I Remember When... We Went to Prague

Prague, August 14, 2006

From Damien Vanderpool:

I perused Pegs’ website while having a few minutes at work today, and I read your story about the chips.  I wanted to post on the site myself, but the firewalls here at work won’t let me, and I wanted to write this now while it’s still vivid in my mind.  The thought of paprika chips reminded me of our visit to the Czech Republic, and 3 things instantly came to my mind:

1. Every neighborhood in Prague had its own manhole cover, and they were all, oddly enough, quite beautiful.
2. The memory of all the statues along that bridge in Prague (a more observant/educated man would know the name of the bridge since it’s so famous, but alas I do not). [Ed. note: The bridge Damien is referring to above is the Charles Bridge, which is one of the most famous sites in the city, lined with 30 statues and offering a beautiful view of the Vltava River]
3. Pegs’ use of the word “guy” when referring to anyone (e.g.-“How’s it going, guy?”).

It is because of that trip (and Pegs’ humor/delivery) that I use that phrase on a regular basis to this day (and this vacation was about 5 or 6 years ago, wasn’t it?).  I think that was probably the first time I got to hang out with Pegs without the whole family there for more than a few minutes.  I had such a great time.  Thanks again for letting me be the 3rd wheel with you guys.

-Damien

p.s.-the memories are flooding in!  I also remember how the castles would have wallpaper that looked like stone, and we would remark on how cheesy it was and odd.

Click on the jump below to see some more pictures.

Ketchup Chips

I picked up a sandwich and a bag of chips in the cafeteria today, and as I was walking out I started talking to a colleague whose husband is Canadian. The conversation turned to the chips I had just purchased (Cool Ranch Doritos), and my colleague mentioned that her husband (who, keep in mind, is Canadian) likes really weird snacks from his childhood like ketchup flavored potato chips. This, of course, reminded me of Pegs, who on more than one occasion demonstrated her love of ketchup flavored chips by wolfing down an entire bag. Pegs wasn't big on processed food as a rule, but one of the things we liked to do when traveling to a foreign country was to visit a convenience store or grocery store and check out the chips section. It always amazed us to discover the flavors that appealed to the local palates, both by home-grown companies and multinationals like Frito Lay. Examples include the ever-popular roasted chicken and thyme flavored chips in France, paprika flavored chips in the Czech Republic and lime-soaked chips in Costa Rica.

London, Baby!

I've been putting up a few sentimental posts as of late, so I wanted to lighten the mood a little with something a bit more lighthearted. Below is a photo that only a few of you have probably ever seen from a weekend trip Pegs and I took to London to meet up with Eric Schwesinger, who flew all the way to England because his mother's astrologist told him he had to be there on his birthday (seriously). We had just left our hotel and were walking down a small street when Pegs saw this scantily clad mannequin in the window of a shop. Completely unprompted, Pegs reached through the grill of the front door and gave the mannequin's hooter a honk. Maybe it's the mischievous look on her face or the fact that she would do something so funny without a second thought, but this shot makes me chuckle every time.

London, April 29, 2006

Pre-Zip Lining Video

I thought you all might enjoy another video from Pegs' zip lining tour. Since we showed up bright and early that morning, we had some time to kill while we waited for the other canopy tourists to show up. Pegs decided to document our downtime by turning the camera on me and Damien and asking us a bunch of questions. The video includes a number of inside jokes between me, Pegs and Damien (including one of Pegs' favorite Damienisms, the always appropriate "That's funny to me."). As you can tell from the video, Pegs was clearly enjoying herself that morning.

Bonus: If you'd like to see footage of Sofia saying an obligatory "Wheeee" as per our conversation, click this link.

I Remember When...: Pegs Went Zip Lining

Costa Rica, March 30, 2011

After she got her first cancer diagnosis, Pegs decided to make a lot of lifestyle changes: cutting out sugars and processed foods, limiting her use of and contact with chemical products, reducing stress, etc. She even considered getting a tattoo, which was something she had never been interested in before; she later liked to joke that she had all the tattoos she needed after she got her radiation treatment markers (little permanent dots they put on to indicate where the radiation needs to be delivered each session). After her first recurrence, she was more determined than ever to implement positive lifestyle changes, and that included being open to new experiences. Little did she know that she would get an opportunity while we were in Costa Rica for Vanessa's wedding to have a new life experience that many consider thrilling, dangerous and/or nauseating. No, I'm not talking eating about the local cuisine; I'm talking about zip lining.

Photos from Costa Rica

Here are a couple more photos from the trip to Costa Rica. It was such a special week.

Costa Rica, March 30, 2011

Costa Rica, March 31, 2011

Thinking of you... Poolside

Despite it being late October, the weather out here in the Bay Area is really nice. It's sunny and about 85ºF - the perfect weather to go to the pool. Thinking about that reminded me of being in Costa Rica for Vanessa's wedding and hanging out with Panagiota by the pool at the place we rented. Even though she had just finished a round of chemo only a few days earlier, Pegs seemed really happy and relaxed during that trip. How relaxed, you ask? This relaxed:

Costa Rica, March 2011

Thinking of you... In Bondues

Bondues, Christmas 2005

Translated from the original French, available after the jump:

All of the French family remains united more than ever with you, as well as with Lee and Sofia, holding you deep in our hearts as the day we met you for the first time! In the apartment at The Caleches [where Mamie and Bon Papa lived] we found pictures that Lee had given to Bon Papa that immortalized the smile that brightened your face! Patrick and Béatrice

Bondues, Christmas 2005

Bondues, Christmas 2005

I Remember When ... Mattress Pro Edition

One of my favorite things about Pegs was that she was able to match Lee tit for tat in the sarcasm/witty department. And she wasn't afraid to let Lee know when he wasn't being funny.

One day, while the Vanderclan family was in Las Vegas for the holidays, Lee, Pegs, Mom, and Ariel were in the car (perhaps others...I do not know, since I was not there). They were driving around Las Vegas when they passed a store called "The Mattress Pro". Lee, thinking he was being absolutely hilarious, commented something to the extent of "The mattress pro's are WAY better than the mattress amateurs!" to which no one laughed...except Ariel (because, God bless her, she laughs at everything). Pegs, sitting in the front seat swiftly turned around to Ariel and told her in absolute seriousness: "Stop encouraging him!"

Although this story is nothing special in and of itself (especially since everyone in the car was thinking the same thing), the story always stuck with me because: a) I found it hilarious, and b) it made me appreciate Pegs all the more for doing something the rest of the Vanderpools have been yet to do: force Lee to shut up.

As an aside: I love you, Lee!