We are back...

Actually, we have been back for a while just not back into the internet world! To be honest, I don't know how much we are "back", we enjoyed our time in India and Portugal so much that we are having a hard time settling back into our lives here in the states. It has been fun to share about our time there with our church's youth group and childrens group and are looking forward to speaking to the services on Saturday night and Sunday morning (Jan 1-2). It's such an exciting thing to be able to share to a group of people about the work God is doing around the world and give them an idea of how they can be involved. We realized through conversations with many in our church that they might be willing to serve/give/go/pray...they just don't know how to get started. It is encouraging to see their excitement to get involved and willingness to be obedient as they begin to listen and trust God's plan for them...and it's fun to have others along for the ride as we do the same thing!

Lots going on...

Hi there bloggity readers,
I do have a few different post to put on here with Doug's birthday party and a retreat that he went on last weekend. However, my camera battery needs to be charged and I still have to upload pictures. So, you will have to wait with great anticipation for those posts to come up later...possibly in November!
For now, we will be updating our other blog until we get back from out trip to India and Portugal!
So follow us there for now...until then...
Doug and Heidi

Our place...

Of all the places we could be living right now...we sure do love our home. Doug and I continue to enjoy living where we do...making improvements on the house has been a challenge but a good one. Our latest project was the kitchen counters and window. Thanks to some rotting and mice issues, we are enjoying some new cabinets and counters in our kitchen...


Since the weather has been nice, it has been good to enjoy walking out with the dogs around our house...they do love trail blazing while I like to keep to the well marked areas.

One of our favorite things is to barbecue and thanks to all our space, we have been able to enjoy having friends and family out again this year...


We love visitors so come on out any time!

A day at the beach...

Last weekend Doug and I enjoyed a much needed little break at the beach. I forgot my camera, so phone pictures will have to do. We picked up David in Astoria so Doug enjoyed surfing with him while Isaiah and I played in the sand and shallow waves.
Silly boys excited about getting in the waves...

Isaiah thought he might like to go too...

but like running from the waves a lot more...

and digging in the sand...

After a day of beach fun, we walked around Long Beach a little. There were some clowns making balloon hats for the kids. Isaiah asked for a bat and got this...pretty cool!

I added this picture because you can see a little better how the 'bat' swings in front of him as he walks.

After that, this was the ride he chose...pretty exciting, he loved it!

and thanks to the balloon he had something to do almost the entire way home...

One last picture (sorry it is kind of fuzzy) with the guys out in the water

Puppies...

In October of last year Jasmine had her puppies...occasionally I hear from the puppies owners about how the dogs are doing. I have a couple new pictures...fun to see how they looked before and how they look now. (Mom, I know you think the dapples are ugly)
Oscar (the lone male)

Bean (she lives on a ranch)

Our Rickashey:

Fun little dogs! Everyone should have a doxie!

Time is money...

First of all...love the new templates that blogger is making available! And so easy to change! Fun times! Also, we have some updates coming on our multiplication blog so check it out too!
Secondly, a sort of update to bring our blog to a little bit more of a current state. The biggest thing going on right now is that we are planning on going on a trip for the month of October this year. We will be in India for half the month and then Portugal for the rest of it. We are super excited and are doing everything we can to ensure the tickets actually get bought so we can go on this ever anticipated trip. By 'everything we can' I mean, working extra as we can, raising money in every creative way we can think of and for the most part, praying that God will perform a modern day miracle and provide what we need for the trip!
The first month of fundraising we brought in almost $700, since then it has trickled down to $300 in May and then so far this month we have brought in $200 more...that is a total of $1,200. Pretty good right? Yah, it is accept for the fact that we need it to multiply by four in order to go. Well, ok not by four exactly but almost, we need another $2,800 to come in by the end of next month.
Think it can be done?? Any great fundraising ideas? Leave a comment if you do please!

99 things about me...

99 Things About Me (Everything that I have accomplished is in bold)


1. Started your own blog – Yes! You got me there.
2. Slept under the stars - a few times...
3. Played in a band - ha
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower - fun.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to DisneyWorld...does Disney LAND count?
8. Climbed a mountain -sort of...I made it MOSt of the way up Kili!
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo - maybe shouldn't have
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris...well the airport anyway
13. Watched a lightning storm -
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch - isn't all art from scratch?.
15. Adopted a child...someday!
16. Had food poisoning - More than once, I'm pretty sure!
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables - trying to!
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train...not sure if it was overnight...or if I slept though
21. Had a pillow fight- Is there someone who hasn't?
22. Hitch-hiked - .
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - Ummmm, YES!
24. Built a snow fort- not really as fun as it looks
25. Held a lamb - Baby animals are so cute.
26. Gone skinny dipping- and in the grosses body of water ever!
27. Run a Marathon - Uhhhh, NO!
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice-
29. Seen a total eclipse-
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset - Yes, many times.
31. Hit a home run..if Wii counts...
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors- couldn't that be anywhere?
35. Seen an Amish community- Does being in an Amish house count, and eating their cheese and drinking their milk?
36. Taught yourself a new language- yah right
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied - money doesn't satisfy
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person -
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David -
41. Sung karaoke- again...probably shouldn't have
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa- believe it or not...
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight- with flashlights.
46. Been transported in an ambulance -
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain- living in Washington State...duh
53. Played in the mud- Again, is there someone who hasn't?
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business - .
58. Taken a martial arts class- loved it
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen-
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies -
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason -
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma- they still won't let me
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check-
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy- More than I care to admit.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone -
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book -
81. Visited the Vatican-
82. Bought a brand new car - new to me...
83. Walked in Jerusalem -
84. Had your picture in the newspaper-
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve-
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox - .
89. Saved someone’s life-
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous-
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby - No, but I am trying to.
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit - Depends on how you define "involved".
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Happy Anniversary to us!!!

Doug and I had fun celebrating our 2nd anniversary yesterday! We also planned ahead and last weekend stayed in Seaside for a night and then enjoyed surfing! Yesterday, when I ran to the store, Doug hussled and moved our entire bedroom into the bigger room upstairs. I have been wanting to do this for a while so it was a fun surprise for when I got home...and a great anniversary present!

We enjoyed one of our favorite meals, shake-n-bake pork and then a game of poker! (which I won)

(it is taking forever to upload more pictures so go check out the rest on facebook!)

13 of 27...

That's right, I am posting a new list...it's only been like two months. This list is from this weekend. Doug and I went to a marriage conference in Toledo and on Sunday went water skiing...
What I learned this weekend:
1. Marriage is pretty straight forward, if you keep your focus on the right thing
2. the right thing is Christ
3. it is good to be reminded that our marriage is ment to display Christ's love for the church and lead people to Him by how they see us love each other
4. I really don't like country music
5. the speaker used country music for EVERY music/video/multimedia emphasis he did
6. on the last day he used a clip from Cinderella Man and won me over
7. Water skiing is really difficult...
8. Doug got the hang of it

9. I didn't

10. just for emphasis

11. we had a blast though...I loved riding around in the boat anyway
12. sometimes church people are the worst business people...they made us pay way more than they had told us it would be at the start of the day
13. it was worth it though
14. Toledo has a beautiful park

15. we are looking forward to spending an afternoon there sometime...anyone want to join?
16. First Baptist Toledo has a great idea for their nursery/toddler rooms...I'd love to use it someday; it is all set up like it is a garden, so cute!
17. Driving an hour to get to church is not something that we will ever choose to do on a regular basis
18. eating out in a small town like Toledo reminded me of living in Kenya...we had to wait for forever both times...the second time we got sandwiches so it would be quicker..it still took forever!
19. it's not a good idea to drink a bunch of coffee before you go to a conference...you miss a lot
20. it was really nice to go to an event at church and not have to worry about who was supposed to be in the nursery
21. or clean up after the meals
22. or restock toilet paper when it ran out
23. I look forward to going to future conferences like these with Doug...we had fun
24. next time it should be at a beach or something
25. 27 lists is way to many
26. next year I am just posting about what I did on my birthday
27. thanks for the encouragement though
the end

list 12 of 27

We are on are way to the beach, so for this list we are listing signs we see
1. Rocks
2. Slides
3. Westport
4. Wauna (shout out to k'lnn)
5. Gnat Creek Fish Hatchery
6. Eagle Sanctuary
7. John Day River
8. Columbia River Maritime Museum
9. Welcome to Astoria
10. Espresso
11. Home Bakery
12. Antiques
13. River Viewing Tower
14. Watch your head!
15. Astoria Bridge...we don't have to go over it (grin)
16. Lewis and Clark National Park
17. Fresh Seafood
18. Seaside (with an arrow telling us where to go)
19. Draw Bridge
20. Warrenton
21. Fort Stevens State Park
22. U.S.C.G. Air Station
23. Elk
24. Tsunami Hazard Zone
25. Skipanon River
26. Seaside 8 (miles)
27. Edgewater Inn (we're here!)

And another funny one "kids for sale". (Goats)
15.

11 of 27...

I have had the pleasure of planning a women's retreat for our church, it is coming up at the end of April and the theme is worship. So...I have been busy planning what songs we will be using. List 11 of 27, my favorite worship songs...
1. In Christ Alone http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLy8ksqGf9w
2. I see the Lord...by Matthew Ward (if anyone can find a link, let me know!)
3. A new Hallelujah http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_c0cALUFH0
4. Breathe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oad8ov10AjY
5. How deep the Father's love for us http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV2zMZ-nZ7k
6. Ancient Words http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouTgX9hcwk4
7. It is well with my soul http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6yDFn3OAFo
8. Jesus is the answer for the world today http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ifuvuRsv60
9. Shine Jesus Shine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3iB30gCqAc
10. Blessed by your name http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du0il6d-DAk
11. Bring me to the cross http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jrEFZk9_mM
12. Find us Faithful http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi-Mn5tRHvM


Help me finish the list with your favorites!

List 10 of 27...

List 10 of 27 is an idea from Letha's lists: roomates! (and I am using all my roomates maiden names...it is how I rememeber them!)
1. Doug
2. Letha
3. Tabitha Howard
4. Aleda Klassen
5. Mariam Smith
6. Magana Nguguna
7. Rebecca Hodel
8. Cristen Russell
9. Talisi Mwai
10. Audrey Sorenson
11. Liz Cowles
12. Julie Propst
13. Stefi Brazzeal
14. Sarah Hubbard
15. Courtney Rudisill
16. Andrea Ferguson
17. Erin Hetzel
18. Sherryl Schrock
19. Amanda Larsen
20. Jello Tubei
21. Sarah Belcher
and, ya, I am counting my pets
22. Princess
23. Hope
24. Jasmine
25. Dallas
26. Rickashey
27. Sampson

Heidiology

Ok so not really a list...but is counting as my #9 because I am pretty sure there are even more than 27 things about me here:

Rules: YOU! Yes, you, reading this. You're tagged. Now that you know more about me than you ever wanted to know, play the game, it's fun! Let others know a little more about yourself, repost this as your name followed by "ology."

FOODOLOGY:
What is your salad dressing of choice? Ranch
What is your favorite sit-down restuarant? Ganesh
What is your favorite fast food restaurant? TacoBell or McDonalds
What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? pizza/sloppy joes
What are your pizza toppings of choice? ham and pineapple.
How many televisions are in your house? Two.
What color cell phone do you have? black and purple (one side is interchangable!).

BIOLOGY:
Are you right-handed or left-handed? Right.
Have you ever had anything removed from your body? Some teeth.
What is the last heavy item you lifted? a shovel full of dirt.
Have you ever been knocked unconscious? I don't remember....j/k, once, I walked too close to the swings at Brackenhurst and got clobbered. Another time I remember was being chased by Ben Perkins and running into a solid metal pole in the playground at..._________ Help me on the name of the restaurant, I can't remember!
Have you ever fainted? Nope.

randomology:
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? No.
If you could change your name, what would you change it to? would have been Emily as through my childhood, but couldn't change my name now.
How many pairs of flip flops do you own? A few.
Last person you talked to? Doug.

FAVORITOLOGY:
Season? Summer.
Holiday? Christmas.
Day of the week? Friday
Month? can't say that I have a favorite month however, this last one has been great
Color? Red.
Drink? Diet coke

CURRENTOLOGY:
Missing someone? Bustrums, DeLaughters, Grandpa.
What are you listening to? The TV...Evan Almighty is on.
What are you watching? TV and my computer screen.
Worrying about? Children's church curriculum.
What's the last movie you saw? Nothing Like the Holidays...(waiste of time)
Do you smile often? I try to.
If you could change your eye color what would it be? nope, I like my eye color
What's on your wish list for your birthday? trip to Portugal, India,...???
Can you do a chin-up? No. No thank you.
Does the future make you more nervous or excited? Both.
Have you been in a car wreck? Yes.
Have you caused a car wreck? no
Do you have an accent? No, I don't think.
Last time you cried? I don't know
Plans tonight? Nothing.
Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? Yes.
Name three things you bought yesterday? A coffee (with a gift 'coin' Doug gave me for my birthday), milk tea (closest thing to actual chai), gas for the car.
Have you met someone who changed your life? Yes, a few of them.
For the better or worse? Some better, some worse.
How did you bring in the New Year? walking in the kitchen after getting home from spending the evening with family
Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? Sure.
What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't sing in the shower.
Have you held hands with someone today? Yep.
Who was the last person you took a picture of? Doug
Are most of the friends in your life new or old? Both.
Do you like pulpy orange juice? Yes.
Last time you ate peanut butter and jelly? For dinner about 20 minutes ago.
What were you doing at 12 a.m. last night? Getting in bed.
What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? stupid cat!

8 of 27...

List number 8 of 27...after a great birthday today: here are some things I enjoyed today!
1. waking up to pancakes for breakfast

2. getting a 'party in bag' from Gracie...filled with candy and with two birthday balloons
3. getting birthday surprises from Doug, a gift card for a manicure and pedicure
4. coin tokens to my favorite coffee place from Doug (fun way to get gift cards)

5. getting my new phone in the mail
6. having fun figuring out all the cool stuff on my phone
7. reading Letha's list about me...good one Letha, I should have thought of that for your birthday!
8. talking to Dad and Mom on the phone
9. all the many emails and facebook messages
10. birthday cards
11. going to walk downtown before dinner with Doug
12. finding a ring that matches Doug's wedding ring (sorry no pictures yet)
13. the excitement of waiting for the ring to be sized and looking forward to getting it!!
14. dinner at the new Indian restaurant in town...so good!


15. having masala chai after dinner
16. eating red vines all during work because it came in my party bag
17. getting a yummy coffee drink on my way to work
18. stopping at the next coffee place for an extra shot of espresso because the yummy coffee drink was too sweet...they gave me the shot for free!!
19. wearing some of the clothes Mom and Dad got me for my birthday a while back
20. knowing ahead of time not to eat the nasty Indian dessert they gave us after dinner
21. thinking it's been a few years since I have seen a bunch of balls of 'pastry' in nasty sugary liquid...but again, being glad I have seen and tried it before!
22. messing with my friend who was sure that I would be turning at least 29 or 30 today...ha!
23. having a good hair day with little to no effort this morning AND despite all the rain!
24. having friends that could go and enjoy a good Indian food meal with us!
25. looking through pictures from this last year for my new picture book Letha is getting for my birthday
26. coming home to a bunch of animals who were excited to see me...yet again
27. turning 27!

7 of 27

In honor of my last day as a 26 year old, this is a list of all the things I did for the first time this year:
1. Celebrated a one year anniversary with my husband

2. ate a chocolate covered twinkie...yummers
3. enjoyed swimming in 60 degree weather...the pool was heated
4. won a contest on a radio show and a gift certificate for Applebees...free food!
5. breeded and 'birthed' four puppies...thanks to Jasmine's willingness to 'cooperate'
6. got a puppy for Christmas and named her Rickashay (because of what Grandpa always called Jasmine)

7. celebrated Christmas in Canada
8. made bread in my bread machine
9. planted a garden
10. decorated trees outside as Christmas trees
11. got a Wii fit plus
12. figured out how to connect to the internet on my wii
13. got a free piano off of craigslist
14. stayed and played at the Great Wolf Lodge...so fun!
15. rode the 'howlin tornado' water slide!!!

16. became the Children's ministry leader at our church
17. took a paid position at our church
18. planned and directed VBS
19. bought a covered litter box for our cat
20. filled that litter box with kitty litter while the cat was sitting in it...he loves that litter box and refused to get out
21. took all the cabinet doors off my kitchen cabinets
22. found out that it will be better to replace them with plywood then to redo them
23. watched the movie Blindside (loved it, if you haven't you should go see it)
24. beat all of Doug's buddies at poker
25. was officially uninvited to poker night
26. got gifts from Portugal
27. ate a free cheesecake shooter at Applebees for my birthday...

6 of 27

List 6 of 27, what I like and don't like about trying to grow stuff:
1. a like, seeing the sprouts come up
2. a like, being hopeful that they might grow into something pretty/use full
3. a like, eating veges that I 'grew'
4. a dislike, finding the dogs chewing on bulbs I planted...
5. a dislike, forgetting to bring my hanging plants in and finding them frozen in the morning
6. a like, working out in the dirt when the sun is out
7. a dislike, finding the dogs digging in my freshly planted garden
8. a like, pretty flowers with bright colors
9. a dislike, bees who want to hang out with me while I'm gardening
10. a dislike, the fact that those bees might hurt me and could potentially send my husband to the hospital
11. a like, really good dirt in our yard...we don't have to buy top soil
12. a dislike, huge stumps in the garden that I can't dig up
13. a like, 'self watering' pots...sort of
14. a dislike, the way the self watering pots overflow onto my kitchen sink
15. a like, the fact that the best place for my garden because of the sun is also right where the outside water source is...making watering very easy
16. a like, the fact that I live in the northwest and as much as the rain can be a pain...it makes it okay that I constantly forget to water my plants.
17. a dislike, I am afraid to grow pumpkins because our dogs think they are so yummy
18. a like, the Internet tells me just about everything I need to know about planting stuff where I live
19. a like, I planted marigolds a couple of weeks ago...I remember hating marigolds in Kenya, it seemed like they were a weed.
20. a dislike, hoeing (the grass roots are deeper than you would think)
21. a like, working with my hands to create something
21. a dislike, the dirt that gets under my nails even if I wear gloves
22. a dislike, not being sure if 'winter' is going to be over or not
23. a like, green trees all around, even in the winter
24. a like, having a hobby that is useful
25. a like, the fact that planting a garden is just a hobby for me
26. a like, little fence pieces that seem to discourage the dogs from digging in my garden
27. a like, tomatoes...

5 of 27

List 5 of 27 is what I love the most about Fridays/and this Friday in particular:
1. an excuse to pick up pizza for dinner (Friday just seems like a good day to do that)
2. Bible study after work
3. the idea that it will be fine if I stay up late because I can sleep in tomorrow
4. the fact that I will probably be in bed by eleven because I am old
5. nice weather today...although I have to say, I saw a girl out in her yard sunbathing...it is so not warm enough to do that
6. being outside with the dogs
7. 'mapping' out where my garden is going to be, any suggestions on what I should start to grow?
8. my pomegranate green tea I had at Bible study...yumm!
9. an easy work day, on Fridays I pretty much use the day to pay bills and plan for Children's programs at the church, today I spent most of the day planning church stuff with a friend
10. looking forward to Saturday
11. the start of the weekend
12. usually if Doug and I go out for dinner, it is on Friday evenings
13. relaxin at the house all evening...most of the time on Fridays!
14. picking up Doug's check and putting it in the bank (this one is usually nice, but this week not so much since Doug worked for a part of a day this week before his eye injury.)
15. watching The Soup
16. watching other shows that I didn't get to during the week
17. looking through Craigslist for no reason in particular, because I can
18. being glad that I like my job so much that I don't wish for Friday all week long
19. walking down Commerce and looking in the thrift shops there while I wait for time for Bible study
20. making mental lists of things I want to get done over the weekend and knowing that I most likely will not do any of them
21. paying bills, it's nice when we can
22. going through mail that I stack up during the week
23. wishing I were turning 23 so my list could end here
24. thinking about how every year I seem to loose a little bit of my creativity making these list even more of a challenge
25. watering my plants that have been waiting all week, because I forget about them
26. being glad that my plants seem to grow despite my lack of green thumbness
27. finishing something I started so I can post list 5 of 27...that's a lot of lists!

Doug's eye...

Yesterday, Doug had a nail gun misshap...and lived to tell about it!:) Today we took him to the eye doctor and got some meds...here he is much improved! (sorry blogger isn't uploading it right..I will post on facebook!)

List 4 of 27

I am feeling a little uninspired so here is list 4 of 27...
Gracie's favorite things...
1. Friends, Gabby and Gecka
2. Jasmine and Rickashay
3. Kitty
4. blue
5. macaroni and cheese
6. taco bell
7. pants
8. dancing
9. bringing friends to church
10. skating
11. paddaling in the swimming pool
12. holding my breath
13. jumping at school
14. fingers
15. Barbie as Rapunzel
16. playing at taco bell
17. getting movies at the library
18. lala
19. piacalo
20. playing at the park when my friends come over
21. the name Poccahontis and Wanda
22. singing to God
23. praying and reading books about Jesus
24. singing lovely
25. having nice dreams (but bad dreams can happen to me too)
26. a lamp
27. dresses
and one more thing, skirts

List 3 of 27

27 TV Shows I will admit to having watched and enjoyed:
1. Gilmore Girls
2. House
3. American Idol
4. America's Funniest Home Videos
5. Shark Tank
6. Community
7. The Office
8. Friends
9. Cougar Town
10. Survivor
11. Dirty Jobs
12. Cake Boss
13. L.A. Ink
14. The Soup
15. Cash Cab
16. Burn Notice
17. Extreem Makeover Home Edition
18. Doogie Howser M.D.
19. Full House
20. Christie
21. Cops
22. Home Improvement
23. Dr. Quin Medicine Woman
24. Family Ties
25. The Cosby Show
26. Quantum Leap
27. Felicity

List 2 of 27...

Some things I like/know about Super Bowl Sunday:

1. It doesn't matter as much as most people (around here) think it does
2. I got a good deal on pizza because it is game day
3. friends are coming over to watch the game
4. I will be upstairs with the kids having more fun than the game watchers
5. we might even go on a nature walk, or watch Mama Mia
6. Football season has been over for a while in this house (since Dallas lost)
7. we have lots of food to eat
8. I don't understand the rules of the game, I might enjoy it more if I did
9. A couple of the commercials were pretty funny
10. I really don't care about football
11. I mean, REALLY don't care about football
12. I eat too much when I am trying to be entertained by something that isn't entertaining to me
13. our friends brought even more food to eat than we had ready
14. I ate, half a pizza, some chicken wings, chips and a few other things...before half time
15. The Who sang at half time
16. We fastforwarded half time
17. I spent the third quarter decorating cupcakes with a four year old :)
18. E.trade commercials are my favorite
19. I don't have much to say about the superbowl
20. I appreciate any reason to have friends over
21. I especially appreciate DRV on our tv
22. I found out the saints were playing at the very end of the game
23. I don't remember if they won or lost
24. making this list has made me think about football longer than any other time in my life
25. football on tv makes me want to take a nap
26. when I have company I don't like to nap
27. so I went to bed(and right to sleep) at 9pm

27 lists of 27 things...

Letha inspired idea of 27 lists of 27 things: I'm not all that creative recently, so I am getting a head start at my 27th year by beginning my 27 lists a couple of weeks before I actually turn 27! (yes, Letha, I am using all your lists until I can think of some other idea to list that I like)
List 1 of 27:
Things I am thankful for from this week:
1. my husband
2. my pets, I know...my dogs probably mean too much to me but I just love those guys!
3. my job...it's still fun
4. cake
5. tax refunds...yah, we already go that
6. sunshine
7. great parents
8. beaches
9. my new vacuum
10. pretty rocks that Grandpa polished
11. my new back porch step
12. pretty picture frames (and the pictures in them)
13. a new off brand Ipod, hey, it plays stuff
14. ne.tflix
15. new clothes from Kara
16. dinner with friends (okay family but Katelyn and David count as friends too)
17. kids showing up for church
18. Ta.rget
19. discounts for recycling
20. shake-n-bake
21. an internet connection(not a super slow one)
22. fuzzy socks
23. my comfy bed
24. Two-punch Tuesdays at my favorite coffee place
25. being really bad at math and thinking I was turning 25 this year...
26. card games
27. candy hearts everywhere!

Wii're back...

Our wii remotes came in the mail today...we have been missing them, nuf said. (sorry it is sideways...anyone know how to rotate a video?)

Grandpa

My Grandpa went to be with Jesus early in the morning of December 27th. The picture above was taken of me with Grandma and Grandpa at a family gathering December 19th. I feel very fortunate to have this wonderful day as my last memory of Grandpa this side of Heaven.
This post has been long in coming as the new year was full of family and special time to remember Grandpa. We all shared tears and laughter as we joyfully remembered together what a special guy Grandpa was to all of us.
We are so sad that he is gone and miss him terribly but hold on to the expectation that we will see him someday at the best family reunion ever!