Dad Learns to Blog

We are coaching my dad on how to blog.It will be nice to have he and my mom active on the blog.

Fancy Girl

Look who found MamaBeth's boa. She has her mike, her tunes, and is dressed to kill. Watch out guys here she comes belting out those songs that will break your heart.

Misc. Pictures

Glen on the phone with David. Then it was passing around time. Merry Christmas David!
For some unknown reason Cindi finds "grammar" mistakes funny. Beth has the same reaction to my writing.
It's Tinkerbell. This one is for Brianna our own Tinkerbell. Merry Christmas Brianna.

Snacking on Christmas Day

Cindi made us this yummy Christmas Tree and we snacked for lunch.

Merry Christmas to all

Team Discovery Schedule is Online

In case you forgot, DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING TEAM 2006 RACE SCHEDULE is posted and it includes Tour of California 19-26 February in California!

Narnia

Beth, Kyle and I saw the movie yesterday. I was the only one of the three who had not read the book. I think my reaction to the movie was governed by my impressions of Britain during WWII. The focus on males and females uniting for a common cause, being exposed to danger and evil as a child, using fantasy toward imagining a time without turmoil, sacrifice based on selflessness, and forgiveness of our human frailty. I thought of the children and what beliefs they would need to survive the loss of family, home and peers. The children were believable in their struggle to accommodate to the rupture in their lives. The conflict between being safe and the relief that comes for doing something heroic. The rush to save the brother who is trying to retrieve the picture of dad while mom and sister vainly try to protect them brought this point to life early in the movie.

Christmas Touring

Meeting new friends in the national capital

I was in the Apple Store in Arlington VA, near Washington, DC. I guess that make posts from Apple Stores like this just because I can. This big MAC has a huge monitor! iThink it is an iMac G5 20-inch. WOW!

Also, I met these iMac- and iPod-enjoying-fellows there.

Looking Forward to Family Time...

A week from today! Our Placerville family will be in town. Our Northeastern Ohio family will be landing at LAX. Very excited. I am really looking forward to the traditional get-togethers...Christmas Eve breakfast, Christmas Eve church/dinner/gifts/sharing, and being together.

"narnia" was disappointing.

Uptown Musicians Play for Christmas

Saturday night was the "Uptown Sonata" thing in Whittier. We took a walk to see the whole thing and found our friends Claire and Don Barneson playing Christmas songs on their guitars. While we knew that they would be playing, we did not know where or what time---but just as we walked up they were about to start as Claire's guitar teacher who was playing took a break. It was nice music and nice to see several of the Barneson family there.

Can't Compete in Country Game...So States I've Lived In

A variation on a theme...states I've LIVED in. I am defining this as more than just states I had a pulse in. I defined it as states where I had a residence...received mail. I'd qualify for a Midwest girl...or central American? But, even though this is not too scale, those Midwest red states are not mid- nor -west. Please explain. Anyone hungry for a casserole?



create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

Ken is a stealth reader . . .

. . . and sends us this image of his travels. He comments:

"I'm at 17% with 40 countries visited. ;) Of course I have roughly the same
percentage of US States visited!"

He's got most of us beat on the contries! If you wanna see who he is, click here.

Miami would be a great place to work this time of year . . .

. . . instead, I will be on my way to Pennsylvania and West Virginia from Wednesday (14) until Monday (19). It's work! I'm not complaining unless it's snowing.

A Few Photos from a Recent Saturday

Recently, we went to the parade Uptown Whittier and saw a few of our friends.


Walking home we saw these jets turning and circling--I assumed they were waiting to do a fly over at the LA Colesium for the USC v. UCLA game.


Jonathan Gallardo is the La Serna High School marching band drum major. The Gallardos are great friends--let's do something together again soon guys.

Not too many, I need to plan some travel

I would really like to see if there is really land beyond those large ponds on either side of my two continents.


create your own visited countries map

And, North America includes Mexico, USA and Canada. Just remember that if you ever have to take a test on geography. What continent is Greenland?

Lots to Look Forward To Visiting...

Seven Percent of the World

It seems that my sixteen countries are equal to seven percent of the world. That makes even 25% a distance away. Humbling to say the least.

E-mail Rumors Contest

Garth and I have been joking about those e-mail rumors that get sent to everyone with a false promise or illogical warning...toilet seat spiders, Bill Gates giving away loads of cash, hotel keys that look like credit cards carry your credit card information and can be used, unlock your car when your keys are locked inside by beeping your lock device into a cell phone within range of your car to hear it and recognize the beep, etc. I invite you to join us with creative, almost believable rumor starters shared ONLY on the blog for a laugh.

I suggested "Toss a dog biscuit (small) in with your dryer load...you can reuse it and it softens clothes, saving money over dryer sheets..."

Garth said "If you wax your car with hair spray, then..."

So submit your ideas, and remember they need to be just believable enough to make you think it maybe true.

Dick & Jane Head West...

My good folks are coming to California for Christmas! What a gift to me! With my mom's struggle with and continued recovery from treatment for colon cancer, I am delighted to be able to share Christmas with her and my dear father. I didn't expect them to head this way this year, but they feel up to it. Hooray!