Family photos, part 1

It seemed easy enough, at first.

“Hey, everybody, let’s take a family photo!” I said, standing in the backyard of my parents’ home. We had all gotten together for a going-away party for my brother.

“Yeah!”

“I’ll get the tripod!”

“OH MY GOD, THIS IS THE BEST IDEA OF OUR ENTIRE LIVES!”

That’s what I expected to hear from my family. After all, that’s the reaction we always got from my wife’s family. They are a bunch who are so in love with family photos it’s unseemly. (examples can be found here, here and here), but my family is a bit... different.

The reaction I got from my family was more of the “just pretend you didn’t hear him, maybe he’ll change the subject” variety.

But after pleading for a bit we finally got everyone to put down the potato salad and pose for a family photo.

This family photo, to be specific:



It’s a cute photo, but it's not really a photo that reflects my family. My crazy, strange, “I’ve never made sense a day in my life” family.

So after much teeth pulling and begging I managed to get everyone back in place.

“This’ll be quick. Just one photo,” I said. “A silly one. Something fun.”

It took some persuading, but we did finally get them to agree to it...

...And then we accidentally took a photo before everyone was ready.

It almost ruined everything.

Finally, though, we did get the photo that I wanted:

 

This is the kind of family photo I had hoped for. Something fun. Something that said “We’re a family, and we’re having a good time.”

But, you know what? This photo doesn't really reflect my family, either.

Looking back over the photos from that day I was a bit disappointed. These photos were fine but they weren’t what I wanted.

I wanted a photo that says: “This is who we are. We eat pumpkin pie for breakfast, watch Murder She Wrote on DVD and have a weird infatuation with pigeons, fish, dogs, cats and the public library. We don't like cable television, but we love cable television shows. We live in Troutdale, Oregon and we are Pursingers."

These photos were fun, but they weren’t it.

And then I found this one.

It's the photo that we had taken accidentally. It’s a bit out of focus, and nobody is ready for the shot. Only about half of us are smiling and Katie didn’t even make it into the photo because she was setting up the camera.

But this?

 

This is the photo I want hung on my wall.

Nobody looks quite like they are expecting the photo to be taken and I’m not sure I know what my dad is doing with his arm, but this is exactly what I wanted.

This is my family.

And this is a great family photo.

Looking for Family Photos, Part Two?

Girls just wanna have fun...part deux

I thought I'd pick up the slack and put the rest of the photos up from our Gorge trip to a family wedding.

These are some of my favorite photos and it was a really fun day. We explored some of the beautiful Gorge on our way up to seeing my uncle get married. 

We got to see some family that we do not get to see very often, but as great as that was it doesn't make for great photos and we all know that is what you all are here for :)

So sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Bottom Falls of Multnomah Falls. Gorgeous!

A quick family photo while people were trying to walk by us

Mom and daughter in front of the falls :) 

Crazy girls.....all of them!

 Two peas in a pod.....

Have a good weekend everybody! I'm going to try to make as few commitments this weekend as possible and try to enjoy one of my last (semi) free weekends.

Girls just wanna have fun

Katie and I had a wedding this weekend in Washington and to make things easier on ourselves we decided to tag along with Katie's sister and her three daughters to make the hour-or-more car ride more enjoyable.

 Because when you're with Katie's three nieces life 

has a way of being very entertaining for everyone.

Along with a few stops at Multnomah Falls and Bonneville Fish Hatchery the ride was mostly long a quiet. As usual our camera was the one of the most popular things the girls wanted to play with on the journey.

If you've never given a 7-year-old a digital camera before, let me (briefly) give you a lesson on what you can expect when you get it back:

There will be a few photos of rocks.

One...

Or two...

Or six...

(I'll save you from seeing the rest, there are 32 more of these, all of the same rock).

(I'm not kidding)

There will also be photos of dolls.

Photos of their mother.

And several photos that make you say "huh?"

But, being adorable pre-tweens, there will be several photos of themselves posing and being silly.

 

 

If I get off my butt I'll post some other non-little girl photos from the trip, as well as that post I promised about the balloon festival...

But they just put a new season of Top Gear on Netflix, so my night's kinda booked...

Interesting headline goes here

Katie and I made the long trek from Hillsboro to Sellwood the other day (for those not Portland-centric it's, like, half-an-hour away but I like to complain) for a bit of family time.

We had expected a quiet dinner with Katie's cousin. What we got was an impromptu picnic in the park with a couple of cousins and some good friends.

As always, cameras were brought. Faces were made. Pictures are posted.

Katie's cousin Caitlin immediately strikes this pose when she sees a camera. True story.

This is, of course, when she's not striking THIS pose.

When you catch her off guard you get this face.

(I'm half kidding. Caitlin made this face on purpose).

(But seriously, the girl likes to pose)

Speaking of posing for the camera.

Family. It's a beautiful thing.

Just call me Roy Scheider

Geoff? Outside? Doing things? I know. I'm not comfortable with this either.

Last Friday I got a call from my brother Branden wondering what I had planned for that Sunday.

"Nuthin,'" I said. "Except for a big date with Little Big Planet my schedule is wide open."

"Oh good," he said. "Then you can go fishing with Dad and me."

"By jove," I cried. "That sounds splendiferous!"

(Geoff's note: I don't actually remember what was said, and some aspects of this conversation may have been enhanced for dramatic effect).

(Geoff's note 2: I have never been fishing before. Ever.)

The Columbia River, for those who haven't been, is an interesting place. It's packed with fellow boaters and fishermen, as well as gigantic cargo ships from all over the world.

This is CNN.

And so, on a bitingly cold morning last Sunday, the three of us set out in a small boat on the hunt for the elusive beast known as: The Salmon.

"This salmon, swallow you whole."

"Sometimes that salmon he looks right into ya. Right into your eyes. And, you know, the thing about a salmon... he's got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll's eyes. When he comes at ya, doesn't seem to be living... until he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then... ah then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin'..."

It was bitingly cold, and it poured for almost the entire nine hour excursion.

And to make matters worse, there weren't even any fish and hardly any bites.

UNTIL....

"♫ ba dum... ba dum... ♫"

"Two barrels, and he's going down again!"

We fought for hours, he and I, in a test of will between two masters of their element. Neither willing to give up an inch in their struggle for dominance about a minute and a half. This was the first fish I had ever caught, and I had no idea what I was doing. But in the end, the winner prevailed.

"Smile you son of a..."

Fishing in the cold and the rain wasn't really my thing, but it's hard to deny the results: He was the only fish the three of us were able to catch, and he was all mine.

And he was tasty.

Very, extremely, super-dee-dooper tasty.

Max update

As promised. Max pictures have arrived.

Not sure what I'm talking about? Check the link, fool!

(For those not in the know, you might want to catch up)

So according to what I've been told from Katie, whose down there, Max popped out right in the nick of time. It looks like everyone is doing well and Max and Mom could be going home today (or tomorrow, so doctors can keep an eye on little Max).

Anyway, that's not what you came here for. I know that.

Fine. HERE'S your precious BABY PHOTOS

 

 

 

 

I believe this expression is known as the " 'Sup, balla?"

Grandma and Max.

You can probably expect more from Katie later on today or tonight, because let's face it:

Katie + Camera + small babies = about 8 million photos.


...You know what I just realized? This guy was BORN in 2011. He'll look back at the 2000s in the same way that I think of the 1980s and 1970s. You know. Dinosaur times.

My god I'm old.

---Geoff

Hey, want to see what a grainy baby looks like?

Because man, have I found one!

UPDATE: Katie came through with some photos. Check them out!

Calm down, Mom, it's OK. You're not a grandmother.

Everyone meet Max Dunnihoo, officially the newest member of the Rappinger clan. He's my... uh... nephew-in-law? I guess? I dunno. Whatever. He's here now, about 4 weeks early, but here none-the-less.


Katie and I were woken by a frantic phone call at about 6 a.m. this morning, saying to get our butts to Eugene! With Katie's mom on vacation in Texas and unable to get to her, we're the closest relatives in about 150 miles to get down there.

Unfortunately this thing called work (and a fairly hefty cold) kept me from going and infecting Max, but Katie's doing her sisterly duty and (blogger that she is) made sure to take her camera with her.

...Of course this photo wasn't TAKEN with that camera, it looks like it was taken with someone's phone, and I found it online somewhere, but I'm sure that she's going to have photos a-plenty to update later.

(Right, Katie? You turned off your phone and won't call me back so here's hoping you read this: 

TAKE PICS! THE PEOPLE DEMAND IT!)

With Katie gone, my camera gone, and nobody wanting to return my calls, I've done what any good resourceful Internet-crazy 20something would do, and taken to Facebook for photos and updates.

Here's what I found:

Max'n'Mom

Le Family Dunnihoo

Also, specifics. I know nothing about babies or baby related measurements, so I have no idea if these are good or not. I assume they're fine...

    Max Dunnihoo

• 6 lbs. 6 oz.

• 19 inches

• Full head of hair

• Mom and baby seem to be doing fine.

If and when I get more info I'll update, or Katie will, or somebody will.

DANG IT, KATIE, YOUR MAKING THIS LOOK LIKE SOME TWO BIT OPERATION!

---Geoff

C is for Christmas

Every year Katie's family gets together during Christmastime to make cookies.

 

There's about a dozen members of the family who get together every year. They each bring some cookie dough and frosting and spend a few hours just shooting the breeze and making cookies.

I'm not sure how many cookies they make at one of these get-togethers, but I'd venture they make about 160 pounds of cookie.

See what I mean?

It's a fun little tradition which usually involves everyone standing around and chatting while three people actually MAKE the cookies.
 

I demand cookies. Now.

It also lets us hang out with some family members that we don't see every day. Like this little one.

"Hmmm... I think I need more fuzzy balls on my sweater."

Once the cookies are baked then everyone starts to decorate them.

Megan is a firm believer in the "superglue" theory of cookie decoration.

It's a tradition that mostly involves the women-folk and --- as usual --- I was the only gentleman to partake.

Multi-colored frosting is a must, and everyone has their own thoughts on what makes a quality cookie.

I first considered the "Jackson Pollock" approach to decorating...

But in the end settled for Winnie the Cookie, although some at the party said it was actually an L.A. Lakers bear

*GEOFF'S NOTE:  THIS IS WRONG.

Others opted to make  UO Duck Santa Ghost...thing.

Needless to say, I have about 80 pounds of cookie sitting on my counter if anyone wants to come over and savor some frosting and sugar cookie.

Come on, don't they look delicious?