The Guymon Family

Christmas in July

2011-07-24T12:58:00.001-07:00

Since none of us were able to make it home for Christmas last year, my mom decided that it would be fun to have Christmas in July when we could all be together. Then is morphed into a gag gift Christmas and my mom supplied all the presents. It was way fun and we had some good laughs.

Thanks for the fun, Mom!

Scotty being Scotty

Tori

ReNae opening her fantastic present

Lexi

Miss Hailey

Andy enjoying the fun

Good times

A nose soap dispenser (it comes with green soap!)

Cool sunglasses (with rear-view mirrors)

The family

What we are really like. :)

We had an awesome vacation and can't wait to do it again next year!

Point Defiance Zoo

2011-07-24T12:54:00.001-07:00

As a child we always went to the Point Defiance Zoo and I still love it. B seemed to enjoy it and I hope to be able to keep going back every year.

Watching the seals

Andy's favorite exhibit

Brooklyn's favorite part was the play area.

Checking out a giant seashell

Photo op in front of Mt. Rainier

Our beautiful zoo

4th of July

2011-07-24T12:41:00.001-07:00

We always plan our Washington vacation so we are there over the 4th of July. The weather is usually perfect, and there is no place like the view from my parent's beach with fireworks going off all around. We love it! This year Andy, Brooklyn, and I went to the parade in Steilacoom, which is the small town where I grew up. It is still an adorable little town and seems like a really great place to raise a kid. Then we met back up with everyone for an evening of fun.

Being funny at the parade

The view from Steilacoom

Little Brandon just hanging out

My cousin Ripken

My cousin Kennedy

B enjoying the rocking chair

Andy playing with his marshmallow shooter

Me and Victoria

Me and Brady

Victoria, Mel, and Brady

Hailey

4th of July Family Pic

My dad enjoying the beautiful water

Gorgeous sunset

My dad got this genius idea to try and make sparkler bombs.

We are thankful everyone is still alive. :)

Ferry Ride to Seattle

2011-07-24T12:33:00.000-07:00

We took the ferry to Seattle one day, enjoyed the waterfront, and had dinner at the Spaghetti Factory (another family tradition.) Then some stayed for the Mariners game and some went home. It was a great day!

A little windblown

Cute

Enjoying the ride

Almost to Seattle

The Emerald City

Brady and Addi on the carousel

Brooklyn LOVES the carousel

Frisco Freeze at Wright Park

2011-07-24T12:15:00.000-07:00

It is our family tradition to stop at Frisco Freeze (greasy, fantastic burger joint) in Tacoma every time someone flies in or out of the Sea-Tac Airport. We flew in too late and had to head straight to Spokane for a work conference, but we were able to go when Brandon flew in. It was fun to eat our delicious food and watch the kids run around and play.

Miss B showing off her puppy and backpack

Little Brandon just hanging out in his car seat

My sister Victoria, my dad, and my mom

B learning to roll down a hill

Andy and Brooklyn rolling in the grass

My brother Scott and niece Addison

My brother Brady

Niece Hailey

B looking cute for the camera.

Mom and Brooklyn

Brady and niece Layla (she found the markers at the children's museum)

Addison and Victoria

Brady and Addison

Miss B enjoying a flower

Mom and Brady

My daddy

My brother, Brandon, and his daughter, Alexa

Addison and my sister-in-law, ReNae

Tori

Brady

Children's Museum of Tacoma

2011-07-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

We went to the Children's Museum of Tacoma the day my brother, Brandon, and his 5 kids flew into town. It was a fantastic little place and Brooklyn had a great time. And the first Friday of every month is free, so that made it even better!!

Leavenworth, WA

2011-07-24T12:02:00.000-07:00

We made a stop in the little Bavarian town of Leavenworth, WA. We walked around and checked out the shops and bought some fine Bavarian chocolate made by their very own chocolatier. Then we took a walk down by the river and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

Washington Vacation

2011-07-24T11:59:00.000-07:00

We had the chance to go up to Washington state at the end of June and spend time with the Renner side of the family. It was a fantastic trip filled with fun activities and family. The next few posts will cover the action since there are too many pictures for one post. :)

Random Pictures

2011-07-24T11:56:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law bought this fancy dress for B for her first birthday. We never really have anywhere to wear it, so we just decided to try it on and model it one day.

Brooklyn, how old are you?

Southern Decor

2011-07-24T11:53:00.000-07:00

We added our first piece of southern decor in May. The girls in our ward had a silent auction at their fundraiser for camp and we just had to have this adorable gator bench for Brooklyn.

Pensacola Beach, Florida

2011-07-24T11:46:00.001-07:00

Well, I guess it is time for our quarterly post. :) (We really do try to post more often, but life just gets in the way.) We had the chance to go to Pensacola, FL for a weekend in May. It was fun and the water was beautiful, but a 1-year-old and sand don't really get along. Here are some pictures of our adventure:

Taking a break

B wasn't a big fan of being buried.

Sandy face

Just having fun

The Beach

2011-04-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

We also took B to the beach for the first time yesterday. She was a little timid on the sand at first, but once she got her "sand legs" she was loving life.

Easter Fun

2011-04-17T19:51:00.000-07:00

We took Brooklyn to her first Easter egg hunt yesterday. She had a great time and was adorable to watch.

March

2011-04-17T19:32:00.000-07:00

March flew by! We had fun working and playing and just hanging out. We went camping and took a trip to Arizona. Life is busy!

Brooklyn's 1st Birthday!

2011-02-13T18:18:00.000-08:00

Our baby girl is 1! I can't believe how fast this year went by! She is a joy and so much fun. We threw her a little party and had a few friends over for the big day. Happy birthday Brooklyn!

Getting ready for cake

The proud parents with the birthday girl

Too much attention

Enjoying her cupcake once things settled down

The Guests

Ian and Hilary

Heather and Robert (expecting their 2nd in July! Congrats!)

Cute Summer

Little Trista

Sweet Olivia

Goofy Kyndi

James and Kelly

Hilary and Chet

Christmas Card

2011-02-13T17:42:00.000-08:00

Here is our Christmas card for this year. I designed it myself, and I think it turned out pretty good. It does help that we have an adorable little girl to include pictures of. :) Christmas was fun. Brooklyn isn't quite old enough to understand the concept of opening presents, but she sure loved the new toys she got. We were so involved in having fun that we didn't really take any pictures, but just imagine a scene with a super excited 10-month old and her parents loving it.

Thanksgiving

2011-02-13T17:17:00.001-08:00

Yes, I am posting about Thanksgiving in February. :) We stayed in town and were able to spend it with our good friends Kelly and James. It was a great time filled with lots of yummy food and good conversation. I didn't take a lot of pictures, but here is what we have.

Brooklyn and her best friend Trista

Andy and Brooklyn hanging out

Andy and James deep frying the turkey. (Yum!)

Brooklyn discovering her love for swinging.

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T19:45:00.000-07:00

8 Months Old

2010-10-24T19:55:00.001-07:00

If you couldn't tell, Brooklyn is the center of our lives these days, and we love it! Here are a few pictures from her 8-month birthday. :)

Polka Dots

2010-10-24T19:46:00.001-07:00

Just some random cute pictures.

7 Months Old

2010-10-24T18:59:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple seven month pictures of Brooklyn. I know she is my kid and I am supposed to think this, but she just gets cuter every day! :)

Little Laugher

2010-09-05T22:16:00.000-07:00

Last week Andy picked up a little cough, and every time he would cough Brooklyn would burst out laughing. Hilarious!

Bouncing

2010-09-05T22:08:00.000-07:00

It makes my heart happy to watch Brooklyn enjoy her bouncy seat!

First Solid Food!

2010-09-05T22:04:00.001-07:00

Brooklyn had the wonderful opportunity to try her first bites of solid food a few weeks ago. She didn't seem to like it too much at first, but has quickly learned to love eating! :)

Mmmm, Oreo Shake!

2010-09-05T22:01:00.001-07:00

I don't know how she knows, but she knows that the Orea shake from Burger King is to die for!

Cuteness

2010-09-05T21:56:00.000-07:00

While we were in Arizona my sister-in-law, ReNae, gave us a few cute outfits that her girls had outgrown. This is my favorite one, so we just had to get a few pictures.

Trip to Arizona

2010-09-05T21:31:00.000-07:00

After our trip to Washington, we were able to go to Arizona and see even more family! It was a wonderful trip. Brooklyn got to meet all of her cousins and aunt and uncles, her Papa, her Great Grandma Fechko, and her School Webmasters family. She got to go swimming for the first time, and then camping in the mountains. What an eventful week!

Swimming for the first time. (She loves it!)

My sister-in-law is obsessed with these amazing pettiskirts, and after seeing Brooklyn in one, I have to say that I LOVE them too! Every little girl needs at least one of these!

Brooklyn and her Renner cousins.

My brother with his kids and me with my happy one. :)

Brooklyn and Mylie (I wish I had gotten pictures with her other Standage cousins!)

Ferry to Seattle

2010-09-05T21:15:00.000-07:00

We love our trips to Seattle, and we especially love the ride on the ferry to get there!

Melanie and little brother Brady

Daddy and Brooklyn

Beautiful Baby

Our sweet little family

Feeding the seagulls

Last year Scotty was able to get a seagull to eat out of his hand, but got bit in the process, so this year the boys are a little more cautious.

4th of July

2010-09-05T20:37:00.000-07:00

Every year we plan our trip to Washington over the 4th of July. Not only is it the most beautiful time of year, but we LOVE fireworks on the beach. We get to set off our own, plus enjoy all of the fireworks around us, with a 180 degree panoramic view. It is fantastic!

Grandma Renner's Birthday Celebration

2010-09-05T18:44:00.000-07:00

My sweet grandmother turns 80 this year, so we celebrated this summer while most of the family was able to come. It was so good to see everyone and spend time catching up! (B was napping during picture time, and there was no way I was getting her up.) :)

The Museum of Flight

2010-08-29T20:42:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know, it has been two months since we went on vacation and I am just now blogging about it. I have no good excuses, just life. So pardon the million posts while we get caught up. :)

At the end of June we went to visit my parents and extended family in Washington state, and it was great! We were only there for a week, but were able to squeeze all kinds of great activities in.

Every year Andy wants to go to the Museum of Flight in Seattle, and this year we finally got to go. We saw some pretty cool old airplanes, and Andy got to share his love of flying and planes with Brooklyn.

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-21T20:28:00.000-07:00

Andy got to celebrate his first Father's Day this year! Brooklyn got him a fancy radio control sea plane that can take off from any of the wonderful lakes in our community, and he got to eat shrimp from a shrimp boil he had at work the other day. All in all, I think he had a pretty good day. Here are a few pictures from our day of celebrating what a great daddy Andy is.

Daddy and Daughter

Happy to be in Daddy's arms

Lookin' cute

Laughing for Daddy

Brooklyn is 4 months old!

2010-06-21T20:25:00.000-07:00

Our baby girl is 4 months old already! Where does the time go? She had her check-up with the pediatrician, and she weighed in at a healthy 15 lbs 8 oz. No starving babies here. :) We love having her in our life, and look forward to all the months ahead!

New House Pictures

2010-06-21T19:51:00.000-07:00

We are all moved in and finally getting settled into our new house, and are loving every minute of it. There are still boxes here and there, but for the most part we have found a place for everything. Here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure. :)

When you first walk in the door, the dining room is to the right.

And to the left is the office/Brooklyn's playroom.

We don't love the kitchen, but it has a lot of cupboard space, so that is good. :)

The living room

Master Bedroom

Andy hiding while I was taking pictures. :)

Our back porch. Yes, that is a fireplace! How awesome is that? We plan to screen it in eventually so we can enjoy our time outside without having to worry about pesky bugs.

This is our backyard! Are you jealous? It is fantastic!

Backyard view #2

Our New House

2010-05-02T18:30:00.000-07:00

We found the house of our dreams! It is a 4 bedroom, 4 1/2 bath house on two lots, and we love it! It was in foreclosure when Andy found it, and we snatched it up. We close May 14th, so we are starting to get really excited! We'll post more pictures when we move in!

Family Pictures

2010-04-25T18:44:00.000-07:00

As I was designing a new background for our blog, we realized that we don't have any pictures of the 3 of us together. So this afternoon after church we sat down in front of the fireplace and took a few family pictures.

She takes after her Grandpa Renner....

2010-04-25T17:18:00.000-07:00

(turn your sound up)

Random Pictures

2010-04-25T17:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pictures of our first 10 weeks with our new baby girl. It has been so much fun!

Too big?

So sweet!

Ready for Church

I love to watch her sleep.

Just hanging out in her bouncy seat

Loving the cute hat!

Our first walk

Happy Easter!

2010-04-25T16:54:00.001-07:00

We were able to spend Easter with good friends of ours, Robert and Heather. Heather prepared this amazing 7 course meal, and it was fantastic! I am still full! It was so nice of them to have us over, especially since we don't have any family in the area. Here are a couple of pictures of Brooklyn in her blessing/Easter dress. (She started to fall asleep while I was taking her picture on the couch.)

At Heather and Robert's

The Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center

2010-04-25T16:44:00.000-07:00

My mom was really good about checking out fun things to do around here. She found a brochure about the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center in Mobile, AL, so we decided to check it out. It is a great little place! If you are ever in Mobile I highly encourage you to check it out.

Brady, Victoria, and Andy ready to have some fun!

Mom learning about the body.

Dad napping with Brooklyn. (Do you see a pattern here? I don't think I got one picture of my dad with his eyes open.) :p

Hanging out with the triceratops.

Blessing Day

2010-04-25T16:36:00.000-07:00

While my family was here, we were able to give Brooklyn her baby blessing. We chose to do it in our home, and we were able to have Andy's parents and my two brothers (one in Gilbert and one at BYU-I) join us by Skype. It was way cool! Technology is a wonderful thing. I completely forgot to take pictures until we were about to get B ready for the night, so this is it.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-04-25T16:28:00.000-07:00

I couldn't decide which picture was the cutest, so I posted them all. We have a very animated little one. :)

More Family :)

2010-04-25T16:13:00.001-07:00

Part of my family was able to come and visit when Brooklyn was about a month old. It was a lot of fun, and they were a big help!

Napping with Grandma Renner.

Brooklyn's Uncle Brady

Taking a nap with Grandpa Renner

My mom prepared the most delicious meals. Tacos = mmmm.

The ladies (we're a little squished)

Brooklyn with her Aunt Victoria

First Bath

2010-04-25T15:18:00.000-07:00

Of course we have to post pictures of Brooklyn's first bath. I will spare her future embarrassment and crop the picture, but it is just so cute we had to share! She didn't love taking baths in the infant insert, but now that she is bigger she gets to splash around and she loves it. It is the cutest thing ever! (Obviously we think that everything she does is the cutest thing ever, and will probably say that a lot!) :)

Michelle's Visit

2010-04-25T15:10:00.000-07:00

We were able to have Andy's mom, Michelle, come and visit us for a couple of weeks when Brooklyn was born. It was a nice visit, and she was a big help. Thanks Michelle!

Brooklyn Amelia Guymon

2010-04-18T20:19:00.000-07:00

Alright, so I guess we could be considered some of the worst bloggers ever. But we are back and ready to update you on our lives!

We are pleased to announce the birth of our daughter, Brooklyn Amelia, on February 10th, 2010 at 8:17 a.m. She weighed 7 lbs. 13 oz, was 20 1/2" long, and was the most perfect thing we have ever seen. What a miracle! I chose to have a C-section, so delivery was a breeze and recovery wasn't half bad. I'm telling you, that's the way to do it! None of this waiting and wondering and crazy contractions, just go in and have a baby. It was awesome.

Here are some pictures of our new arrival, and we promise a new post soon!

Finally!

2010-04-04T20:04:00.000-07:00

This is long overdue but we finally got a chance to post some pictures of our newest famliy member, Brooklyn! Stay tuned there's more on the way!

Huntsville Trip/Christmas in AZ!!!

2010-01-03T13:12:00.000-08:00

Well, since Melanie has been slacking in her blogging duties ;-) I have decided to help out (awww, what a good husband!) and post something on our little blog here so that no one has to wonder if we've been abducted by aliens. As everyone can relate to, life got really busy for us around the holidays. Right after Thanksgiving we drove to Huntsville, AL and spent two weeks there because I had some training for work and thanks to Melanie's awesome job she was able to come along with me and not miss any work. We had a great time and really liked the area. We stole some ideas for things to do there from some friends of ours who used to live in Huntsville (I think they found out we were coming so they ran off to Dallas right before we arrived!) Here are a couple of the highlights:

The Unclaimed Baggage Center

Ever wonder what happened to your luggage when it somehow decided to vacation in Miami when you were going to Hawaii? Well, it probably ended up here at the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama. This is an interesting store that somehow obtains people's unclaimed luggage from the airlines and then sells the contents (and the luggage of course). It was amazing to see the variety of products that they had for sale, everything from ipods to jewelry to sports equipment, and of course lots and lots of clothing. They even had a little museum showing some of the more unusual items they've come across though the years including a giant troll puppet from the movie Labyrinth and a specially designed camera for the Space Shuttle (which they kindly returned).

The US Space and Rocket Center

My favorite place in town of course was the US Space and Rocket Center, I know, shocking right? It was freezing cold the day we went (more on that in a minute) so there weren't many people there. This is the same place where they do space camp for the kids every summer so I was very excited to find out that they also have sessions for kids and parents together... now if I can just make sure my child grows up to be a space geek like me I can finally fulfill my lifelong dream of going to space camp! :-)

Snow for the Holidays

I had mentioned that it was cold the day we went to the space museum but just how cold was it? We got snow!!! Okay it wasn't a blizzard or anything like that, but when you're from a place where winter means the temperature has dropped below 80, snow is exciting.

Following our trip to Huntsville we returned to Mississippi for a few days so we could do a couple loads of laundry and then repack for our flight to Arizona for Christmas. We had a wonderful time with our families and friends. The day after we arrived we had a baby shower, and even though I wasn't there (the boys went rock climbing!) I heard it was a great occasion and we are very thankful to everyone who was so generous to us. Melanie's family came into town for the shower and then stayed until a few days before Christmas and then we got to celebrate Christmas and, a few days later, Melanie's birthday with my side of the family. It was a lot of fun seeing everybody again and it made us appreciate all of the great people in our lives, we love you all!

Also, since south Mississippi is so flat and swampy we decided that we had to take advantage of the beautiful weather and terrain while we could so we went for a short hike with my parents to the Dacite Cliffs Mine. I have to say that Melanie was quite the hiker for someone who is 7 1/2 months pregnant. When we got to the mine we used our flashlights to go explore it and after going in a few hundred yards we came to a room where the mine made a sharp right turn. My dad noticed something in the corner of the room so I turned my light towards it to see what it was. Initially I thought it looked like a broken bottle but then suddenly it moved and I could see its eyes reflecting back at me, it was a skunk! Needless to say we ended our exploration of the mine right then and there and high-tailed it back out.

We're having a....

2009-11-11T20:40:00.000-08:00

Girl! I know it is old news now that I am already 25 weeks along, but there may be someone out there that is still wondering. :) As of now, we have chosen Brooklyn Amelia as her name. I say as of now because we have had friends that told us they had a name chosen and then changed it when they met their baby. So we'll see. But we are super excited, and only have about 15 weeks to go! Woo Hoo!

Everything else is basically the same. We are just working and living life. We are looking to buy a house here. After a year we have finally come to terms with the fact that we are going to be here for a while, so we might as well get comfortable. I might even get my car licensed in Mississippi this year and finally give up the Arizona plates. *Sigh* We will keep everyone updated on the house search.

Here's a prego pic for my far away family and friends. (Taken at 24 weeks.)

Finally!

2009-08-09T20:22:00.000-07:00

For all those inquiring minds that would like to know, we just found out we are expecting our first child! Woo Hoo! I haven't been feeling well at all for the last month or so, so by the time we finally figured out what was probably causing it and made a Dr.'s appointment, I was already 12 weeks along! The due date is February 20th, and we are so excited! Yeah!

Crawfish!

2009-05-31T18:23:00.000-07:00

Our wonderful friends, Kelly and James, had us over for our first southern Crawfish Boil. It was so much fun! If you had told me six months ago that we would be eating crawfish and enjoying it, I would have told you that you were crazy! It is quite the ordeal. They boil the crawfish is this huge pot with potatoes, corn, garlic, and lemon, and special seasoning called "Crawfish Boil." Then you just dump it all out on the table and everyone digs in. The meat is in the tail, so you rip it off and have to dig out the meat, either with your finger or your teeth. It sounds like a lot of work, but it is so worth it. Then you can suck the heads to get the yummy juices, but I wasn't too keen on that idea. Andy loved it though. We had a great time learning about a new southern tradition.

Get ready to dig in!

Kelly laughing at how "daintily" I eat crawfish.

James sucking the juices out of the head

Good food and good friends. Looks gross, I know. But don't knock it until you try it! :)

Trip to Florida

2009-05-24T12:05:00.001-07:00

It has always been a dream of Andy's to see the space shuttle launch, and since we are relatively close to Florida now, we decided to take a quick trip. It was a 9 hour drive to Orlando, and there were some neat things to see along the way. Mobile, AL was the first decent sized city we came to, and it was neat to see sky scrapers again, so we had to take a picture. We also drove by a huge semi-truck fire, and we could feel the intense heat through the car window. Pretty crazy.

The shuttle launch was amazing! If you have a chance to go, you should definitely take it! Since Andy works for NASA, we had the best seat in the house (besides the control room). Afterward we stopped by world famous Cocoa Beach to check it out. It was beautiful!

Since we were already in Orlando, of course we had to go to Disney World. We only had one day, so we chose to go to Magic Kingdom. It was a fun day, even though Space Mountain was closed for renovations. (That is my all time favorite ride.)

On our way home, we decided to stop by and check out the beaches in Destin, FL. Everyone is always telling us how beautiful it is there, so we had to see for ourselves. And they weren't kidding! I think that it is definitely the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. We were only planning to drive by, but it was so beautiful and the water was so clear and warm, we bought swimming suits and swam for an hour or so. We are definitely going back!

Pay It Forward

2009-05-21T06:23:00.000-07:00

1. Be one of the first THREE bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me (yeah for handmade!).
2. If you are one of the first three to make a comment, you are a winner! And you then agree to post this challenge on your own blog, meaning that you will pay it forward, creating a handmade gift -anything!- for the first THREE bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!
3. The gift that you send to your 3 friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember it’s the spirit and the thought that count!
4. When you receive your gift, blog about it! If you are not one of the first three to comment on this post, you can still play along. Go ahead and start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same! It's all about paying it forward.

Enjoy!!!!This should be fun!

Crescent City Classic

2009-05-17T20:24:00.000-07:00

We had the chance to run in the Crescent City Classic 10K on April 11th in New Orleans. It was a lot of fun! We ran with my friends Kelly and Heather, and we all finished in the 1:03:00 range. Not bad for my first 10K! There were a lot of interesting people in New Orleans. We saw a few people dressed up in costumes, people along the way handing out hot dogs and beer, and even a man sitting out on his balcony naked! What on Earth?!? (Luckily, I didn't see that one!) Afterward we were able to experience jambalaya for the first time. Yummy! Andy got bored along the way and took some pictures for us with his phone. :) Next up is a half-marathon!

Thunder on the Bay

2009-04-12T18:31:00.001-07:00

Last week I got to do one of the coolest things I have ever done in my life... fly a C-130 Hercules cargo plane. (Not sure what that is? Go here: http://op-for.com/C130.jpg) Okay, so it was actually a simulator but still really cool. I owe it all to my friend James Childs who is one of our country's heroes serving in the Air Force. His base (Keesler Air Force Base here in Biloxi, MS) hosted an airshow last weekend and Melanie and I went with James and his family to check it out. James suprised his father and me with the opportunity to get some seat time in a C-130 simulator. It was so amazingly realistic that you really felt like you were up in the air and they told us that you could actually get certified to fly a real C-130 just by flying in the simulator. And with the push of a button they were able to simulate an engine fire, turn the day into night, and add in a big thunderstorm.
The air show was a lot of fun too. We got to see several demonstrations including the Army's Golden Knights skydiving team, the Air Force's Thunderbirds, and some exciting stunt shows. Thanks again to the men and women of our armed forces for a wonderful day!

Our Fun Weekend

2009-03-10T21:27:00.000-07:00

Steve and Michelle (Andy's parents) came to visit us this weekend. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed their company. Here are some of the fun things we did.

We enjoyed the beach in Gulfport the first night they were here, after a wonderful seafood dinner at Lookout 49.

On Friday we took a tour of Stennis Space Center where Andy works. We wanted to watch them test a space shuttle engine, but they were running late. We waited for an hour or so, but didn't get to see it up close. (Apparently it gets very loud, so that is why we are wearing ear plugs.) Andy showed us the test stands he works on, the control room where he spends most of his days, and the friendly neighborhood alligator.

Saturday we drove up the coast toward Florida, stopping to check things out along the way. We must have thought a lot of stuff was interesting, because we barely made it to the border of Alabama and turned back. :) We spent the evening on the beach in Gulfport again, the boys flying their kites and the girls reading. It was wonderful. (Are you jealous that we live in such a beautiful area? You really should be!) :) Then we had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe in Biloxi. It was good food, and the music was loud. We walked around the casino for a minute to check it out, and Andy and I both got carded! We are turning 30 this year, and they asked for our ID. Needless to say, we were flattered!!

Monday we ventured down to New Orleans. It is an interesting place. We had beignets at Cafe du Monde, walked around and saw all the sites, went to the French market, then had Muffalettas for lunch. It is the kind of place that you visit once and that is probably enough. :) We did drive through a beautiful neighborhood with huge, amazing houses that have been there for a while. The architecture there is wonderful.

Thanks for a wonderul weekend Steve and Michelle!

Happy Mardi Gras!

2009-03-10T21:14:00.000-07:00

We learned a lot about Mardi Gras this year. I think most people associate Mardi Gras with New Orleans, but it is celebrated all along the coast here. There were tons of parades and festivities. I kind of wish we were able to attend one of the parades, but maybe next year. It looks like a lot of fun. We had our first King Cake, which was super yummy. Apparently you are supposed to bake it with a little plastic baby in it (symbolizing Jesus), and whoever finds the baby gets to host the next Mardi Gras party. Like I said, we learned a lot. (Not that we understand it all.)

Valentine's Day

2009-03-10T21:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am a little behind with blog posts! Life has just been busy, as I am sure everyone can relate to. Our Valentine's Day was wonderful. We went to Baton Rouge with our friends, Kelly and James. We went to the temple on Friday night, and then Saturday morning we went to the Mall of Louisiana. It was a really fun trip, and it ended perfectly when Andy drove off the edge of James and Kelly's driveway and got my car stuck. But no damage was done and James was a pro at getting the car unstuck. Apparently it happens a lot. (Or maybe they just told us that to make Andy feel better.) :)

Andy and I decided to not exchange gifts this year, but I just couldn't resist giving this big guy a hug!

James getting my car unstuck. (Thanks James!)

Mississippi Gulf Coast

2009-02-01T18:27:00.001-08:00

The beach here is absolutely beautiful. Since we moved here in November, it has been pretty chilly most days, but every once in a while it warms up and we take advantage of it by heading down to the water. You don't see things like this in Arizona, that's for sure. We are so thankful for the opportunity to live in such a beautiful place and to experience so many new things!

Crawfish

2009-02-01T17:54:00.000-08:00

Ever since we moved to Mississippi, we have been hearing how everyone loves to eat crawfish. It never really sounded that appealing, so we haven't exactly gone out of our way to try it. Well, Andy has been dying to try this Chinese buffet in Waveland, and after a long day of yard work, (the reason for the messy hair and tired-looking pictures), we decided to treat ourselves. The food was fine, and we noticed that the most popular items were the crawfish and the fried chicken (yes, at a Chinese buffet), so I thought I would be brave and try a crawfish. I took one, and when I sat back down, I couldn't even stand to have it sitting on my plate, so I hid it between two napkins on the table. It was a whole crawfish, so it still had eyes that were just staring at me and these little legs just flopping around. It was so gross. I was just going to wrap it in a napkin and have the waitress take it away, but Andy wanted to give it a try. We didn't even know how to eat it, so Andy just started taking it apart, and discovered that the meat is in the tail. We both tried it, and it was fine, but I don't think we see what the big deal is. I have heard that you are supposed to suck the heads to get the full-flavored juices, but there was no way on Earth we were about to do that. Needless to say, we have a long way to go before we pick up any new Southern traditions. :)

Melanie's Birthday!

2009-01-01T21:07:00.000-08:00

So for Melanie's birthday I wanted to take her out to do something she loves, hiking! One problem though, there aren't any mountain's down here on the gulf coast. I spent hours looking online for someplace in the vicinity that would be a fun excursion and finally found a place called the Leaf Trail. It was described as a short (1.5 mile) but scenic walkway with boardwalks and bridges to "provide the visitor a travel-way across wet and boggy areas." Sounds pretty cool right? So we made the hour and a half drive to the trailhead where we met a group of locals in the parking area. One of them asked if we'd been here before and when we replied that we had not he warned us that the trail was destroyed during "the storm" (code for hurricane Katrina) and never repaired. Consequently, the trail was pretty much non-existent and one of the little kids in the group told us they had gotten lost and were wandering around for a couple of hours trying to find their way back. Being the good boy scout that I am I went back to the car and grabbed my handheld GPS and we set off. After a few short minutes we came to a set of train tracks running trough the wilderness.

I tried to convince Melanie to lie down on them so I could take a damsel in distress picture but she didn't want to 'cause they were dirty. Luckily, she wasn't into playing the damsel because a few seconds later this happened... (WARNING: make sure your volume is turned down before playing video!)

Needless to say, I'm glad the tracks were too dirty. We continued along our way until we came to a breath-taking view of the South Mississippi wilderness:

Satisfied with our successful day of wandering aimlessly through strange forrests and boggy wetlands we decided to call it a day. Happy birthday Melanie!

Christmas Lights

2008-12-25T19:58:00.000-08:00

Since today is Christmas, I figured I had better hurry and post a picture of our house with the Christmas lights up. It is foggy tonight, as you can tell, so the picture didn't come out the clearest. The fog gets really thick here. It is kind of fun.

We had a wonderful Christmas. We slept in, Andy made us a waffle breakfast, then we opened presents. The rest of the day we just spent hanging out and talking with family on the phone and webcam. It was quite enjoyable. Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T05:48:00.001-08:00

3-2-1 Blastoff!

2008-12-18T21:09:00.000-08:00

Everybody knows about NASA being in Houston and Florida but since I was offered the job to come to work down here at Stennis Space Center I have had to explain to several people that NASA is also in South Mississippi (and many other places too!) . Stennis is the nation's largest rocket engine test facility and was originally constructed in the 1960's to support the Apollo program. Each of the 12 astronauts who walked on the moon rode there on rocket engines proven flight-worthy here at Stennis. Since the end of the Apollo program the primary focus here became the Space Shuttles and their main engines. Over the last 30+ years more than a million seconds of Space Shuttle main engine testing have been conducted. These engines produce more than 37 million horsepower, which is the eqivalent to the energy produced by 13 Hoover Dams. Below is a clip from some footage of a recent test, the actual tests can last for several minutes... enjoy!

Snow?

2008-12-17T20:12:00.001-08:00

Last Thursday we woke up to snow falling! Who knew snow could fall at 50 feet above sea level? It didn't stick because it was too wet, but it was still really fun to see. Apparently it snows here about once a decade, so we were lucky to see it. I took a picture in our backyard, but you couldn't see the flakes, so I added my own. :) Today it was 70 degrees, so the cold spell is over. It was fun while it lasted!

Fall!

2008-12-11T20:32:00.001-08:00

What are those gold colored things hanging off this tree? Those are leaves! Apparently, when you live somewhere that gets cold in the Fall, the leaves change colors and then they fall off! Imagine that! :) So many things for us Arizona kids to learn. Now who is going to rake those up?

Our Move

2008-11-25T19:54:00.000-08:00

Well, we made it to Mississippi! We have been here for a week and a half, and things are going well. We had a chance to stop at a couple of cool places along the way. Our first stop was at the Carlsbad Caverns. It is an amazing place. At the very bottom of our trek, we were 700+ feet underground. Pretty crazy. Here are a couple of pictures.

The next day we stopped in San Antonio and saw the Alamo, then had lunch on the Riverwalk. San Antonio is a beautiful city filled with lots of cool stuff.

The move went very smoothly. We are getting settled in our new home (pictures to come) and learning about the new area around us. It has been quite an adventure, and we are loving every minute of it!

Removing the Honeycomb

2008-11-09T16:38:00.000-08:00

We had the pest control company come out and remove the honeycomb from our wall on Friday. Here are a couple of pictures. The guy that came out said that in another week or two the entire space would have been full of honeycomb. Industrious little things, aren't they?

Dacite Cliffs Mine

2008-11-02T14:51:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, on the spur of the moment, we decided to go hiking one last time before we moved. Everything in Mississippi is so flat, and we will be living in the highest elevation around, which is 50 ft. above sea level. So, there won't be much hiking to do. We love the Superstition Mountains, but always do the same hikes, so Andy found this cool hike up to an old mine, Dacite Cliffs Mine. On our way up we passed a warning sign telling us to stay out of the mine and listed a million different dangers such as poisonous gases and chemicals, loose rock, wildlife, etc. After we climbed through the fence that was blocking our path, I made Andy promise me he wasn't going to go in, that we would just look in it. Yeah, right. When we got closer, someone had spray painted crazy stuff on the rocks like "This way, Children of Eden" and at the entrance they had written "There are things known and things unknown and in between are the doors." So needless to say, it was a little creepy. My imagination started going wild with ideas of cults and crazy people that live in caves. But of course we had to go in and check it out. I admit, I only made it about 10 steps in and stopped. But Andy kept going for a bit, until he woke up a bat, and realized that there were probably a bunch more bats living in there, and decided to turn around. It was a very deep mine, deeper than we cared to venture. But all in all, it was a fun adventure!

Andy's First Post

2008-10-27T09:29:00.000-07:00

Melanie gave me access to the family blog so I can post things on my own... big mistake! She's a pro when it comes to computer/graphic stuff and I am more adept at things like solitaire and minesweeper. Despite all of that I am going to have fun with this anyways... at least until Melanie gets tired of my antics and cancels my access. So for my inaugural post here is a short video of some of the fun things we've been up to over the last few years, enjoy!

House Hunting Trip

2008-10-25T21:40:00.000-07:00

We had the chance to go to Louisiana/Mississippi this last weekend to look for a place to live. It was quite an experience. We flew into New Orleans on Sunday, and of course we had to visit the the Stennis Space Center Visitors Center. It is open Wednesday-Saturday, and we were there Sunday-Tuesday, so our timing was a bit off, but it was still cool to walk around. Besides, we are going to live about 20 minutes away, so it wasn't that big of a disappointment.

( This is one of those awkward pictures where you don't know what to do with your arms.)

Before we went on our trip we had pretty much decided that we were going to live in Slidell, LA because it is the biggest town in the area, but we were there to check out all of our options. We started in Bay St. Louis, MS. The town itself is aweful. Most of it was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina, and while some of it is built back up, it is very run down. The beach is beautiful though. It is right on the Gulf of Mexico. We had a good time goofing around and taking some pictures, but weren't interested in living there.

I had done some research on apartments in the area so we would know what was available, and as we went down the list we become more and more disappointed. The first place we looked at was nice, but it was $1000 a month for a two bedroom apartment, so we weren't thrilled. We looked all over the area, in Slidell, Picayune, Bay St. Louis, Pearl River. It become more and more frustrating, and as we went throughout the day the apartments got worse and worse. By the end of Monday night we were just about ready to tell NASA sorry, we can't live here. (Not quite that bad, but pretty close.) Then on a whim, we decided to stop by this little town called Diamondhead, MS and check it out. It is a country club community and we thought that it would be way too expensive, but we found the perfect house.
Any one have $800,000 we could have? :) Alright, so that one is a little out of our price range (and it is in Bay St. Louis, the town where hurricanes destroy your house). But we did look around Diamondhead at about 10 different rental houses and we found the perfect little house that is in our price range. You wouldn't believe the sense of relief we felt. Finally, a decent place to live. The community is really great, and the neighborhood is well-kept and clean. Yeah! Here is a picture of the house. We are getting excited about the move. November 15th will be here before we know it!

Bees, Bees, Bees

2008-10-25T21:12:00.000-07:00

So apparently, bees have made themselves a nice little home in the wall of our house. They just showed up one day and started multiplying like crazy. Being the poor kids that we are, we tried a number of inexpensive ways to get rid of them without having to call an exterminator. First we tried bee-killing spray, which did nothing. Then I read somewhere that Bounce dryer sheets deter them, so I stuck them all around where the bees were going in the wall. Once again, nothing. I also read there was a different type of spray that was supposed to be highly toxic to bees, so we tried that, and guess what! Nothing! So I finally broke down and called a bee remover. He came out this morning and killed the bees, and then has to come back next week to RIP OPEN THE WALL and get the honeycomb out. How wonderful. So, $500 later, we are finally rid of our bees!

Andy gears up to kill some bees.

He's so brave!

My attempt at bee removal. (Yes, I was getting desperate.)

Job Opportunity with School Webmasters

2008-10-07T21:54:00.000-07:00

Interested in earning a little extra income while still being able to be home with your family? We have a job opening at work for a Web site Update Clerk. Click on the link below for more information about the job, and visit www.schoolwebmasters.com to learn more about our company. It is a great opportunity, and anyone can do it from anywhere, as long as you have a computer with internet access, are organized, have decent computer skills, and are able to work 2-4 hours during the day (preferably between the hours of 8am-3pm, our clients are schools). Let me know if this is something you would be interested in doing, and I will get your resume to our Customer Support Manager.

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/csr/870209999.html

Exciting News!!

2008-10-01T22:03:00.001-07:00

Andy had the opportunity to interview with NASA at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi last week. Yes, that's right, NASA! And guess what! He got the job! My husband is going to be a Rocket Scientist! Okay, not exactly, but he will be a Test Engineer on Space Shuttle engines, which is extremely cool! So, we are moving! Stennis Space Center is right on the border of Mississippi and Louisiana, so we are actually going to be living in Louisiana. His first day of work is November 24th, so we have a lot to do in the next month. We are going to be renting our house, so please let us know if you know anyone that would be interested! Yeah for Andy!

Blue Ridge Reservoir

2008-09-04T20:20:00.001-07:00

We had a chance to go camping Labor Day weekend with Andy's sister, Julie, and her family, as well as Andy's parents. It was so much fun! We went up to Blue Ridge Reservoir where it was nice and cool. It rained a lot while we were there, but not enought to spoil our fun. Our nephew Tyler is 5, and he is amazing on a motorcycle. It is fun to watch him ride. Ashton is 4, and he is great on a quad, even though we couldn't get him to ride for us this weekend. And Hayden is only 2, so he is a little too young still. They are fun to be around.
We took a little walk down to the bottom of the Blue Ridge Dam while we were there. It was cool. Todd, Julie's husband, showed us the way. There is a leak in the dam! Scary! Andy found some wild raspberries at the bottom and was nice enough to share. They were sour! On the way back up, Andy and I decided to climb up the spillway. It was quite an adventure. The spillway is made up of big blocks of cement that look like gigantic steps, but they are taller than me. Luckily, someone before us had climbed up and left behind the logs and stumps they used. It was still a challenge, but great fun!

Since it rained most of the weekend, there was a ton of mud, which we decided would not be much fun to ride our quads and motorcycles in. So we packed up early Monday morning, and after getting Julie and Todd's huge motorhome out of the mud, we headed down south of Payson to ride. It wasn't too hard of a ride, so I had a lot of fun. On our way back out to the highway, a tarantula crossed the road in front of us! We barely missed running it over, and then around the corner there was another one! We stopped this time because Andy wanted to see it up close. He tried to tell me that they aren't venomous, but I looked it up, and they are! It won't kill a human, and it is like a bee sting. But still! Overall, we had a wonderful weekend! Thanks Julie and Todd for inviting us!

Running

2008-08-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

I have been an indoor exerciser most of the summer because it is just too hot outside here, but one can only take so much of the eliptical machine. So last night I decided that I was going to get up early and go for a nice run. I set my alarm for 6:30 (that is really early for me) and I actually got out of bed. It was overcast and almost cool, the perfect morning for jogging in August. So as I head down the street, it starts to sprinkle a little. It felt so nice and refreshing. And then as I am about 1/2 mile from my house, the heavens just opened up and let me have it. Lightning, thunder, pouring rain, the whole shebang. Who would have thought to check the weather report when it is sunny and clear 360 days of the year? At one point it was raining so hard that I couldn't even see because of all the water in my eyes. It was rather comical. And as I kept going (yep, I wasn't smart enought to turn back), my clothes became heavier and waterlogged and about halfway through my run my out of shape body decided it didn't want to run anymore. So I tromped the last mile or so home in my squishy shoes. It was awesome!

Happy Birthday Victoria!

2008-08-17T22:28:00.000-07:00

We had a chance to go down to the wonderful town of Bullhead City this weekend to celebrate Victoria's 11th birthday. We had a great time! After a long day of shopping, we went bowling (notice how tired my dad looks, I beat him for the first time EVER! He is pretty upset.), played games at Peter Piper Pizza, had dinner at the Red Dragon, and then went home for cake and presents. What a great day. Victoria is one lucky girl!

And then to end the perfect weekend, we discovered that some hooligans egged my car! Wonderful!

Albuquerque

2008-07-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

I had a chance to go to Albuquerque, NM this last week for work. This is my second time being there, and I have only seen the downtown area, but I really like it. It is so full of culture and history. Definitely a great place to visit!

Tiger

2008-07-20T15:20:00.000-07:00

Well, we are apparently the proud owners of a new cat! Andy went golfing last week, and while he was adding up his score at the end, this little cat came and jumped into the cart with him. Andy, being the kind soul that he is, brought the cat home. And now we have a cat....

He really is a pretty sweet cat, except for when he is biting my toes or pawing my face in the morning until I wake up and pet him!

Washington Vacation

2008-07-13T00:17:00.001-07:00

I had a chance to go up to Washington state for about 2 1/2 weeks in June for vacation. It was a blast! It is always so hard to come back to the heat and brown desert after being there. The following posts are some of the great fun I had while there. Enjoy!

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-13T00:06:00.001-07:00

There is no place like the Puget Sound for the 4th of July! It is so neat to be able to sit on the beach (where it is not over 100 degrees), and set off your own fireworks, while watching fireworks all around you from other people. It is an amazing experience! We had the Harmons, Tim & Heather and fam, and Grandma Renner all out for the day. It was a lot of fun. The only bad thing is that I didn't get any good pictures, so this will have to do. (I was the only one ready for the picture, and I closed my eyes. Way to go!)

Low Tide

2008-07-12T23:57:00.001-07:00

It is so cool when your front yard is the beach. There are so many neat things to see when the tide is really low. We found at least seven different star fish, and a huge crab! We thought it was dead, but imagine Brady's suprise when he picked it up and it started moving!

Castles & Canoeing

2008-07-12T23:15:00.001-07:00

I think my favorite thing about Washington summers is that it doesn't get dark until around 10:00 pm. We love to take advantage of the extra light and have some fun down on the beach.

Travels

2008-07-12T22:53:00.001-07:00

The best part about going to Spokane was the beautiful scenery along the way. On the way there we drove by the most beautiful lake, and on the way back we stopped by and saw Snoqualmie Falls. The pictures are beautiful, but definitely do not do justice. (And you wonder why it is so hard for me to come back to the brown desert!) :)

We also drove by the not-so-beautiful town of George. Get it - George, Washington! How funny is that? I just thought it was silly, so I took a picture.

Our Trip to Spokane

2008-07-12T22:39:00.001-07:00

While I was in WA I had a chance to attend a conference for work in Spokane, and Andy came along for the ride. It was a nice trip. Spokane has a nice riverfront park with lots to see.

Seattle Science Center

2008-07-12T21:59:00.000-07:00

Andy was able to come and visit for a week. Right after we picked him up from the airport, we headed straight for the Seattle Science Center. It is the funnest place. You get to learn about science, and have a great time while doing it!

We got to ride a bike around on a tiny metal ring, high above the ground!

We got to make funny reflections in the mirror!

We got to sit at a giant table!

Then we got to ride the ferry home! What a wonderful day!

Family Fun BBQ

2008-07-12T16:44:00.000-07:00

We had a chance to get most of the Washington Renner family out to my parent's house for a fun afternoon of BBQ. It was nice to spend time catching up with everyone. (I don't know where Heather was when we took pictures. She must have been avoiding us!) :)

Point Defiance Zoo

2008-07-12T16:02:00.000-07:00

This is the zoo that I grew up loving. It is so beautiful and so much fun!

Brady Place SE

2008-07-12T15:26:00.000-07:00

Wow Brady, you sure have changed!

Oh, that's better.

We found this sign while driving through Port Orchard,
and Brady and Victoria thought it was so cool!

New Addition!

2008-06-01T22:53:00.000-07:00

Addison is finally here! I bet you didn't even know I was expecting. Probably because I wasn't. :) Addison is Brandon and ReNae's (my brother and sister-in-law's) new little girl, and I love her! She is the most beautiful little baby. She was born Saturday morning at around 1:00am. What a great addition to the world!

Hiking Camelback

2008-05-25T18:02:00.000-07:00

With the cooler weather this weekend, we decided to get one more hike in before the summer heat becomes overwhelming. We also celebrated our third wedding anniversary this week, so we decided to make a fun weekend of it. We hiked Camelback Mountain (which is by far my favorite Phoenix area hike), and then stayed at the Hyatt Resort in Scottsdale. We had an awesome time getting our butts kicked by the hike, and then an even better time relaxing at the resort. It was a great weekend!

He FINALLY Did It!!

2008-05-18T22:38:00.000-07:00

Andy graduated college last Friday, May 9th, with his degree in Mechanical Engineering. Yeah! It is so nice for him to be done with school. Now he is on a major job hunt. He turned down the job in Bremerton, WA, and is still looking for the right job for him. Wish us luck!

Airplane Fun

2008-05-18T19:18:00.001-07:00

For graduation, Andy treated himself to a new model airplane. It is a T-28 Trojan, which was an old Navy trainer plane. He loves it!

Andy's 29th Birthday

2008-05-18T19:14:00.001-07:00

Andy had his 29th birthday on May 7th. It was a great day, celebrated with family and fun. Wow, we are getting old!

2008-04-20T22:38:00.000-07:00

Andy had the opportunity last weeked to interview with the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. He had a fun trip, and enjoyed the fresh seafood and a Mariners game. It is a beautiful area, and a great job opportunity, so we will see what happens!

Usery Pass

2008-03-30T21:24:00.000-07:00

We went hiking last week at Usery Mountain Regional Park. It was another beautiful spring day so we decided to take advantage of it. We don't get too many of those around here before it starts getting too dang hot! It was a fun hike, the flowers were in full bloom, and the desert was wonderful. Andy defied death when attacked by a swarm of bees, and I thought he was going to jump off the side of the mountain! He got away, but after hiking for a while longer, he realized he still had a bee in his hat! I don't think I have ever seen him move so quickly. It all ended well, and no one was stung, thank goodness!

Peralta Hike

2008-03-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

Andy and I went hiking yesterday in the Superstition Mountains. It was so beautiful. It was about 75 degrees, and everything was so green from some recent rain we've had. We love to spend time outdoors, especially when the weather is so beautiful!

Mariner's Spring Training Game

2008-03-16T20:42:00.000-07:00

We had a chance last weekend to attend a Mariner's Spring Training Game in Peoria, AZ. It was good to spend time with the family and to cheer on our favorite team. Go Mariners!

My first Blog

2007-11-04T22:18:00.000-08:00

I have a few friends that have joined the world of blogging, and it seems to be kind of fun, so I thought I would give it a try. I guess the hardest part is trying to think of something to write. So here goes.

Life for us is great. We are so fortunate to have been blessed with great families, and with each other. It doesn't get much better than this. We bought our first house almost a year ago, in Queen Creek, AZ, and we love it. Our backyard is a golf course, which is awesome, except for the balls that keep putting holes in our house. But the wide open space is great.

Andy is graduating in May with his Mechanical Engineering degree, and I have gone back to school to finally finish up my Sociology degree, and then see where it goes from there. I am currently working as the office manager for a small Web design company, School Webmasters, and it is great. I am learning great things about running a small business, marketing, and Web design. It is great fun. And the best part is that I get to work from home 3 days a week. You can't beat that!

Okay, that is just a quick overview of what is going on with our lives. I will try and remember to keep this thing updated.