Fresno State Football

Well, for those of you who do not follow football, I'll let you in on a little secret - Fresno State got annihilated this evening by Boise State (of all teams). Regardless of the score, I still refuse to root for BSU. Not only that, I join the ranks of people who give them zero respect when it comes to the BCS. Anyway, I snapped some photos of the game. We actually had an enjoyable time and the weather was great! I will remain optimistic about next year! Go Dogs!

The BSU band plays the opposing team fight songs before the game. How sweet!


Here's what the field looked like from our seats. Fresno had the ball on this drive. It ended in a FG. Yes, that's when it was still a "game."


A close-up shot of Fresno on their first drive. Again, still looking good!


This is out of order, but here come the Dogs!

Wow, pictures are never flattering when you take them yourself. If only I had longer arms! Notice that Brett is dressed in neutral colors while I am proudly supporting Fresno. I eventually had to put on my Fresno State sweatshirt also. Do you think I embarrass him?

Happy Thanksgiving!

We were so blessed to have a co-worker, Sean, invite us over for Thanksgiving this year. It sure beats staying at home by ourselves! We were able to enjoy some company and eat some delicious food! We ate an early dinner today (turkey AND prime rib), took a nap (longer than it needed to be), and then took Puckett to the park to play. It was only a 1.14 mile trip, but it felt good to get some walking in. Sean and Katie even sent us home with some leftovers: sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and gravy.

Speaking of gravy, Brett wanted to make sure Puckett wasn't left out. Since we had some extra gravy, Brett added a little bit to Puckett's dinner. Happy Thanksgiving, Puckett! We didn't do much cooking this Thanksgiving, in fact, the only thing we made was a spinach salad. However, here was the other creation:

It may not look good to you, but Puckett sure enjoyed it!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am always reminded of the many things I have to be thankful for, including so many family members and friends. Yesterday in mass, Father gave a great homily. His message was that it is easy to expect things in life (i.e., a house, an iPod, etc.), but oftentimes we are not thankful for everything. It was definitely a reality check. Not to mention, that particular priest is funny (yes, there are funny priests out there) and even talked about drinking at the corner bar. I can't remember how it fit it, but it sure caught the attention of many. To make a long story short, I am very thankful, but will try harder to appreciate and give thanks year-round.

Christmas Shopping? Done. Almost.

I'm proud to say that as of today, November 21 (5 days before Thanksgiving), we have only one present left to buy. That's right! I felt like I was really behind, but last night and today we pretty much got the rest of it done. I must give credit to dear Brett because he was awesome at giving his input and amazing suggestions! Most of the gifts will be shipped out sometime next month leaving very few to take with us to California. I really do not like going shopping once Thanksgiving rolls around because of all the people, lines, crabby people, long lines, etc. So now, for the next month or so, we can proudly sit in our house and relax while so many others are out in the hustle and bustle. Good luck!

Speaking of the holidays, did you know...

1. There were 20 billion letters, packages, and cards delivered by the U.S. Postal Service between Thanksgiving and Christmas in 2007. A big shout out goes to Rich Walker for helping in this endeavor!


2. There was a total of 30.5 billion dollars in retail sales by the nation’s department stores (including leased departments) in December 2007. That's one reason not to shop in December!


3. There are 48,695 malls and shopping centers dotting the U.S. landscape as of 2005, a total that increased by approximately 12,000 since 1990.

Happy Birthday, Brett!

I'm terribly sorry that I don't have any pictures to share of Brett's 28th birthday. However, his special day did not go unnoticed! Here's how it all went down:

Last night, we went out to eat at Texas Roadhouse. Brett ordered pork ribs while I settled for the pulled pork sandwich. For dessert, I made him some lemon cookies (I'm crinkling my face up right now.). And to top it all off, he got some wonderful presents: A River Runs Through It, a book called Fly Fishing Basics, a flyfishing vest, some flies, and...a fly fishing rod!!! Yes, there was a theme. He's all set for summer! I'm going to discourage him to practice in the house. However, if we got that house with a half-acre, I'm sure he could practice fly fishing to his heart's content! I hope it was a wonderful birthday, honey!

Weekly Update

Last week was busy and was much like a blur more than anything else. The one thing that sticks out in my mind is one of Brett's comments. He covered one of the Steelheads hockey games (they're in the same league as the Fresno Falcons) on Wednesday night. After he got home he said, "I got to see a guy get his lip stitched up. It was mangled!" Clearly, we have different opinions on this matter. Nonetheless, he is enjoying this part of his residency!

School was the same old. We are busy trying to finish essays, start new ones, read, etc. I'm constantly pushing my kids to improve their writing and reflecting. The highlight of the week was taking the 8th graders to a retirement home (I tried to leave some of them there). We walked 1.13 miles each way. I may have fibbed to them and told them it wasn't quite a mile because they were whining. Anyway, as part of our service learning, the kids got to socialize and dance with the residents at the home. I was so proud of them! Plus, it's a great way to squeeze in a two-mile walk during the week. I'm always thinking!

We've also been working with our realtor, Tony, on trying to find a house. Now that we've been homeowners once before, we're much more picky this time around. Last night, we looked at four houses. The first one was soooooo cute! I loved everything about it, except that it, a) was close to railroad tracks, and b) did not have a fenced off backyard for Puckett. The second house was okay, but the basement needed help. The third house was a 1910 remodeled home. I loved it, however, it was the nicest house in the neighborhood. The final house we looked at resembled our house in Wenatchee. It has a three-car garage, four (small) bedrooms, central vac, and sits on one-half of an acre! It even has a fenced off garden and dog run. I truly liked this house a lot! We'll keep it in our back pockets and keep looking. I have to say, and Brett agrees, that this realtor is 10 times better than the last two we've used combined. We'll keep looking for houses though! Anyone want to put in an early RSVP for our house-warming party? :o)

A Modern Day Homemaker?

Now that volleyball is over, I have found that I have a lot more time on my hands. During football season, Brett was also gone on some Thursday or Friday evenings. While at Craft Warehouse one evening, I spotted a cute pattern for an apron. Since it said "Beginner's Apron," I thought I'd give it a whirl. This time, I even followed directions rather than making up my own as I go. The lighting is terrible, but you get the drift.

Puckett's Photo Shoot

What's a Christmas card from us without a picture of Puckett? After we had our opportunity to take pictures, we took Puckett down to the park. It's right down the street which works out perfect! He's now able to run around the park and play fetch without having a leash on. I don't even have to worry about him much now. Here are a couple of pictures to tell about Puckett's photo shoot. It took one minute to snap a good picture, then he and Brett just ran around.

It's Christmas Card Time!

Brett is wonderful! There are various reasons why I can easily proclaim his greatness, however, the fact that he humored me today was a quick reminder. We had a lazy morning this morning and asked each other what we wanted to do today. I had a great idea that we could take a picture for our Christmas cards. I know this is Brett's favorite thing to do. I didn't even have to see his face to know he was grimacing. The question was, "Where should we go to take it?" Surprisingly, Brett quickly said the Boise Depot would be a great place. After the picture was taken and I complimented his great location he said, "I knew I had to come up with something so you wouldn't get mad. It's the first thing I could think of." Thanks, honey!

We don't have a tripod, but I was sure that we could set the timer on our camera. I've only done it once before, but I had confidence in my photography skills nonetheless. What a bad idea! We found a couple of places around the Depot that had great scenery. Here's how the first picture went: I set the camera on a bench. Brett walked down the rocky slope to stand near the pond. (He got the easy part.) I set the timer and RAN. I was running so fast in fact, I slipped and darn near landed in the water. Thankfully, my wonderful husband caught me, turned me around, and we smiled just in time! Also after the photo shoot, he told me about hard he would have laughed if I fell. He even commented, "I should have stepped the side and let you fall in." True love!

While I do not want to spoil our Christmas card, here are a couple of pictures of the scenery. Great pick, Brett!! This is at the Boise Depot, just above downtown Boise.

Reflection

I've been doing my best for the last two weeks to make time to reflect. I do this best by journaling. I've always been one to write down my feelings, even since elementary school. I remember the fond memories of my purple diary. I knew it was safe from my family because of the "sturdy" lock. It then evolved to a spiral-bound notebook. Over the years, the journal has come in different shapes and sizes, and the writing has changed just as much. Of course, there were the days that I spent doodling "N+___= LOVE" and "Mrs. So-and-So." However, my writing finally reached the point of being a time for quiet reflection on the trials and tribulations I face in life, and, how God is helping and guiding me. Just moments ago (yes, I am at school), I reached for my composition book to put it away. This is something I use for school. One of the magazine pictures on it says, "I always try to find time to be myself, to reflect on my achievements and where I'm headed." I don't know where I got that quote or even who said it. But now, more than ever, I think it's true. Do you ever take a quiet moment to reflect on who you are and have become?

Updates from Boise

I feel like one sick puppy. Yuck! Thursday, I could feel the sore throat coming on. Thursday evening, the headache started and would not stop. Friday, my nose felt like Niagra Falls. This morning is more of the same, but the headache has subsided at least. This is offically, the second cold I have had since the beginning of the school year. Are you surprised? I am not. I have a whole bottle of hand sanitizer on my desk. I better start using a lot more! On a positive note though, we completed the first quarter of school.

In other news, Brett had to go to a high school football game last night. They lost, badly, so football season should be done now. He is currently covering a rugby game. The last one was pretty exciting in terms of injuries. For his sake, I hope there are injuries, but really, I never want people to break any bones or have any serious damage during games. I'm torn!

I can't say that there is any other big news floating around here. Brett is busy at work. I began taking pilates a couple of weeks ago. We're trying to find a realtor and a house. Mostly, we're just taking things one day at a time. Oh, you want to know about Puckett? He contiues to run on the treadmill, but is actually calming down in his old age. Let's see...his is three months away from his third birthday!

**By the way, Fresno State plays in Boise at the end of this month. I truly hope you will all be rooting for the right team. Which team is the RIGHT team? Need you ask?! Everyone who is anyone will be wearing RED that night, including myself. Brett is clearly not happy about that. He calls me a "non-homer" now because I didn't like to root for any of the Washington teams (Mariners, Seahawks, UW) and I refuse to conform here in Boise (BSU). I'm exercising my right to choose what teams I root for. Isn't there something about that in the Bill of Rights? And speaking of the Bill of Rights, I hope you all vote or already did so. I won't ask who you're voting for, but make sure you vote. Please.