Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas...

From Our Family...

To Yours...

Dude...

My Brother-in-law is Jayne Cobb...

Wedding Bells...

Sam got married! Claire, Kathryn and I drove up to Barakel last weekend for Sam and Cody's wedding. It was absolutely lovely. I was interested to see what a wedding at Camp would look like and it was gorgeous. Sam put a lot of love and hard work into making her ceremony beautiful and not a single detail was over looked.

Claire and I bought a crock pot and recipe book as our wedding gift. We decided what gift we were going to buy in about two seconds but the wedding card was a little harder.

Why do they not make funny wedding cards? All of the cards are these long, sappy romance novels, with doves and swirly hearts all over the front. What would a funny wedding card even say? Maybe something along the lines of "Well I see you have finally settled. Its a good thing because nobody better was going to come along!" "Congrats, you finally met someone dumb enough to marry you!" "It's about time you old hag!" Hmm... maybe funny wedding cards aren't the best idea...

This was my first wedding for someone that wasn't a member of my family (Somebody didn't want any kids at their wedding!). I had such a good time! We played imaginary catchphrase with PG, I got to see GeG, and Melinda, and Kaytlyn, and I took a barefoot run. Across the baseball diamond. In the dark. With Claire. It was awesome. Also a tiny bit cold.

Here is a picture of Kaytlyn and I waiting under the mistletoe. Kaytlyn walked up to me in the middle of the reception and gesturing to the mistletoe said "If you were a boy I would totally kiss you right now!"

Speakin' of kissin' here is a picture of the Bride and Groom. Best of luck in Indiana, and wherever life takes you!

How to be an Old Person: Lesson 1

Well, hello there youngster. Welcome to "How to be an Old Person"! Today's lesson is about napping....

I am not very good at napping in general. My head is always full of stories, new crochet patterns, and things to do. The one exception however is TV. Put a blanket on me, turn on a movie, and I am out like a light. If there is someone sitting next to me that I can curl up next to, it is even better!

Although this seems perfectly normal to the rest of you Old People out there, youngsters now-a-days just don't seem to get it. I have even had people poke me back awake! But don't worry, here is how you can appear to be like the other kiddos and enjoy a movie, while you actually enjoy nice, long, nap...

1. Get into a position where it is difficult for others to see if your eyes are shut. The best, and most comfortable, way to accomplish this is to lean against someones shoulder. That way if they get curious and lean over to see if you are awake, their movement will jerk you awake and you can pretend like you were watching the whole time!
2. Master the art of "Doze-ing" By far the most powerful tool in an Old Person's arsenal is doze-ing! Don't fall into a heavy sleep. Rather take short little cat naps, 3-5 during the course of a movie is usually best, so that you can catch short bits of the movie. Although for a beginner Old Person this can prove difficult, it is necessary to progress to step 3.
3. Interject Comments There may be some doubts as to whether or not you were awake for the movie. The bit of drool on the shirt sleeve you were leaning against, the subtle sound of snoring during the movie and frequent yawns may lead people to believe that you fell asleep. Use the information that you learned inbettween your cat naps to silence these kinds of accusations and suspicions. Comments like "Wow that battle scene was really loud it almost woke..... I mean... The battle was really impressive!" should generally be avoided as well as specific questions about characters and plot developments...

These steps don't always need to be followed. On rare occasions you will find similar old souls who happen to be better at staying awake then you. These make great movie watching companions because while you are sleeping they tuck you in, or bring a foot stool around and prop your feet up. After the movie is finished they don't ask any questions but rather play along with the deception that you were awake the whole time.

Thanks for reading this weeks lesson on "How to be an Old Person", and I hope you stop by for next weeks lesson entitled "Crocheting in Public..."

Happiness...

I think the Larynx is beautiful. In fact I think it is my favorite structure in the human body.

I love the delicate curves of the hyoid bone, the interesting texture of the tracheal cartilage rings and don't even get me started on the thyroid cartilage! I love it. It is an impeccable architectural feat of form and function.

Maybe I am a nerd but I can't help it.... The larynx makes me happy!

ADVENTURE TIME!

I have discovered a new love.... Adventure Time! At first I thought it was stupid. Oh how wrong I was! There is nothing better after a long day of studying than to sit down in front of the old boob tube and watch some of Finn and Jake's antics. This is one of my favorite clips and ever since I watched it I have been chasing Emily and Olivia around the house doing my "old man voice". It is pretty good if I do say so myself, but it does make me throat very sore. Somethings in life are worth the pain....

No need to say goodbye...

So I had been delaying adding another blogpost because I was at a loss for words. The words I lost were about Colorado. How do you sum up one of the most poignant times in your life? How do you write a blogpost about discovering that you are an adult? How do you tie up the ends on an amazing year long adventure? How do you say goodbye.....

This weekend I flew out to Colorado for a visit. It was wonderful. Exactly like old times and exactly what I needed. In the words of Louise it felt like I had lived with them for two months and been gone for a year instead of the other way around.

I figured something out this weekend that is really important, I don't need to close the chapter on my life in Colorado because it isn't over. I love my babies and my babies love me. I have a big sister and a big brother who I love and who love me for exactly who I am, are always challenging me to try new things, and are always right there to help me. That doesn't change because I live far away instead of right down the stairs. We are a family.

I remember when I first moved in with Louise and she would tell me stories about when she used to live in Japan. Her house is filled with beautiful pieces of art that chronicle her life there. Japan was rich with memories for Louise and I didn't understand how a place that she had lived in for such a short time could hold so much meaning for her years later. How a short time could have shaped and changed her so much. Now I do. Colorado is my Japan.

Sometimes it is hard having two homes. The minute I am in one I am homesick for the other. I miss my parents and sisters, or I miss Ryan, Louise and my babies. It isn't fair, sometimes it makes me want to cry. But then I step back in amazement of my wonderful God who has blessed me with such an incredible experience and so many people that love me and I do cry. This world is full of change and goodbyes and heartbreak but God never leaves us nor forsakes us.

Someone asked me once if I regretted choosing to stay longer in Colorado. I can honestly say do not regret a single moment of my time there nor a single minute of my homesickness now. Things change.... but somethings don't..... sometimes there is no need to say goodbye.

Ryan's Birthday Weekend Extravaganza!

This weekend was Ryan's birthday so Mimi and Papa came out for a surprise visit. I can't even tell you how many times Louise and I almost spilled the beans, but we held it together. When Ryan walked into the resturant where we were taking him for his birthday dinner and saw his parents he was so surprised! Other gifts came in the shape of a tree from Louise and a whole car full of balloons from me. Note to self, blowing up over 30 balloons at high altitude, not the best idea. I almost passed out! But it was worth it... =)

 

We did lots of other fun suff this weekend too. Like picking rhubarb.

There is a tiny farm down in Colorado Springs that lets you come and pick rhubarb. So we packed up the boys and a picnic lunch and spent the afternoon harvesting.

You know you have a lot of rhubarb when the people selling the rhubarb give you an astonished look and say "But what are you going to do with it!?!"

It really wasn't that much.... just 25 lbs. We are going to freeze it and turn it into a years worth of delicous pies, bars, and jams.... OOOOKAAAY!

A Peanut Bunny and his Daddy...

The boys also went swimming in our new giant purple elephant pool.

We finished the weekend with a gorgeous view from the top of Daniels Park. They have Buffalo there. Ryan and I are going to ride them... We all had a great weekend.

Happy Birthday Ryan!

Just the Five of Us...

Clement...

Danny likes fish so I made him one for his birthday...

His name is Clement....

Shake, Rattle and Roar!

I made this adorable baby boy rattle for Mer's new baby!

Here are the presents for Toots and Baby ready to go in the mail!

Now I just hope Mer has a boy.. =/

Here Fishy... Fishy...

Meet the newest addition to our family....Naquadria!

After Auntie G, Uncle Doug and Emily left yesterday Louise and I ran out to do some errands. We were both feeling a little bit lonley so we stopped by the pet store and picked up a new friend.

Naquadria is a tiny pink fish that lives in a pretty castle on our kitchen table. The boys like to watch her swim while they eat but she prefers to hide.

Now we have a pet that won't make Ryan sneeze and has evened the ammount of boys and girls...

Hurray for Fish!

Welcome to Moosejaw

Last night we threw Danny and Vic a Moosejaw Birthday party.

In case you are unaware, Moosejaw, is a tiny little town, where Daniel is Sheriff and Victor works the trains. When the boys were just little preemies, a lot of time was spent feeding tiny babies who barely opened their eyes. One day as Auntie G was feeding Daniel, who was wearing itty-bitty jammies with sheriff stars on them, she looks down and says "Are you a sheriff, honey? Do you have a pony? Oh, his name is Chappie... and you live in Moosejaw!" and from there the story grew and grew...

Vic grunted and groaned a lot as a baby so Auntie G thought he must have been shoveling coal on the train trip to Wyoming. The boys have a cook named Dinah who makes them pork chops and beans, three ponies, and a whole town full of stories, people and animals.

What does a Moosejaw party look like... Well... My Mom made these adorable bibs...

We made two banners for the boys that can be saved and hung in their bedrooms

And Emily and Auntie G helped me with all of the other decorations

Even Ryan's head got into the spirit of things!

Louise made yummy pork chops and beans, then we ate birthday cake...

Played with a little cowgirl..

Opened presents...(I even got one!)

And went to bed. It was a fun party and we look forward to seeing everyone in Moosejaw again really soon!

Cowboy Cuteness