Born: June 9, 1972
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July 22, 2003 at 3:35 pm
I'll stop the world and melt with you...
I had been tossing ideas around in my mind of how to recap our vacation to California. I could have written a short story (which would have definitely been the best, most entertaining way for you to read it). But, I just didn’t feel like I had the energy or…capacity. I could have just given a brief overview of everything that had happened, ending it with, “You’ll just have to believe me — we had a wonderful time,” but that would have left you (and me) wanting more. One night, while Julianna and I were preparing dinner, we had everyone write haikus about family and/or our week together. They turned out great and were ridiculously inventive. I guess I could have gone the artsy route and posted those (which, actually, I think I will post when I get our pictures back). Still, these haikus might only mean something to us (my family). So, being the analytical person that I am (and because of the fact that us Samoff’s are crazily talented at fitting loads of “fun” into small periods of time), I decided to sum up everything that happened in list form — kind of like a journal of past events. I know that this is not the most flow-oriented reading, but I decided to do this more for me — as something that I could come back to in the future and, possibly, relive…
HINDSIGHT – I see the future and it’s getting better all the time.
Tuesday, July 22, 2003
I wish I could stop the world and melt with all of them. It is almost to be cruel to one’s self to be placed with loved ones, only to be removed instances later — like, self-inflicting sensory deprivation or having someone steal all of your remaining water while you’re trekking through the desert. I love my family. Home is where the family is. I am beginning my own family now, but it will always be good to go back “home.” I hope every next time that I do, I will be even better at “stopping” and “melting.”
Little did I know that Ted Mason’s words would be so profound for me…
DEPARTURE – LAX or bust.
Friday, July 11, 2003
7:30am – Julianna and I arrive at Master’s Community in Shawnee, Kansas, for breakfast with Luke, Sarah, Corban, and Lydia before heading off to MCI.
(After college and before they moved down to Dallas, Texas to attend linguistics training, Luke and Sarah lived in two small rooms at Master’s Community. While they were back in town for the summer, they stayed at there again.)
We ate Luke’s world famous pancakes which were as good as the stories say they are — Luke has a knack for making large quantities of great tasting breakfast foods.
8:15am – Todd’s minivan is loaded and we head off to the airport.
Once at the airport, things went fairly smoothly. We checked in, got through security, and sat down at the gate to wait for our boarding time. Corban loved watching the planes outside as well as all of the little “guys” scurrying around to get the planes ready for takeoff.
10:10am – Board the plane.
We found our seats and got comfortable. Corban was ecstatic, as is expected from a boy who’s almost 2-years old. The trip was mostly uneventful, but taking care of Corban and Lydia (10-months old) doesn’t make for the most relaxing ride. Corban made friends with most of the people in our section of the plane. The most entertaining part of the trip was watching the expression on a flight attendant’s face as Luke changed Corban’s diaper on her seat. Stinky.
11:15am – Arrive at LAX (20 minutes early).
We found all of our luggage and car seats and duffel bags (quite a haul for a week-long vacation) and set up outside to wait for Mom & Dad to come pick us up — LAX has such strict security now that people who aren’t flying can’t come inside.
It sure was good to see them. The last time was at our wedding in September. I couldn’t even write enough to describe how I feel about my parents, so I won’t even try. They get better with age.
We were all pretty hungry, despite the snack boxes that we got on the plane, so we decided to go to an In-N-Out Burger that wasn’t too far from the airport. The drive-thru line was ridiculous. It looked like the wait-time to get to the pick-up window was about half an hour. An In-N-Out employee was actually outside taking orders from people in their cars. This wouldn’t have been a problem for us as we wanted to order inside, but, as it turned out, the drive-thru line was also the line that led to the parking lot. So, I got out, took everyone’s orders (we were in two cars) and rushed inside to place them. Not long after, both Mom & Dad found parking spaces and we all sat down to a nice lunch outside, beneath the thunderous roars of other departing and arriving flights.
2:00pm – Arrive at home in Thousand Oaks.
My brother made a comment about how coming back home for us used to always be such a nostalgic experience. Recently, though, our parents had completely remodeled their kitchen, dining room, and living room. He was bummed that coming home no longer felt like “coming home.” Home is where your family is, though, isn’t it?
We rested and cleaned up; sat around and talked. After eating dinner — my mom made some great bruschetta that were more like little personal pizzas than bruschetta — we were off to Grandma Samoff’s house. She is doing well. Not as well as we’d like, but well enough. It was good to see her smile.
CALIFORNIA RECEPTION – Finally.
Saturday, July 12, 2003
7:00am – Time to get up and start cleaning up for the party.
As I entered the kitchen, my brother and dad had already started their first discussion on biblical topics that would, for sure, fill the entire week. I was too tired to listen to what they were talking about. I went back into the living room, picked up my guitar and began to strum. Almost immediately, Corban was in front of me, dancing to the music. Then, Sarah came in with Lydia, Luke and Dad entered, and then my mom. Soon, we were all rocking out to praise and worship songs. Somewhere during this time, Julianna arrived to sing too. After a couple more songs, we sat down to a huge breakfast that my mom had prepared.
Samoff’s are good workers. I think it comes from being recent descendants of Russian immigrants who really did have to work to make it. (I appreciate my heritage.) Not after long, everything was ready for the party, posted sign in the front yard and all.
11:00am – The caterer arrives.
The caterer is a friend of my mom’s from church. She’s very nice. She’s a very good cook.
12:30pm – The first guests arrive (the party was supposed to start at 1:00pm!)
Uncle Morris and Aunt Nikki. Two 1st generation Russians who still attend the Russian Molokan church in Los Angeles. Uncle Morris is the one who everyone avoids sitting next to, but always ends up next to him anyway. This is because he tells stories — good stories, actually, but the same stories…every time you see him.
The party was great and went off without a hitch. It was so tiring, though. I have planned a few of these get-togethers in my time and I don’t know why I never learn that they are just not the best way to catch up with people. I got to talk to most of my friends and relatives, but only for short periods of time. I was happy when a bunch of us got our guitars out and began to play. Jason, Julianna’s brother, who came up from Riverside, led a few of us others in a pretty upbeat jam session. That also allowed me to let my friends play together without the need of my attention so that I was able to sneak off and talk to some other people.
11:00pm – Time for bed.
The last person to leave was my friend, Dennis, who, because I had stated that the party went until 11 o’clock, just had to stay until 11 o’clock. This didn’t bother anyone too much, though, and his enthusiasm in a book of pictures that Matthew, my sister’s husband brought, documenting the refurbishing of their home in Eureka, California, was kind of entertaining and inspiring all at once.
MORE FAMILY FUN – My mom’s side.
Sunday, July 13, 2003
8:30am – Leave for Dana Point to see Grandma and Grandpa Pierce.
We woke up around 7:00am again (this was really 9:00am, our time), ready for another good breakfast. Luke and Sarah had already gone, because they were scheduled to speak at three “talks” at our grandparents’ “meeting place,” who supports them.
After eating and getting the kids ready for our 2-hour drive, we were off too.
10:30am – Arrive at South Shores.
South Shores has a breathtaking view of probably the most beautiful section of the Southern Californian coast. Who couldn’t believe in Him with that in front of you. The service isn’t quite as inspiring, but it is where my mom’s parents feel like they belong — they have attending for something like 55 years. It is where my mom and her siblings went while growing up, where my mom and dad got married, and where I’ve always gone when visiting my grandparents. In the last few years, they have built a new “meeting place” and hired a new leader, but it still feels like the same old place. Home, because of my family and even more so when old friends are there to greet you too.
Luke and Sarah ended up speaking at three “talks” plus an early morning “group.” They were only given a few minutes, but Luke fit in a neat story about an old man who lived in Australia and how people can affect the lives of others even when they don’t know it.
Afterwards, we headed back to the grandparents’ house for lunch with the rest of the family (my mom’s brothers’ families all live in Dana Point as well). On our way through the neighborhood, my mom noticed that a certain house was for sale and that the realtor was having an open house. “Wow!” she exclaimed, “That’s the house that my dad’s dad built!” We were all amazed.
When lunch was finished, we all (15 of us, or so) decided to visit the open house. To the astonishment of the realtor, all of us filed out of our cars and walked into the house. It was funny to see my grandpa telling the realtor (who had no idea who we were) where everything was located. The thing is, my grandpa would point to the living room and say, “Here’s the garage,” or point to the dining room and say, “And here’s the living room.” The realtor kept trying to correct the funny “old” man, to no avail. Then, we told the realtor who had built the house who the old man was. He was so astonished that he had everyone who was in the Pierce family sign his guest book. He thought that it would be a great selling point. The house, when my great grandfather had moved out, had sold for $30,000 (which was high for the time). It’s now selling for $1 million. Wow.
From here, my family split off from the rest and headed to the beach. We went to the marine reserve down by the point, which is a fun place for people who don’t want to go in the water (during low tide, it is one of the better tide pools I have ever seen). When there, though, my dad, brother-in-law, and I couldn’t contain ourselves. We stripped our shirts off and ran right into the ocean. The rest of our family just watched and laughed. The water was so warm that we couldn’t believe it. Home: it was nice to be back on the west coast.
We swam. Everyone else played around on the beach — Corban and Lydia both loved getting wet and feeling the sand. Then, we went back to Grandma and Grandpa’s. We cleaned up, ate a quick dinner, and then were back on the road to Thousand Oaks.
THE BEACH – Visit #2
Monday, July 14, 2003
7:00am – Up again.
The morning was mostly spent resting and cleaning up from the party on Saturday. Some of the clan had gotten up to go jogging in the hills a little earlier. We played some more music, ate another big breakfast, and had a good time just being home.
1:00pm – To the beach!
We decided to go to the jetty in Ventura this time — not too far from where I lived for a few years. It’s a great sandy beach where the waves aren’t too difficult. We had a lot of fun. I think Julianna would have been a surfer if she had grown up in California.
That evening was the first “Couples make the dinner” night. Luke and Sarah were up first. They showed us how to make “Hobos”: throw everything you have into a tin foil shell and grill it until done. Ours consisted of a bunch of different kinds of vegetables and chicken. They were delicious!
My family is very competitive (thanks, Grandma!). While Luke and Sarah were preparing their meal, they gave each one of us a sheet of tin foil and told us that we had to create a sculpture out of the entire piece. Later, they would pick a winner and give a prize. I made a mold of my face, by placing the foil over my face and pushing it into the indents (I didn’t think is was very creative). Julianna made a nice little flower. Amie made a baby holding a teddy bear. Matt made two things: a tree and a trophy elk head (always the artist). My mom made her own version of a face mold. My dad made a well-built fish. Before we ate, Luke and Sarah chose me as the winner and told me that the prize was to wash the dishes. Thanks. This became the theme of the week.
REST DAY – Thank you, Mom, we need it.
Tuesday, July 15, 2003
Most of the day was spent playing Ping Pong, reading, and napping.
Sometime in the afternoon, we all went to Gardens of the World, a small botanical garden that was built for public enjoyment right in the middle of Thousand Oaks. It was a nice walk and some much needed time outside.
Tonight was Matt & Amie’s dinner night. They had decided to prepare all of the fixings for Nori (California) Rolls. We rolled rice, veggies, avocado, and salmon into seaweed paper, cut them up and dipped them in soy sauce and wasabi… If heaven had food, this would be it.
The competition tonight was corporate. While Amie and Matt were preparing, the rest of us had to create a centerpiece for our table out of all of the pieces and parts of the vegetables and foods that couldn’t be used for the meal (the ends of carrots and green onions, the small chopped up pieces of bell peppers, etc.). We created quite a masterpiece that seemed to get better and better as it dried up throughout the rest of the week. Luke and I did the dishes.
For dessert, Matt made homemade ice cream for us. For a topping, my mom made some “smoochy” chocolate sauce (a secret recipe of Sarah’s family); we also had blue berries and whipped cream.
We ended our night with a rousing game of Scrabble. Don’t ever try to cross a Samoff when playing Scrabble — we’ve sent people home crying because of the way we play.
POOL PARTY – Grandma knows how to have fun.
Wednesday, July 16, 2003
7:00am – I’ve got to stop doing this!
I woke up to a phone call from my friend Bill who had gone for an early morning jog with Amie and Sarah. He told me about how Amie had tried to kill him and leave him in the hills. Supposedly, it had been so hot that he had suffered from a mild case of heat exhaustion. On their way back down the trail to where they parked, Bill felt his tongue go numb, his hands get tingly, and his heartbeat got way up. He lied down in some shade to try to let his body cool down, but it wouldn’t. Sarah ran back to the car to get some water for him, which helped. It was 6:30am when it happened and it was already 95 degrees. Sorry, Bill.
10:30am – Off to Grandma Samoff’s for some fun in the pool and Kentucky Fried Chicken.
One wouldn’t think that it would be hard to find a Kentucky Fried Chicken, but in Ventura County, they are seemingly rare. We finally found one in Simi Valley, placed our order, and then headed off for Grandma’s home.
We had a lot of fun that day, hanging out and swimming and getting to see Grandma. She had a lot of fun too — it’s always good to see the family that you’ve created doing well and enjoying life. The chicken wasn’t great, but the fun was.
3:30pm – Time to get home and get ready for family pictures. Tim & Julianna are cooking tonight.
On our return home, Julianna and I were right back in the car and on our way to the store to pick up what we needed for dinner. We set up a burrito bar with homemade guacamole and corn salsa.
6:00pm – Dinner is served (we are really pushing our schedule).
While Julianna and I were getting everything ready, we gave the task of writing haikus to the rest of the family. The haikus were to be written around the concept of family, something that they did during their week, or the idea of the week in general. Their creations were wonderful. My family is so creative.
We told everyone that we didn’t want to pick a winner and that the people who chose to do the dishes would just have to do it out of the goodness of their hearts. Amie and Sarah were so kind.
7:00pm – Clean up and change clothes for family pictures.
7:30pm – Photo shoot.
My parents decided to do something different this year. They hired a photographer to come to our house to take pictures of us instead of having to go to a studio. The photographer and her assistant arrived about an hour early to check out the locations and then wait for us to finish getting ready. The shoot was mostly fun, with the kids getting antsy near the end. I can’t wait to see which ones they choose.
More Scrabble (and a few heated games of “speed” Scrabble) closed out Wednesday night.
BACK TO THE BEACH – Visit #3
Thursday, July 17, 2003
10:00am – Up the coast.
This time, we went to a beach in Carpenteria. It’s a very nice swimming beach where the waves never get above 2 feet high and the crowd is fairly minimal. Bill went with us this time. Julianna got to show off more of her prowess on the boogie board and us California boys got to show her what a skim board was.
The entire day was so fun, only to be drawn to a sad close as Matthew, Amie, and Acacia had to leave us for Long Beach (where Matt’s dad and brother live). It was good to have the time that we had with them, though.
After returning home, Julianna and I showered and got ready for a night out on the town.
First, was dinner at Kaminari Sushi with some friends (Tak is the best sushi chef I’ve ever met — and a good friend too). A few of us met up to partake in much raw fish. Mmm mmm mmm!
After dinner, we drove down to the Knitting Factory in Hollywood to see my friend Scott play with John and Mary (from 10,000 Maniacs) and Ted Mason (Modern English).
John and Mary’s set kind of blew — accentuated by the most horrendous, geeky, out-of-tune bass player imaginable (come on, guys, you are professionals!). Scott’s playing was good, though, and his new Korg CX3 sounded awesome.
Ted Mason’s set, in contrast, kicked butt! He has got to be one of the best guitarists I have ever seen, not to mention his voice and personality — he had me cracking up the entire time. When he sat down for his first song, he started playing this blazing fast classical tune. When finished, Ted replied in a gruff British accent, “Well, I wasn’t ever able to do that with Modern English, so I thought, ‘what the bloody ‘ell’!” Then he went into a few other numbers and closed the set with the old Modern English favorite, “I’ll Melt With You.” It was amazing. When the song came to an end (we thought), they changed keys and went into a 15-minute jam session where Ted almost started a fire on the fretboard with his fingers. It ended when Ted faced the band and shouted, “I don’t know how to get back to the song, my guitar is out of tune.” Immediately, Scott started playing “I’ll Melt With You,” in its original key, staying on certain notes so that Ted could tune back up to it. With no warning at al, Ted said (into the mic this time), “Scott knows the song better than I do,” and they were back into the original song, bringing it to an end with such a fervent crescendo that I was mesmerized. Too cool.
We got home late. Tired.
LUNCH – The armpit of California.
Friday, July 18, 2003
8:30am – We got up later today.
10:00am – Julianna and I are on the road to Riverside to have lunch with her brother Jason.
It’s a two-hour drive from Thousand Oaks to Riverside. We were making the trip for an hour-long lunch with Jason. Extreme, but we felt that we should. Lunch was great. Having some one-on-one time with Jason was comfortable and fruitful. I’d do it again anytime. It rained going there and coming back — unusual for Southern California at this time of year, but nice.
2:30pm – Back home to rest up a little.
4:30pm – Julianna and I went over to see Grandma Samoff again.
We went over early (the rest of the family was coming after dinner), because we were scheduled to have dinner with my friends Jason and Lisa and their family. While at my grandma’s home, though, we got a call from my brother telling us that Jason’s whole family was sick and that dinner was cancelled. So, we told my grandma that she was lucky because she got to see us twice that night — now, when we were there, and after dinner, when our whole family comes over.
Dinner was leftovers and then we were back to Grandma’s. Our last visit with her was great. We all talked and laughed and had a good time. She is such a character. I love my grandma.
And then we were home again for a few last games of “speed” Scrabble and then bed.
HOME – So close, yet so far.
Saturday, July 19, 2003
6:00am – Hiking.
My dad, Luke, and I thought it would be fun for us guys to go out for a hike on our last day in California. It was a good idea. We drove to some trails that are by an old Chumash Indian reservation close to where my parents’ house is. The trail leads into the hills that surround our valley; a beautiful mix of desert flora and fauna. While on our hike, we got to share about our lives, talk about our futures, and pray for our wives. We are failures in contrast to the love our wives give us. Though, we try, we will never compare. They are wonderful women.
In true male fashion, we bonded and then we drove back home. That’s it.
Bill came up to the house to play a couple of final games of Ping Pong, look at some photo albums that we missed, and say his last goodbyes. It was nice of him to make the effort.
12:30 – Leave for LAX.
Two hours is enough time to get to LAX on a Saturday, right? I mean, it’s 45 miles. In normal traffic it takes an hour and twenty minutes. Were we wrong… After a little over 2 hours of 25-mile-an-hour, stress-filled traffic, we finally got to LAX. As my dad is helping us out of his car and into the airport, he got a parking ticket ( “No, wait! I’m just helping them with their…!” ). When my mom let Luke and his family out at the curb, she didn’t want to chance it so she just drove off. It was sad and tense and exciting all at once. I wish we could have said goodbye to my mom, but we just didn’t have the time.
With 20 minutes to spare, we got checked in, went through security, and made our way to our gate. The other passengers were already aboard. We were told that our luggage wouldn’t make it onto our flight. That was not fun.
We sat down at 3:00pm. Or flight was scheduled to leave at 3:05. Thank you, Lord.
We were so late to board that only Julianna and Sarah were able to sit together, but that was ok. The flight went smoothly and we arrived home at 8:15pm.
8:30pm – Load up and drive home.
Todd arrived at MCI to pick us up and take us back “home.” Everyone was tired, but relieved to be back home. When we returned, we all sat down to a dinner of Taco Bell and then said goodbye again. Sunday would be Luke and Sarah’s last day in this area, and though we would see them off in the morning, this felt like the end.
10:30pm – Our home.
It is good to sleep in one’s own bed. (Maybe that’s what makes a home.)
GOODBYE – I wish it weren’t so.
Sunday, July 20, 2003
10:00am – Master’s Community.
Luke gave a sermon on Psalm 36 and its relevancy within the gospel. It was clear, concise, and inspiring. He did a great job considering how tired he was.
And then it was time to say goodbye…again. It was quick this time — they had to get on the road back to Dallas, via Tulsa (where they would visit our aunt and uncle), and we had lunch plans with Julianna’s family — but it was no less emotional. I will miss them terribly.
HOME – I will miss it.
I will miss my home, but I am excited for the new one that is beginning…
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