of the street creating quite the show!

Monday, December 20, 2010
A wonderful morning with two of my favorite writers!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Making a valiant effort to get through my to-do list!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Poor Dude! To the doggy hotel he goes for Christmas.

Thursday, December 23, 2010
7:00am Christmas breakfast with the boys 

before hitting the road to Spokane. What were we thinking?

Week 50

Friday, December 10, 2010
Rylan asks, “Daddy, I can’t remember, 

did we play the Lego video game yesterday? 

Because you said we can’t play it every day 

and I was just wondering if you remembered?”

Patrick smiles, knowing full well he knows, 

“No, Rylan, we did not play the video game yesterday.”

“Oh, that’s great Dad. Now we can play, 

because I know how much you like to play video games.”

Saturday, December 11, 2010
Caroling, caroling, caroling—Christmas caroling.

Sunday, December 12, 2010
A very happy birthday to the best sistah ever!

Monday, December 13, 2010
I can’t believe it, but the husband pulled out the big guns 

and actually said to our five year old, 

“Santa knows if you’ve been bad or good . . .”

Tuesday, December 14, 2010
I don't think I can possibly type another email today. Phew!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010
I am fairly certain the gingerbread house 

the boys and I just made would be condemned.

Thursday, December 16, 2010
My professionalism is being undermined 

by my youngest taking care of business in his diaper under my desk. 

A good reminder to not take life too seriously.

Week 49

Friday, December 3, 2010
A wonderful, inspiring meeting with a 

Young Adult book buying genius!

Saturday, December 4, 2010
Three years ago today brought along my Captain Danger . . . 

Happy Birthday, Kincaid!

Sunday, December 5, 2010
I am computer-less until TUESDAY! 

Withdrawls and desperation has kicked in 

as I pulled out the husband's OLD, OLD PC laptop. 

O, mac, come back to me . . . please.

Monday, December 6, 2010
Is currently freaking out . . .

Tuesday, December 7, 2010
. . . is beyond freaking out.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010
I just sent my hard drive across the country 

in hopes of recovering something. Anything.

Thursday, December 9, 2010
Getting ready for a night out with my 

favorite posse of moms sans kiddos! Whoo-Hoo!

Week 48

Friday, November 26, 2010

The snow is falling, the lights on the lodge have been lit, 

Rudolph flew through the sky, and Santa came by on his sled . . . 

let the Christmas season begin!

Saturday, November 27, 2010
The beauty of watching a 

“best of buds” relationship form.

Sunday, November 28, 2010
Home.

Monday, November 29, 2010
“Monday, please be nice to be as I've been on vacation 

and need to ease back into the chaos."

Tuesday, November 30, 2010
45 years ago today, my parents tied the knot, 

beginning a journey of love and adventure! 

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010
It’s official. In the name of allergies, 

we have purchased our first artificial tree.

Thursday, December 2, 2010 

NO! NO! NO! My computer will not boot up!

Week 47

Friday, November 19, 2010
What does it mean that I’ve now put on 

two watches this morning and 

neither one is keeping pace with the minutes 

as you and I know them?  

Saturday, November 20, 2010
Hurry, hurry, pack the car so we can sit for seven hours. 

Sunriver here we come.

Sunday, November 21, 2010
Day one of our winter wonderland vacation and 

the boys are up at 5:45 AM!  

Monday, November 22, 2010
Sledding, sledding, sledding. We’re off to go sledding.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Sheer delight as best described by a dog.

 
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Through the continuous flow of friends in our lives, 

to be able to find one that stays, forever, 

 is to truly be blessed. 

Thursday, November 25, 2010 

I am thankful for all of my family and friends, 

who continue to bless me each day 

with their presence.

Week 46

Friday, November 12, 2010
A final book critique—what a journey it’s been.

Saturday, November 13, 2010
The day was to be filled with nothing, 

but for some reason, 

I am running from one event to the other.

Sunday, November 14, 2010
A morning of music.

Monday, November 15, 2010
Reality. Kids to school, bill paying, house cleaning. 

Oh, yeah, and work.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Five queries out the door. Yikes.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010
What the heck? I just won “The Book Doctors” 

(Arielle Eckstut and David Henery Sterry’s) Pitchapalooza. 

Who knew I could pitch my book in a minute. 

Phew.

Thursday, November 18, 2010
On the cusp of my Pitchapalooza high, 

came the low of my first book agent rejection.

Week 45

Friday, November 5, 2010

Ahhh . . . my sister has arrived!

Saturday, November 6, 2010
I’m bravely waiting for 11 children under the age of 6. 

Let “Jedi Training Camp” begin!

Sunday, November 7, 2010
Two guys. Two birthdays. One big. One small. 

Both mine to love more each day. 

Happy 5th Birthday Rylan and Happy Birthday, Patrick!

Monday, November 8, 2010
Turning five was too much for the Ry-man. 

Now he’s home with a stomachache and fever.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Day five of up-ended routines 

is starting to take a toll on my sanity.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Time is slipping by faster then I can cram things in.

Thursday, November 11, 2010 

Sleeping in my own bed tonight. 

Words cannot express.

Week 44

Friday, October 29, 2010
Excitement is brewing in me and

I’m itching to pull the trigger.

Patience. Patience.

Saturday, October 30, 2010
A date. A date. An actual date without kids.

Sunday, October 31, 2010
They’re ying and yang, good vs. evil,

two sides of the same coin.

Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader.

Monday, November 1, 2010
How is it November?

Tuesday, November 2, 2010
I opened my office door to the sound of Christmas

music drifting down the stairs . . . um, Marilyn?

Wednesday, November 3, 2010
And so it begins. I “help” build the Lego creation

according to the instructions.

Two hours later it is three different spaceships.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Mmmm. Peppermint tea.

Reminds me of living in Switzerland.

Week 43

Friday, October 22, 2010
Query, query, query. 

What to write for my queries?

Saturday, October 23, 2010
Thank goodness for the husband 

who can talk his two-year old off the 

meltdown cliff and get him to sleep!

Sunday, October 24, 2010
A quiet day at home with no plans. Phew!

Monday, October 25, 2010
Peering out from a mass of books at Goodwill, 

waiting to be pulled back into existence, 

a childhood favorite—Andrew Henry’s Meadow.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Kade: “Knot, knot?”
Mom: “Who’s there?”
Kade: “Nanna.”
Mom: “Nanna who?”
Kade: “Um. . .” (long pause) “Knot, knot?”
Mom: “Who’s there?”
Kade: (Another long pause) “Or’nge.”
Mom: “Or’nge who?”
Kade with a big grin: “Glad I didn’t nanna you ‘gan.”

Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Chapter titles. I think I’ll add chapter titles.

Thursday, October 28, 2010
A quiet (sort-of) morning with my posse of moms.

Week 42

Friday, October 15, 2010
Dinner at home with friends. 

Minimal chaos. 

Nice.

Saturday, October 16, 2010
The end of an era as we swap out the crib 

for a set of bunk beds.

Sunday, October 17, 2010
FIVE YEARS. 

Five years this posse has been together. 

Unbelievable! 

Monday, October 18, 2010
I can’t keep my eyes open. 

Why am I fighting going to bed?

Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Four times, I tell you. 

Four times she made me run up that hill!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Some things never change. 

My almost five-year-old just used the 

“ABC—already been chewed” line on me.

Thursday, October 21, 2010 

Oregon, my alma mater . . . Go, ducks, go! 

Week 41

Friday, October 8, 2010
On a critiquing roll. We might actual get 

through our books by the end of the month.

Saturday, October 9, 2010
An impromptu ferry ride with friends,

eating lunch in the rain. Can’t beat it!

Sunday, October 10, 2010
A fun morning singing with a great group of guys.

Monday, October 11, 2010
Taxi? Anyone need a taxi-driver 

because I sure feel like one.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Where did my sweet natured, laid back two year old go? 

He’s been replaced by a head strong, 

temperamental almost three-year-old.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The parents are back in the country. 

Three plus weeks is too long 

for them to be gone!

Thursday, October 14, 2010 

Thank goodness for our Indian summer 

and the chance to keep running 

those boys at the park!

Week 40

Friday, October 1, 2010
The almost five-year-old is smitten 

with a little girl in his class. Is he old enough?

Saturday, October 2, 2010
Laughing with old friends at old stories—you can’t beat it!

Sunday, October 3, 2010
Chilly and gray outside—no wonder 

it’s 4:30 in the afternoon and I still can’t wake up.

Monday, October 4, 2010
“Mommy, seriously, if you turn on Star Wars, 

I’ll give you fifty bucks!” says the almost five year old. 

“For real.”

Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Check out lapommedeportland. 

Beautiful to look at—beautiful to eat. 

Photo by Carrie Cook Minns

Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Runny nose, runny nose, go away. 

Come back some other day . . . 

actually, don’t come back.

Thursday, October 7, 2010 

The operator must be smarter than 

the machine she is trying to outwit.

Week 39

Friday, September 24, 2010
We have hired the “Click and Clack” 

of the plumbing world to help us fix our pipes! 

They are hilarious.

Saturday, September 26, 2010
Good friends, good food, good wine 

with kiddo chaos tossed in for fun. 

The perfect inauguration of our newly restored kitchen pipes.

Sunday, September 26, 2010
A lazy day (with running water)!

Monday, September 27, 2010
I seriously don’t know how to dress for this weather.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010
It’s good to have friends who motivate you to 

run faster than you thought you could!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010
My two and a half year old is confused. 

He’s singing the lyrics of “Bob the Builder” 

to the tune of “Come Together”. 

John Lennon is rolling over in his grave.

Thursday, September 30, 2010
For a fall day, it sure is beautiful. 

(Don't tell the weatherman.)

Week 38

Friday, September 17, 2010
I’m done! I’m done! I’m done! WHOO-HOO, I’m done! 

Maybe I should crack the coffee-pot more often.

Saturday, September 18, 2010
Number 507. Check.

Sunday, September 19, 2010
I swam. I biked. I ran. Now I sleep.

Thanks for being my partner in crime, Rocio!

Monday, September 20, 2010
Is it over? Really? Months of prep work, 

and now the moment is history.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010
We were supposed to have out of town family over for dinner,

but our kitchen pipes had a different plan.

Let's not wait another fifteen years, Michele.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Patrick and I watch the water pouring through our ceiling 

with dread and $ in our eyes. 

The boys, on the other hand, 

can’t stop bouncing off the walls with excitement—

power tools, plumbers, flashlights, ladders.

Thursday, September 23, 2010 

Commuting dishes down the hall 

to the bathroom sink is getting old.

Week 37

Friday, September 10, 2010
I’m constantly disappointed when “Friday” 

doesn’t act like a “Friday”.

Saturday, September 11, 2010
Cooking up a couple of dozen “green eggs” 

for a Dr. Seuss celebration!

Sunday, September 12, 2010
An afternoon with beautiful women, 

clothes, and wine—aahhh.

Monday, September 13, 2010
I’ve decided I LOVE football season. 

The boys have discovered the big screen in the man-cave 

and I get the entire top floor to myself! 

Go football, go!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010
It was standing room only, 

as everyone crowded in with visions of being a writer.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010
The last big push before Sunday.

Thursday, September 16, 2010 

The coffee pot cracked this morning. 

I hope it’s not a sign of how the 

rest of the day is going to roll.

Week 36

Friday, September 3, 2010
Head bent at the kitchen table,
the two and a half year old quietly says to me after preschool,
“I sad. I miss you t’day.” Talk about twisting the knife in the heart.

Saturday, September 4, 2010
Is it five o’clock yet? I need a drink. 

Sunday, September 5, 2010
My finger is itchin’ to turn the heat on in the house.

Monday, September 6, 2010
Huff . . . puff . . . I made it. One down. One to go.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010
It’s Tuesday. It feels like Monday. And I keep thinking it’s Wednesday.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010
The hours between the school drop-off and
pick-up feel like they’re half of what they’re supposed to be.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Rain is not conducive for this city girl

to entertain active boys outside.

Week 35

Friday, August 27, 2010

Note to self: 

When running in unfamiliar territory, 

DO NOT divert from planned route, 

otherwise your 4 mile run becomes 6.

Saturday, August 28, 2010
A quietness settles over the car 

as we pull out of grandma and grandpa’s driveway — 

a week of fun had by all. 

Sunday, August 29, 2010
It really shouldn’t be this hard. 

It shouldn’t take me a month and a half 

to post my blog entries.

Monday, August 30, 2010
The last official day with a family treasure . . . Mar. 

Tuesday, August 31, 2010
“Did you hear me?” I ask my almost five-year-old. 

He replies while playing legos, “Yeah.” 

Pause. “Well, I heard you talking.”

Wednesday, September 1, 2010
How is it possible that they are both big enough 

to be going to school? 

Thursday, September 2, 2010 

I feel like the live-in maid.

Week 34

Friday, August 20, 2010
Who knew that regular critique and feedback 

would come to mean so much to me?

Saturday, August 21, 2010
Sitting on my new feather bed, 

spinning out the end of my story.

Sunday, August 22, 2010
Full and satisfied after eating Grandma’s 

homemade cooking for Grandpa’s 89th birthday!

Monday, August 23, 2010
And, and, and . . . he’s under! 

Rylan goes under water his first swim lesson of the week. 

Miracles never cease.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Eight years we celebrate today, my sweetie and me.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Why does pizza always taste so good?

Thursday, August 26, 2010
We could see the vast amount of smoke 

billowing up through the forest, 

reminding us of how insignificant we really are.

Week 33

Friday, August 13, 2010
Pure fun and delight! 

Saturday, August 14, 2010
I’ve seen my future and it looks fast. 

Sunday, August 15, 2010
I’m incredibly thankful for companies that can 

repurpose our old electronics.

Monday, August 16, 2010
Slammed!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Will we ever be a nation that truly embraces 

freedom of religion?

Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Why is it, that the clients always call 

on the days I don’t have childcare?

Thursday, August 19, 2010

There’s something about teenage angst that can 

motivate you to run up a hill.

Week 32

Friday, August 6, 2010
I just spent the morning with the wonderful, 

inspiring, Peggy King Anderson . . . ahhh.

Saturday, August 7, 2010
The words are pouring out of me and 

I am typing as fast as I can.

Sunday, August 8, 2010
You forget how good fresh picked vegetables are 

until you pick some yourself.

Monday, August 9, 2010
My no fear boy preparing for the X Games . . . 

thanks to the creative Miss Hanna for catching it on video!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010
We are all planets and spaceships as 

Rylan has ventured into Star Wars.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010
It is serious business, watching four-year-olds 

gather to discuss their next bike race around the park.

Thursday, August 12, 2010 

Meetings. Meetings. Meetings. 

They just keep coming.

Week 31

Friday, July 30, 2010
I am continually blown-away that the 

depth of one person’s love 

is the root of another person’s hate.

Saturday, July 31, 2010
I’ve got nothing.

Sunday, August 1, 2010
I look at my two sons gazing back at me 

and am overwhelmed with all things 

warm and beautiful.

Monday, August 2, 2010
And so it begins, Rylan’s first foray into the world of youth sports . . . 

that’s if I can actually find the correct soccer field.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010
What is it about getting a hair cut that leaves you feeling 

refreshed to face the rest of the day?

Wednesday, August 4, 2010
You gotta love when you watch your children 

bounce the energy right out of themselves.

Thursday, August 5, 2010
I have the coolest family.

Week 30

Friday, July 23, 2010
The next best thing to brothers — cousins!

Photo by Carrie Minns

Saturday, July 24, 2010
Our two and a half year old has a new nickname: 

Captain Danger

Sunday, July 25, 2010
Can . . . this . . . traffic . . . be . . . any . . . worse? 

A five-hour trip in seven and a half hours. 

Phew.

Monday, July 26, 2010
I’ve already missed my first post vacation appointment. 

I can’t quite get back into the swing of thing.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010
I can get used to these play date things — that is, 

the ones where I’m dropping my child off.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010
There is a direct correlation between 

the weight of my foot on the accelerator and 

the length of the straight road that lies before me.

Thursday, July 29, 2010 

I can't decide if itty-bitty lego pieces were developed to 

nurture the creative soul or to test the durability of one’s vacuum.

Week 29

Friday, July 16, 2010
A single bird, alone, bothering nobody, coated in oil.

Saturday, July 17, 2010
O, laundry, every week you taunt me 

by flowing out of the basket.

Sunday, July 18, 2010
My almost five-year-old has discovered 

knock-knock jokes. Not so funny.

Monday, July 19, 2010
Every night we hit the “reset” button in our living room. 

And every morning, chaos ensues.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Loading the car, corralling the troops, 

getting ready for a week with the cousins on the coast!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Nothing like my ten-year-old nephew 

keeping his mom honest while she’s on live TV.

Thursday, July 22, 2010 

How is it that the chaos doesn’t seem quite so chaotic 

when I’m sipping on a glass of wine with my sister?