my new sunday afternoon pasttime ...

next week I will start my new calling in primary, chorister. i'm not sure how i feel about this quite yet. it was obvious our previous chorister spent hours and hours and hours each week preparing for singing time. i explained to the primary president i don't have that much time, she re-assured me they didn't expect that much but i still don't feel all that relieved. there was not one single sunday in the past two years that i have taught sunbeams that she has just shown up and sang songs, not ONE. so, today i spent hours and hours getting ready for next week. i tried to re-assure myself that some of the stuff i was doing are things that i will be doing each week so i won't have to re-do them each time. this is going to be a challenge to say the least. but i promise i will not be making any life-size statues out of wood, that much i know :) also, no solos.

Good Times ... christmas eve, christmas day, day after

david and tiffany opening their gifts: shoes, clothes, pj's, robes, perfume, etc (picture below) (picture above) david, tiffany, and chip - their dog came along too

it's official, here's the ring on the finger :)

no one was forgotten, not even the dogs. maddy loves her "squeaker toys" she has the squeaker ripped out in no time though

katie got some new boots to keep her feet warm

kyle got an eskimo coat to keep him warm walking around campus, he says it get's 20 below

bob got some new sunglasses

katie is super thrilled with her camera, she has been wanting one for a while now

santa left kyle a stash of gift cards to various fast food places, he said they will get used quick at byu-i

pj time. i didn't do too good on the pj's this year. Kyle's were a little snug and luckily i had a back-up for katie because her's didn't fit at all, whoops. everything else was a success though

everytime we go to Costco we want to get the big chocolate cake, but we know it will only be Bob and I eating it so we dont. this was a perfect excuse to get it so we could share ...

eat up, there's plenty!

Kurt supervising the food before the feast began

all in all a great christmas...

I have a question

why are my pictures downloading opposite of what I want??? I don't remember this being a problem until just recently, but I choose the pictures I want to add to my post, I start from with the first picture I want in that order and then keep adding but now they show up on the post with the last picture firt. Obviously I could start with the last picture when I add them but I don't remember having to do it that way before ... this might not even make sense but if anyone has an answer please explain.

Sweet 16

a few friends help celebrate
her car ... now I really won't be able to sleep at night!

some cash from the grandparents - always puts a smile on your face to have cash :)

Kyle took Katie up to get her real license in the morning, he was soooo excited to get up at 7:45am

the goody table before

a few birthday pictures ...

finally snow!

The snow started falling yesterday. The first snow of the season, it's always sort of exciting and it makes it feel like Christmas but it get's old fast! I took this picture today. One down side to all of this was that Kyle of course was headed home for the break. I was worried sick but he made it safely to Spokane Friday night and was home in Pateros before noon today. He actually said the worst stretch was between Bridgeport and Brewster and then again coming into Pateros. Next week we have bitter cold temperatures to look forward to ...

a dog's life ...

This is how I found Mia sleeping this morning. Sometimes it wouldn't be so bad to be a dog!

just barely!

well, she did it. just barely with a 82%. Bob and Katie thought it would be funny to text me after the driving test and tell me that she had to come back again next week. of course she does, not to re-take the test but to get her picture and her REAL license. I was in a CPR class but as soon as I was out I called, haha they are soooo funny. It was a big day for me because I re-signed from my job at home health. Not completely, but as a full-time employee. I accepted a position at a nursing home in Brewster, Harmony House, as the resident care coordinator and part-time treatment nurse. My hours at my new job are M,T,W and every other Sunday (for four hours and I can go in after church). So I would LOVE to completely call it quits there but I need more than three days a week so I can work per diem on Thursdays or Fridays or both at home health but also have the flexability to not ... I love that.

awards night for fall sports

Tonight was the fall sports award program. Katie told us we didn't need to bother coming because she wouldn't be getting any awards. We went anyway. I like hearing what the coaches say about all the kids, it's not just about the awards. Katie was pleasantly surprised when she received the Most Improved award for the volleyball team. It's always fun to have a pleasant surprise!

p.s. tomorrow is the big day (for katie and mom)

one step closer ...

Katie passed her written test last Friday with a score of 87%. She is now that much closer to having a real license! She will attempt to pass the driving test on Tuesday, should she fail she will have to wait a week and then try again. So, stay tuned ...

happy start to the holidays

I wish I still had little ones that were excited about decorating the tree!
we got her hooked! read it in one day, saw the movie twice, bought a poster and t-shirt

a little outing up Snow Canyon to take some pictures ...

ahhhh, beatutiful downtown Las Vegas - jk - but it looks kind of cool at night (we spent a total of $5.50 on the slot machines)

ya we all rode the roller coaster, this was before

the last straw

i

these were my new glasses. Coach designer glasses. Misty (our bad, bad dog) chewed them up while we were gone this afternoon. three dogs will be going to the vets to stay during our Thanksgiving vacation, only TWO might come home. SERIOUSLY. i know this is harsh but she has chewed up hundreds of dollars worth of belongings, including two north faces. She has bit the UPS driver twice and he will no longer come to our house, neither will the water delivery man. i really don't know what to do!!

Another bargain that could not be passed up ...

then again, can any bargain be passed up? I don't think so! My black boots went perfectly. I only had an hour at the mall but I made the best of it ... just went to my favorite store.

Quick Trip

Katie and Ashleigh sitting together at Red Robing after the game.
Right after the game was over, I was wondering to myself why Ashleigh has such a big smile and her team just lost and Katie looks so grumpy??

We made a dash over to Seattle Saturday. We decided last minute to go watch Ashleigh play soccer. Shorewood was in the State 4-A quarter final play offs. They played Woodinville. Unfortunately they lost 2-1. Both of Woodinville's goals were made in the first half, Shorewood scored their one goal in the second half and had a couple of close shots but they just didn't go in for them. According to Elena "they played like crap" ... that happens. A few days earlier they had beat the number one team in state. We left around 8:45 Saturday morning and got home about 12:40am Sunday (you know what I mean). Katie drove most of the way there and when we were coming down the other side of Stevens Pass she declared that "getting to Stevens is pretty easy so it should be no problem for her in another month". I quickly corrected her that she would NOT be driving herself to Stevens Pass this winter. I informed her that she is not even ready to drive to Wentachee by herself, her area is limited to Pateros, Brewster, and Chelan for now! Bob had a few things he needed to take care of, Katie and I met Elena and Ashleigh at Alderwood Mall, we surprised Ashleigh she didn't know we were coming so that was fun. The game was at 5:00 and then we went to Red Robin after. A quick trip but fun, I hadn't seen Elena for at least six months.

Report Card Time

I do not like to use the blogging as a reason to "brag" but sometimes in the discouragement of everyday life and the normal ups and downs it's good to remind ourselves of the positives. So, this is Katie's report card for the first term. She says she is going to try to get the A- up to a solid "A" but the end of the quarter, she was just one percent off this time. I guess I won't complain when I see her on the computer or hear her in her room on the phone, somehow she must be finding time to do her work!!

Pig Money

This is Katie's first purchase with her pig money. She fell in love with this coat. She needed (wanted) a new snowboarding jacket and so she decided rather than the money getting frittered away on snacks, pops, etc she would buy something she can really get some good use out of. It looks pretty cute, she has white pants she got last year for her birthday. I am considering buying these hot pink pants that match the coat for Christmas for her, she loved them too but couldn't really afford both!

Santarem, Brazil

A few pictures of the area Brian is serving at right now. The city of Santarem is located where the Amazon and the Tapajos rivers meet. When the rivers meet one is muddy and the other is clear blue. When they meet the two colors run side by side for kilometers without mixing. the locals call this the "meeting of the waters". It is named after a city in Portugal.

District Volleyball Tournament 2008

Katie in ready defense position
Pateros Nannies just before match started (everyone was still smiling at this point)

This morning we got up early and headed to Kittitas for the district volleyball tournament. We played our first game there on Tuesday and lost to the first place team, Moses Lake Christian Academy. So today it was a loser out game, loser goes home, winner plays again later for the second spot to state. It is the best of five. They lost their first game, won the second, won the third. At this point I was a little excited thinking they might do this (the team they played we had lost both matches during the regular season). We really seemed to have the momentum on our side, but if anyone has watched much volleyball it can change quickly and frequently in any game. So the other team came back and won the fourth game, so it was tied 2-2. The next game to decide the winner is just played to 15 instead of 25. Well, needless to say we lost something like 4 to 15. Very discouraging. They looked really good in a couple games and then in the last game they looked awful. So, it's over. There were a few tears, mostly from the seniors on the team. Katie will now start her four month break. She decided last year to stop playing basketball and take up snowboarding instead. She hopes to work on her pitching this winter though. Katie went home on the bus and Bob and I stayed and watched the first two games that Manson HS was playing since several girls from the ward are on the team. They lost both games so I don't know how the rest of their day went. We of course stopped in Wenatchee on the way home and finally got back to Pateros around 7:30. We left the house at 7:30 this morning! We get to drive back to Wenatchee in the morning for Stake Conference, yeah.

Welcome To The Real World Elder!

Brian left the CTM (Center for Training Missionaries is how they say it in Brazil) on Tuesday AM and headed for Belem. I have no idea where he is exactly but hopefully next week I can send you all an e-mail from Brian with all news!

Belém is a city on the banks of the Amazon estuary, in the northern part of Brazil. It is the capital of the state of Pará. It is the entrance gate to the Amazon with a busy port, airport and coach station. Belem lies about 60 miles upriver from the Atlantic Ocean. The river is the Pará, part of the greater Amazon River system, separated from the larger part of the Amazon delta by Ilha de Marajó (Marajo Island).
Founded in 1616, Belém was the first European colony on the Amazon but didn't become part of the Brazilian nation until 1775. Its metropolitan area has approximately 2.09 million inhabitants. It is also known as Metropolis of the Brazilian Amazon region or Cidade das Mangueiras (city of mango trees) due to the number of those trees found in the city. The newer part of the city has modern buildings and skyscrapers. The colonial portion retains the charm of tree-filled Squares, churches and traditional blue tiles. Belém is served by the Val de Cães International Airport (BEL) that connects the city to the rest of the country and other cities in South America. Brazilians often refer to the city as Belém do Pará ("Belém of Pará") rather than just Belém so as to differentiate it from Bethlehem in Palestine.
The city is home to the Federal University of Pará. The city has a rich history and architecture from colonial times, a natural rubber boom, World War II, 1960-70s Amazonic rediscovery and, recently, a skyscraper boom.

I'M BACK ...

Well, after a long, long break I'm finally back. Yeah. I am now working off Kyle's computer that had to be sent in to have some things fixed. (Kyle took Brian's computer to school and I had to turn my lap top in at work when our agency was bought out). So look for some blogging action to begin!!

Ok, so I was Tagged ...

4 things I love About My Husband:

1. He tells me he loves me every morning before he leaves for work at 5:30
2. He brings me home little gifts "just because"
3. He knows how to fix or figure out just about anything
4. He doesn't get mad because I shop too much :)

4 Movies I would watch more than once:

This is very hard because I RARELY watch a movie more than once, actually I rarely watch moves period.
1. How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days
2. 50 First Dates
3. Happyness (I think that was the name, the movie with Will Smith)
4. Pride and Prejudice

4 TV Shows I Watch:

1. Cold Case
2. Grey's Anatomy (although I'm getting a little fed up with this show, I'm giving it one more season)
3. Without A Trace
4. Dog Town (a really cool show on NatGeo on Friday nights)

4 Places I've Been:

1. Utah
2. France
3. Hawaii
4. Florida

4 Places I'd Like To Go:

1. Brazil (to pick up Brian in 23 months)
2. Another Cruise, just about anywhere
3. Chicago and New York on a shopping trip
4. Tropical Island - like Bahamas or Fiji

4 People Who I get Email From:

1. Nordstrom
2. Family: Mom, Shareen, Julia, Kristie, Shannon, Brian etc...
3. Nichole
4. Missionary Mom's web-site

4 Things I Like to Eat:

1. Outback Cheese Fries
2. Peanut Buster Parfait (Dairy Queen)
3. Lunch at the Nordstrom Cafe
4. Toss up between Chimichanga or Berry Berry Sundae at Costco

4 Things I Look Forward to in the Next Year

1. Our house remodel
2. Our house remodel
3. Our house remodel
4. Our house remodel haha

Well, that's about it and I have no one to tag because the only people I know that blog are my fam and Julia tagged them.

I Love A Good Deal!

Actually I can't resist a good deal either. Bob and I went to Wentachee Saturday afternoon so he could order the correct size on his wedding ring. We stopped in Macy's as well. I saw this exact purse at Macy's for $99.00. I really liked it but thought I am going to go check Ross the purses there. I couldn't believe it. The exact purse that I saw at Macy's was hanging on the rack at Ross. I couldn't believe my eyes. I even made Bob go back and double check! How could I pass it up :) 99.00 at Macy's, 49.99 at Ross. I still like Macy's though.

Happy Birthday To Bob!

Sunday was Bob's birthday. I don't think he would appreciate me mentioning what year, in fact he wanted to just forget the whole day. I replaced his wedding band that he had "misplaced" a month or so ago. It hasn't turned up despite looking in every possible place. He usually just takes it off at night but he also like to take it off when he plays golf, which is when he did and hasn't been able to find it since. Hopefully I won't have to replace it every couple years and luckily it's quite a bit cheaper than mine! Thanks to Mom, Dad, Kurt, Shannon and kids for coming over to celebrate and have dessert with us.

This Little Piggy Went To The Fair...

The pigs when they were "little"
Katie and Joslin getting acquainted with their pigs, Katie named her pig "Spanky" and Joslin's was "Bubbles". I don't know how they could tell them apart, they looked alike to me, but the girls could by the number of spots on their backs.
Katie and some of the other FFA kids hanging around the pig barn. They had to get up each morning about 6:30 to wash their pigs and clean their cages and feed them before the fair opened each day at 9am.
Pateros FFA 2008
The Okanogan County Fair was last week. As I've mentioned before Katie and her friend Joslin raised a pig this summer through FFA to sell at the fair. Unfortunately their pigs did not make weight. The minimum weight is 230# and Katie's pig was 195. I'm pretty sure both the girls have had dollar signs swirling in their heads all summer of how to spend their money but now that is not the case. They are going to get $450 each for their pigs but one of the Pateros FFA students sold his pig for just a little over $1,000 so the $450 doesn't sound so great. After you take out the expense of raising the pig: $110 for the pig itself and about $200 each for food that won't leave them with much. Bob actually paid for everything up front with the plan that the girls would pay him back after they received their fair money, which isn't until sometime in October. He did this for both Katie and her friend because Joslin's parent's were not able to afford to pay for it out of pocket ahead of time. After talking to a bunch of different parent's at the fair he agreed with Katie that she has to pay for the cost of the pig, but we will donate the cost of the food, but for Katie only. So Katie will end up with about $350 and her friend about $150. Unfortunatley Joslin has to pay her parent's back for a lost retainer that will be about what she earns so hopefully NEXT year will be a better year and we will get some fat piglets!

Homework?

I had to chuckle to myself today. I got a quick call from Kyle this afternoon. He was concerned because he apparently feels he has a really hard schedule. When I asked him why he feels this way he said that he got homework in all his classes today. The first day of class, the nerve of those teachers give out college students homework on the first day of class. I think Kyle is used to the work load at Pateros. Welcome to the REAL WORLD! (Just as a little note of sympathy for him: he does have all core required classes, no electives. He said that most of the other students he has talked to take a few required classes and a couple electives to make their schedule a little more balanced.) He will survive, just a little less time for video games. He really likes his 3 other roommates, one prayer answered.

Home Sweet Home

This is the name of the apartment Kyle will be living at both Fall and Winter quarters. It looked a lot nicer when we looked at it on-line. It's not horrible, I was just expecting something different. I guess what can you expect when 4-6 guy's live together?


Kyle is all moved in to his apartment at BYU-I. He was the first one to check in. In fact, when Bob and I left to head back home no one else had arrived yet. I was a little disappointed, I would have liked to meet them. He has since sent me a text message stating he has met two of the three roommates and they seem "pretty normal" (those are Kyle's words). Later today after he got back to his place after a day of orientation activities his roommate had moved in but wasn't there. He said that he found out he likes tennis, sports and is from California. I didn't shed any tears until we were driving away, I was quite proud of myself. Kyle got his books, his student ID card, and got registered for "get connected" which is some sort of freshmen organization that has lots of activites to meet people. Of course all of the above were accompanied by very long lines. I remembered at the last minute when Bob and I were leaving that I hadn't taken any pictures so I forced Kyle to be in one, he was on his way out the door too for some "get connected" activity so he wasn't very happy with me. The other pictures I took as we were leaving town.