(30 December 2010)
Mikey and Cosmo are funny when it comes to opening presents. I put a video of this year's present opening on the movies page. I particularly love how Cosmo thought playing with the box was preferable to the actual present.
(29 Dec 2010)
We had an awesome Christmas! We went to Alaska to spend time with my family. Pictures are posted. A video of the Christmas Eve sleigh ride is available on the movies page.
(18 December 2010)
The Cougars crushed the UTEP Miners in the New Mexico bowl today. We had ~30 friends over to watch the game with us, though some played board games while the kids monopolized the Wii. We had mountains of junk food and a great time was had by all. The dog and cat were both very well behaved (other than the dog trying to steal chocolate that fell on the floor) and socialized with all the guests. Neither minded when the kids got close to pet them. The cat loved being carried around and cuddling with anyone. Such good animals we have.
Just because it is cute, here's a decoration my husband came up with -- putting a Santa hat on top of his Cougar hat. So cute!
(7 December 2010)
BYU will be taking on (and hopefully rolling right over) UTEP in the New Mexico bowl. It should be a great time to invite lots of friends over for a party! We're planning on having the game on in one room and having the Wii and board games in another. Exciting, yes?
Here are the standings which determined the bowl games. In local news, this is exciting in that the Oregon Ducks have earned a place in the championship game. While I can't support the Ducks as they have a reputation for being a party school that I just don't subscribe to, I do think they'll make it an interesting game against Auburn.
(28 November 2010)
The replay official in the BYU-Utah game yesterday needs glasses or something. BYU was leading the whole game until about 5 minutes until the end of the game when the Utes scored a touchdown. On that drive, the Cougars intercepted the ball and it was stripped by a Utah player. Replay officials said that the strip was before the Cougar was down and thus the Utes had the ball. Every replay that I've seen showed not only his knee was down but his entire lower leg! Then, the Cougars drove down the field to attempt a field goal as time expired. Unfortunately, it was blocked and the Utes won 17-16. It was a very exciting game to watch, even though I think the refs made a big oops.
The regular season is over for the BYU Cougars. Fortunately, with a 6-6 record, they are eligible to participate in a Bowl Game sometime next month. I got to watch a lot of football over the Thanksgiving holiday, partially because I came down with a cold so I couldn't really do much other than just sit on the couch. I greatly enjoyed watching the Auburn/Alabama and Boise State/Nevada games. Here are the latest standings. Some teams have another game to play while many have wrapped up their regular season.
(26 Nov 2010)
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday, with the exception of some coughing and sniffles courtesy of a cold. We did put up some Christmas decorations, including lights on our tree outside, but also made time to watch some football. I mean, when one is sick with a cold, one should rest on the couch, right??? Then, this morning, I saw this in the paper. Too cute!
In interesting news, it actually snowed a little here! Before Thanksgiving! Of course it didn't last, but it sure was cool while it lasted. We were able to make a snowy love note on the bench in the backyard...
(21 November 2010)
BYU is bowl eligible!!! The Cougars won 40-7 over New Mexico to claim the 6th victory on the season. YAY!! Now if they can just beat the Utes this week...
In fun news, the ground was covered in frost this morning. On my way home from church, the rain was mixed with snow, though at the top of the hill it was all snow. For me, it made it finally feel like the holiday season is upon us. I'm looking forward to putting up Christmas lights and other decorations later this week.
And, to finish off this entry, here's a cute picture of my animals that I took not long ago. I love how the cat is in the grocery bag...
(13 November 2010)
Finally, the BYU football team is moving in the right direction! I didn't get to see the game last week since we were at an adoption conference, but I did see some highlights and it looked good. Heaps is finally starting to look comfortable and is hitting many of his targets. They won that game against UNLV with a score of 55-7.
Today, BYU continued to carry the momentum with a 49-10 victory over Colorado State. This brings their record to 5-5. One win away from Bowl eligibility!! The possibility of non-losing season! This is a good thing for a team that started out 1-4.
For those who are following our quest for adoption, we are just waiting final approval for our home study. Once approved, we can be picked at any time... exciting!!!
(31 October 2010)
Halloween is here. The chill in the air and the changing colors of the leaves are a welcomehange from the heat of the summer. We did our annual pumpkin carving yesterday. We expected that the cat would be into the pumpkins again like he was last year, but this year he was only mildly interested. He sat on a chair and watched us, though every once in a while, he'd come and put his paw in the bowl of pumpkin guts to see what it was all about.
My cute husband dressed up as Abe Lincoln at his school on Friday, even winning the award for best teacher costume.
Here are our pumpkin designs for this year. This first one is his.
...and this one is mine. Not particularly original, but kind of geeky. It's "pumpkin pi."
(23 October 2010)
BYU won their game against Wyoming today, though it was much too close for comfort. It came down to the Cougars deflecting a throw from Wyoming on a 4th down attempt with under 30 seconds remaining in the game. Whew!!
Last night I was watching the Yankees and the Rangers battle for the right to go to the World Series. My husband, dog and cat were all peacefully snoozing (yeah, about their level of fanaticism...). Later, we captured the dog and cat actually sleeping next to each other. It was unbelievable and I was hoping they would stay there while I ran to get the camera. Cosmo actually has his head on Mikey's leg and Mikey didn't mind. Amazing...
(17 October 2010)
As expected, TCU beat BYU in their game yesterday. However, BYU's defense seemed to be a lot better than in the last few weeks, which was pleasantly surprising. Now if the offense would get in gear...
For fun, here is a comic that was in the paper today that made me smile. Reminds me of Cosmo...
(14 October 2010)
BYU won their game against San Diego State, breaking their losing streak. Unfortunately, they are playing TCU this weekend and it will be a bloodbath. Should the Cougars win the day, it would give them a big boost in confidence and morale, but realisticallyspeaking, TCU will slice and dice their way through the Cougars defense like a hot knife through butter. Still, upsets do happen...
Here are the results of the latest poll. I find it interesting that Air Force, Nevada and Florida State are all in the top 25. So, three of the four losses that BYU has suffered so far this year have come from teams that are, at this point, recognized nationally as being among the best. That makes me feel a little better about having lost to them. TCU, the next opponent, is #4.
(1 October 2010)
BYU is on a 4-game losing streak. Four games. I knew this year would be a rebuilding one, but I didn't think it would start off 1-4... and a loss to Utah State. Unless they step up their game significantly, a losing season is all but assured at this point. I hope BYU's young quarterback takes the opportunity to get some much needed experience during the remaining games since that's about the only good that can come out of the rest of the season.
(26 September 2010)
The best of both worlds!! My husband loves summer. I love fall. This is the perfectblend! I wonder if the author of this comic is an Oregonian, given the references to the Oregon Ducks and Oregon State Beavers on the guys' shirts.
(25 September 2010)
What is up with my beloved Cougars?! A three game losing streak?!??! This is not what I had in mind for this year. I realize it is a rebuilding year since Max Hall graduated and now Riley Nelson is out for the season -- but come on! 1-3????
(19 September 2010)
Hmm... the BYU Cougars are off to a 1-2 start with their loss to Florida State yesterday.I can't say that I'm surprised that we lost that game, given the particularly bad game we had against Air Force the previous week. I didn't actually get to watch the game because we were at an adoption training class. I won't get to watch this next game against Nevada either for the same reason. Too bad because that one could be rather interesting. Nevada gave Cal a beating on Friday night so it seems they are doing fairly well this year. Here is the latest poll. Not surprisingly, BYU is not in the top 25.
I saw this in the paper today and thought it was hilarious in so many ways. Must share!
(11 September 2010)
It's been a while since I've been this disappointed in the Cougars. After scoring 14 points in the first quarter, they completely shut down. The defense was non-existant. The punts were shameful. Passes were dropped. Final score was 35-14 in favor of the Falcons. (sigh) This does not bode well for the rest of the season, especially with Florida State next week.
In other news, the headstone my husband designed for our sons' grave was finally installed. I didn't know it was there but went out to the grave because I felt like visiting it and was pleasantly surprised to see it there.
(7 September 2010)
The first polls of the college football season are out. The Cougars have a bit of work to do to get solidly into the top 25. Part of it will happen as our quarterbacks gain some experience, necessitated by the graduation of Max Hall, our starting quarterback the last three years.
(5 September 2010)
I love football season so much. Yesterday, we went down to Salem to join a group of friends for a football party. There were other things going on too, like board games and a cupcake challenge, but the BYU game was the event around which the activity was scheduled. I happily cheered my Cougars to a 23-17 victory over the Washington Huskies!!! YEAH!! There were definately some mistakes on both sides of the ball, but that's somewhat to be expected during the first game of the season. So, now, Cougars, go learn from those mistakes so next week's performance against Air Force will be flawless!
(2 September 2010)
I survived!! After what felt like an incredibly long offseason, college football is BACK! Hooray!!! I'm rather intrigued by BYU's decision to go independent in football beginning next year and I'm loving the idea of having all the Cougars' home games being broadcast on ESPN for the next eight years. That will mean LOTS of opportunities for me to watch the games, rather than trying to find someone who subscribes to the hard-to-find MTN channel.
This Saturday, BYU's season will kick off against Washington. Two years ago, I was at the game when the Cougars held off a Washington team who were threatening at the end of the game. I wouldn't mind it this time if BYU were to win by a bigger margin. We'll be getting together with a great group of friends to eat large quantities of junk food while cheering for the Cougars.
(27 August 2010)
A week from tomorrow! That's when the first BYU football game of the season will be held. YAY! I'm almost there! I can almost hear the crowds cheering and singing the fight song.
With Fox's computer on its last breath, I decided to build him a new one. It's a pretty sweet machine - and in a good looking case too. Yesterday he tried it out for the first time. "It's so fast!" he said. Ah, the praise of a job well done.
(17 August 2010)
I saw this comic in the paper last Sunday and thought it was perfect -- since it was indeed too hot to take a nap that day. Oh please let the cooler temperatures of fall come soon!!
(7 August 2010)
3 weeks and counting!!! Football season is almost here!! YAY!!!
Today we had a Primary Activity. The kids ran around and played before we ate, wrote letters to the missionary serving from our branch, did a candy hunt before ending the event with a wild water balloon fight. For some reason, my husband and I were the main targets. I'm sure it had nothing to do with our callings as the Branch and Primary Presidents. Here we are after all the water balloons are used up.
(28 July 2010)
Is it football season yet? Guess I'll just have to content myself with this comic.
For fun, here's a picture of Cosmo that I got. He jumped into the recycle bin to check out a piece of paper that I'd just placed in there - then he hung out like it was a cool place to be. Strange cat.
(4 July 2010)
Happy Independence Day! We had ourselves a fine BBQ with burgers, hot dogs, potato salad, chips, watermelon and pie... and lots of fireworks to watch in the neighborhood. It was a very pleasant day.
Movies of the Main Street Electrical Parade, Animal Kingdom and Summer Nightastic Fireworks show from our recent trip have all been posted on the movies page. Video of our time at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is also there.
(28 June 2010)
Pictures of the Florida trip have been posted. Video is coming - hopefully sometime this week.
(26 June 2010)
We've returned from a trip to Florida, to get some sun since it's been oddly rainy and cloudy in Portland for a while. We spent a day at Universal Studios ("The Wizarding World of Harry Potter"), two days at Disney (Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon & Epcot), and one day at Kennedy Space Center. What a blast!! Pictures will be posted in the next day or so. I confess that I got a bit sunburned from my day at Typhoon Lagoon, but that's ok. It'll heal. Yes, Mom, I wore sunscreen. Honest I did! Just... not enough I guess. ;-)
I will put one picture here to whet your appetite for more -- this is me meeting one of my childhood heroes. Yes, I'm sure some will laugh and think that's silly, but I don't care. I think Mickey is awesome!
(11 June 2010)
Check out this rose from our front yard. I love the coloring. I think it's cool that it has the coloring of a fire... and looks a little burnt too.
(27 May 2010)
I saw this comic in the paper today. Mikey and Cosmo get along reasonably well most of the time, but there have been times when I wished they would communicate more like this.
(24 May 2010)
It may seem strange, but we had cake yesterday as we celebrated, remembered and missed our sons on their birthday.
(23 May 2010)
This pretty much sums up my feelings today, my sons' birthday.
(15 May 2010)
Spring has arrived in Oregon. Fox's roses are starting to bloom. One of the first ones I've seen is as big as my hand!
I've been adding a few more pictures to this site (mostly on Mikey and Cosmo's web pages) so feel free to check those out! Here's a picture of both of them I took last week as they were enjoying a sunny day while watching Stamps work on his flowers.
(26 April 2010)
I had some time one night this last week, so I finally got around to making a picture I'd had in mind since the Olympics.
(16 April 2010)
I had a birthday! Fox gave me some fun gifts and took me out to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. I laughed when I saw the cake he'd picked out. I am always calling him my "cookie monster" since he eats a lot of cookies (and never gains an ounce I might add).
(25 March 2010)
With the husband on spring break this week, I took today off so we could hang out together. We drove out to Cannon Beach, which was a good choice because it was raining. A lot. It's been nice and sunny all week until now but it was quite wet today. So, we spent most of our time in the shops - which is fun but doesn't lead to many good pictures. I did get this one though. Looks like I need to keep an eye on that boy...
(6 March 2010)
We are having an early spring here in the Northwest. It's barely March and the cherry blossoms are already out, accompanied by the daffodils and some pine cones on the tree in my yard. I drove home from Portland today with the windows down, enjoying the breeze. Not cold, not hot. Just perfect.
A local high school put on a production of Les Miserables. It is an abridged version for schools to do since the actual play is quite lengthy. It was quite well done. My husband and a friend of ours interpreted it so the deaf could enjoy it as well and they did a fantastic job!
The Olympics were great to watch. I loved it - though I was getting quite sleep deprived by the time they ended. Hats off to Joannie Rochette for finding the strength to perform in figure skating (winning a bronze) days after her mother suddenly passed away. I couldn't have done that after the loss of my sons, even if I did have talent. Now she'll have no regrets about the Olympics that "could have been."
(17 February 2010)
Here's my attempt at following another tutorial in Photoshop User Magazine -- making typewriter keys. It looked a little better at the original size (bigger) but you get the idea.
(15 February 2010)
The Olympics have started! I love watching the Olympics. It doesn't matter if it is the Winter or Summer Games, I'm a fan of 'em both. I remember watching the Figure Skating competitions with my family when I was a kid. Such happy memories. So, it was with great excitement that I settled onto my couch with a bag of popcorn to watch the Opening Ceremony last Friday. My dog, who happens to love popcorn, was all too eager to share.
I've become a fan of Snowboard Cross - a wild event. Happily, the USA won GOLD in the men's snowboard cross event in a thrilling finish.
(10 February 2010)
Since the state quarters started coming out, we've been trying to collect one from each state. Yesterday, we got the last two!!
For Christmas, my husband gave me the new Super Mario Brothers Wii game. Since it is multiplayer, we've been playing it together. It's quite a fun game. We work pretty well together on it but every so often, one of us would become the victim of 'friendly fire' which just make it all the more hilarious. The game can have up to four players at a time, which gets crazy! Anyway, not long ago, the following message appeared. I guess we unlocked everything that could be unlocked and achieved every goal set. Time to play it again!!!
(8 January 2010)
It's a new year! The bad part about that is the end of college football season. It's been wonderful to spend lots of hours in front of my television, cheering on various teams - especially BYU. Somehow, it gave me something to think about other than how my boys didn't get to experience their first Christmas.
I saw these comics in the paper recently and knew they describe us perfectly. First, Lizzard!
And now, Fox!
Here are a few projects I did recently in Photoshop. Click on them to see bigger versions.
