HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

It has been an eventful year - and next year promises more of the same . . . be interesting to look back a year from now to see the changes. May God reveal Himself to each of you in strong ways that lead you toward His plan. God bless!!!!

He's Here and Healthy - Yeah!!!!

Let me be first on White House to publicly rejoice with Matt and Beth and Jack! Looking forward to getting to know Jack better and doing my part to help him be what God intends! God bless - and rest well Beth and Matt.

Heather's list

Heather sent the following list to me. I thought you all might like some ideas for her, too. I left the list as she sent it, in case she sees this, but I have bought one of the items. You can ask me or Kim what it is before you shop.

1. A guest list for the Whittaker side of the family for the wedding. :)
2. Case for Christ (I am not sure who the author is)
3. Mere Christianity CS Lewis
4. Jean Jacket (S/M?)
5. The first Nickel Creek CD
6. A thick double size blanket.
I really can't think of anything else. If I do I'll let you know. Heather.

Heather won't be with us for Christmas, because our plans conflict with her family's, so you do what you feel like you want to do for her. Timmy will be going down to be with her in Roseburg on the 26th.

Kim's List of Dreams (UPDATED 12/10)

This list is being posted by Kimberly's secretarial friend, a Mr. Bad Andy. The following comes from the mind of Kim.... via scribbles on some paper.

On DVD:
LOST (Season 1)
any old black & white Shakespeare movies

For the Kitchen:
silverware (our pattern has returned to Target)
sea salt grinder to match our kitch (stainless steel, red, or clear)
red blender (or orange)
red or orange stand mixer
red or orange tea kettle
red ice cream scoop
Henkel knives (already have two 4" parers, bread knife, and 8" knife)
basic cookbook

Books:
children's theatre books
fantasy series books
scripts
"Discarded Image" -- C.S. Lewis

Miscellany:
picture frames
400 or more thread count queen sheets, red/gold, with deep pockets
gift cards -- fabric stores

CDs
RENT soundtrack (to the movie)
Ben Taylor

timmy's list (updated) (again)

Pajamas
Warm robe
Portable stapler
Warm gloves
“The Week” (magazine) subscription
Books: “Knife of Dream” by Robert Jordan
“A Game of Thrones” by George R.R. Martin
Old History-type Books
New and/or Unique Music

From Homestarrunner.com Store
Size for the below: Adult Medium
T-Shirts: Strong Sad
Trogdor Black
Strong Bad
Li’l Brudder
Teen Girl Squad
Polos: Trogdor
Hooded Sweatshirts: The Cheat
Any figurines, posters, patches, static clings, or bumper stickers
Or if unsure, a Gift Certificate would work just as well

By the way, only 207 days left!

i'm back again...

Hey fam! I know, i know, i'm really bad about doing this whole blogger thing, but i'm coming around, ok?
I'm entering week 9 at OSU, which means papers and projects and extra credit are all due. And again, i waited WAY too long to start them, which means lack of sleep...i hope i learn my lesson soon...
I'm still looking for a part-time job, thinking about Dari-Mart, a 7-11 type convenience store in Eugene, Junction City, AND Corvallis, so i could get a job at the one in JC this year, and work in Cor. next school year when Heather and i are there.
What else? Oh! The wedding date is set. If anyone has a problem with June 24th, let me know soon.
For Christmas, it looks like Heather won't be able to join us on the 24th or 25th, but if we're still together on the 26th, she might come up.
Um...well, i guess that's the update for today. I'll try to be more consistent in the future...but no promises!

PS--Only 216 days left!

Daddy's ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS . . .(revised)

This is dad. I've been pondering this Christmas gift thing for awhile, with little success. I suppose there are some 'things' that would 'make my day', such as:

- the Coming of Jesus!!! Wow! That would be fantastically fantastic!!

- the total healing of Holly! No 'thing' could compare to that!

- a visit from my 'kids' - Hey, you could give mom and I a combined gift here!

But down to the ordinary - I have three books I'd like -

Fourth Dawn (A.D. Chronicles, #4) by Bodie Thoene $13.59 at Amazon, less on ebay?
Light from Heaven, Jan Karon $17. 79 at Amazon - ebay?
The Temptation (Mustard Seed), Nancy Moser - $5 used through Amazon or ebay?

Also, my billfold from Beth 15 years ago is showing signs of wear, though still good for awhile yet . . .

A new belt would be nice, though I would probably find one at Goodwill if I want one.

I have plenty of clothes - items from 20 years ago still work for me!

I have lots of ties - perhaps I'll pass a few on this Christmas - beware of what you open!

I like gadgets (at least for a few days before I lose interest).

I like dried fruit - craisins, most all flavors . . .

I like DVD's that I can trade in for other DVD's if I want to . . .

Most of all I like you, my family, who make me so very proud. Few dads not only survive marriage to one sweety, but also six kids (yes, six - I'm anticipating meeting the missing one some day) who love Jesus and seek to live like it. I am greatly blessed and look forward to being together with you for whatever time works out this holiday season. And some fun internet video times with you special and missed ones in Singapore!

Enough! Time for church and choir. God bless you every one!!!!

Mama's list (added to: 12-2)

I haven't thought of much yet, but will add as I do. Check back here before you go shopping!!

• "Little House on the Prairie" DVD set for season 3 and beyond....
• Good sewing scissors
• Chocolate Fondue Fountain!!
• Gift certificate for Joann Fabrics
• scheduled visit from you -- at least 2 days
• candle warmer
• pretty necklace
• Christmas village houses (preferably Victorian -- brands like Lemax and Heartland)

Joann's list

I just realized that I haven't yet sent you any ideas for Christmas. Well -
I always like fun, cozy socks (no flowers please)
an IPOD! (maybe you can find a cheap-ish one on Ebay or something - it doesn't have to be fancy)
CDs: Jamie Cullum (I think that's how it's spelled - he's a jazz singer and fairly young and new on the music scene - he has 2 albums - either would do).
Dave Lubben (Luban? Luben?) (he's a worship artist - I would really, really love this)

I would also love these DVD's:
'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory',
'The Music Man',
'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy',
'Anne of Avonlea'
Books: "The God Chasers" by Tommy Tenney
"The Grace/Truth Paradox" by Randy Alcorn
"Safely Home" by Randy Alcorn
"Intercessory Prayer" by Dutch Sheets
"The Fourth Dimension" by Paul Yung-E Cho (spelling?)
"Next Generation Leader" by Andy Stanley
"Visionary" by Andy Stanley
"Courageous Leadership" by Bill Hybels
"Blue Like Jazz" by Donald something
any book by T.D. Jakes
look on Half.com for these - it would be way cheaper and then you could buy me more:)

That is all, again.Joann

Whittakers in Singapore Christmas Lists

We may add more to the list as time goes by, but here is what we have so far!

DVDs

• Mary Poppins
• Rocketman
• Robots
• Madagascar
• Veggie Tales (after Sumo of Opera)
• Star Trek Seasons (TNG prefered, TOS, DS9, Voyager; NOT Enterprise)
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (new one, maybe a copy of the old one?)
• Muppet Wizard of Oz
• Muppet Christmas Carol
• Muppet Treasure Island
• Brad Stine (not Put a Helmet On)
• The Pacifier
• Second Hand Lions
• Sue Thomas FBI Season DVDs (we don't have any, but not sure if they have been made)
• Doc Season DVDs (we have season 1, not sure if season 2 is out)
• or you could record Sue Thomas and Doc on DVDs from TV!

Danny's List

• Rubiks Cubes:
• 4x4x4
• 5x5x5
• 2x2x2

Aaron's List

• Shel Silverstein books
• Where the sidewalk ends (top choice)
• Good baby books
• Baby book Bible stories
• Other cute things for a little boy
  

Wish List

• Airline tickets to visit you!
• Airline tickets for you to visit us!
• Fresh blackberries

Andy's List-O-Rama

** Classic 16-bit Nintendo Games... The titles I really, really want are Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros. 3, Metroid & Tecmo Bowl. ( I already own Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt, Super Mario Bros. 2, Megaman 2 & 3, and McKids.)

** DVDs Wanted . . . Star Wars Episode 3 (widescreen edition), Dumb & Dumber, The Simpsons (seasons 2 & beyond), Beyond the Gates of Splendor,

** Gift Cards to places like Home Depot, Lowes, Target, Wal-Mart, Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, Best Buy, or for various sit down restaurants.

** Oregon Ducks T-shirts or polo shirts.

** Board Games -- SceneIt (any version), Lord of the Rings Trivial Pursuit,

** Cool Jigsaw Puzzle(s).

That is all I can think of for now. I'll update again later.

Jack Wyatt Christmas List

* www.target.com gift registry
check out the humidifier!
* www.bedbathandbeyond.com gift registry
* www.babiesrus.com gift registry
* Books:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Pat the Bunny
any from Dr. Seuss
Goodnight Moon

Beth Christmas List

* New Robert Jordan book: "Knife of Dreams"
* Donald Miller book: "Blue Like Jazz"
* Blender Baby Food: Over 125 Recipes For Healthy Homemade Meals by Nicole Young
* Large quilter's cutting mat and 4" template
(I have the cutter already, and a medium sized mat as well as a 3" template)
* Gift Certificates to Old Navy, Target, Borders, Starbucks
* New Third Day CD
* Gift Certificates for coffee or tea with you
(I know a great tea house in Troutdale!)
* 35mm Film
* Pamper me items like a foot spa, pedicure gift certificate, warm socks,
or a microwaveable heat pack (see my registry at bedbathandbeyond.com)

Matt Christmas List

* New White or Dark dress socks -
he likes the Costco brand Kirkland's Signature
* New White T-shirts, size XL-
Kirkland Signature is again a good brand
* Work gloves are ALWAYS a good thing-
I swear he wears them out just by looking at them!
* T-shirts that have to do with the outdoors,
with the large image on the back, and the small image on the front
* Gift Certificates to Coastal, Bi-Mart, Harbor Freight Tools, Sears,
or any outdoor/farm supply place
* Batteries
* Black electrical tape
* Wire nuts
* Miscellaneous wood screws
* Craftsman (Sears) 3/8 socket set
this would make his year, and the Craftsman brand is important,
as it has a lifetime warranty, which he is sure to use

Christmas Lists

Hi everyone- Let's use this blog for our Christmas lists. Please post your wants/needs here, and maintain the same post as you have additions and deletions. This will keep it organized and easy for us as we head out to do some shopping! It is quite easy to edit a previous post- ask me if you don't know how!

MY BABY GIRL IS 23

Happy Birthday, dear Joannie Bananie (alias Mommy Afternoon). Hope your day is special!!!! God bless and have a great age 23 year!

Well, we know now! You can know too if you go to our page!

Pizza

We do eat pizza occasionally (not a lot because it is much more expensive here). But really for some reason any time I'm getting ready to write something (research paper, blog post, newsletter, etc.) and I'm not sure what to write, I tend to start typing about pizza. So, when I was writing the blog for our Singapore site I ended up with this poem. I decided to share it with you instead of everyone!

Pizza

We like pizza, too! Remember the days when we got one pizza for the whole family? -- always ate it all, too (and you probably all wished we'd gotten TWO pizzas!) Now there is always some left for the next day.

My guess is that Danny and Betsy had pizza recently (either that or Danny is craving it -- one of those cravings the husband of the pregnant lady gets!)

Pizza

Pizza is the one food I can guarantee will give me indigestion while I am pregnant.

Pizza

Eating Pizza is a wonderful thing. I like pizza a lot. Betsy prefers Pizza Hut, but I'm not very picky, I'll take any pizza at all! Pizza is good, pizza is great, thank you Lord for putting it on my plate!

Naming the New Twist

We have settled on a name for our baby boy- Johnathon Wyatt Twist.

Johnathon means "God Has Given" and is in memory of both Grandpa Johan "John" Kjosness and Grandpa John "Jack" Twist. We will most likely call him Jack the most often, since that is a name that I have loved from way back, and it has significance to Matt's family.

Wyatt means "Brave" and is in memory of no one in particular, we just like it! It has a great rough and tumble country boy sound to it, and it really rolls off my tongue as I practice using his full name sternly to put the fear of his Mother into him!

We had his first name picked out long ago, but have struggled with the middle name until just this last weekend when the name Wyatt was suggested to Matt by a co-worker. We both liked it instantly, and once finding that it didn't have a depressing or silly definition, we decided to use it on the spot. The funny part of the story is that we have been joking about naming him Johnathon W. Twist after George W. Bush, and even going so far as to joke about spelling it "Dubaya". So it is quite comical that his middle initial WILL be a "W" after all. :)

Good pictures!

'Loved your Hawaii pics, Beth and Matt! and the beached sea turtle was cute! (the one with blonde hair of course!) Thanks for posting them. I look forward to seeing the rest of your pictures sometime.

Love you!!
Mama

Hawaii

Some photos to bore you to death...


Hanauma Bay, a great snorkeling place


It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a... beached sea turtle?


Sea Turtle- notice any resemblance?



Apple Bananas


The Pali Lookout


The two Matts enjoying a Pineapple Sundae


Caleb Jorgens


Plumeria


Three Haolies (what the Locals call us white folk)

Opinion Poll

We get to find out on Thursday afternoon what "kind" of baby we are having! We are then leaving bright and early the next morning for a week long vacation to visit friends in *sigh* Hawaii. So we may not get around to telling everyone for a week what we are having, but we will try!

If anyone cares to make their gender opinion public, feel free to post a comment here. There will be no grand prizes. Only the potential satisfaction of being right and having everyone know that you were right. :)

Home Again!

We made it home OK, though an hour delay to our Seoul - Seattle departure due to maintenance needs caused us to miss our connecting flight to Portland, so we got a later flight (which was also delayed!), so we finally reached Portland about 5:30 instead of 2:50. But Kim was there with Megan and Caleb, took us to Matt and Beth's (I slept much of the trip), then spent the night there with Grandma K. and the two kids, then we took Grandma and kids to visit Holly. We were there for several hours, then home about 7:15. We checked mail, etc. then to bed about 11 - slept in 'til about 9! Lots of little 'catch ups' to do today.

It was tough seeing Holly - she is very pale and weak and emotional. Wonders why a loving God doesn't answer her prayers for healing, help her to just be a 'normal kid'. She was up in a wheelchair part of the time we were there, but didn't talk much. Mostly she just likes to be a part of hearing the interactions of family (except any arguing between younger siblings!). She had a quick (15 minute) dressing change yesterday just before we left - they put her to sleep to do it because it is quite traumatizing otherwise. Both Kris and Bruce are weary - Kris lacks sleep since Holly is only comfortable with mom helping her for some things, so she never gets extended sleep time. Bruce is trying to keep up with home, his sick elderly dad, plus work. It's good having grandma there to help with kids during the day and that's been going well. Marie will probably help some there, may go to try help Kris later this week. I'm busy catching up on mail, bills, house, etc. - hope to stop by school today to see how it's going there. Looks like no more tractoring with my brother Jeff this summer - there's less to do than he'd hoped. So I'll find things to do here, start getting ready for school, etc. Marie and I have a trip with friends to Yellowstone planned for Aug. 23 - 27 - should be interesting!

Time to go for now - hope all is well. Pray for Holly and family.

God bless

MINI - VIEW OF LIFE IN SINGAPORE, PT 2

It's Danny's birthday here - he's 28. Got up about 7 AM to check internet, especially to see if any updates on Holly. She still has not had the surgery dressing fix as she's not critical and the doctors are busy on other traumas at present. After Danny got up, we finished watching, via internet, a Mariner victory, then walked the 3/4 mile up then downhill to the local mall for money exchange and groceries. When we got back, I was rather sweaty, so took a cold shower (Marie said I needed one! :) - a cold shower means not turning on the heater, so you get normal tap temperature. Here that is about the same as the water in the swimming pool, probably about 80 degrees. Feels cool when first in, but good as soon as adjusted! Problem is that after the shower, I towelled off, then by the time I was ready to put my shirt on, I was already perspiring - Marie thought I'd not dried off well, but it was the humidity. The shower did feel good and the memory is delightful, but the effect is short!

Today we do some things to celebrate Danny's bday and try to avoid the noise in the apartment - workers are jackhammering tile off floor and wall of an empty apartment nearby . . . they have a permit to use the 'hacker' from 9 AM to 5 PM (5 days a week until the 18th) - the first day there were about three of them going at once - felt like being on the inside of a tooth being worked on by a dentist! Yesterday and today there is just one, but still very hard to even carry on a conversation. We may relocate to the snooker table room - still a bit noisy there, but not as bad.

Enough for now. On to Malayasia tomorrow for a tour bus tour of fishing village and orchid farms, etc. We've heard it is much different there - not clean and 'western' like Singapore.

Danny's Birthday!!!!!

If you see this in time, remember to send a birthday greeting to Danny either here or via email - it's Aug. 3, 8:15 AM as I write this - still Aug. 2nd in Oregon! We've been doing things around here - some exploring the city, shopping, swimming, etc. - mama and I have a trip to Malayasia planned for tomorrow, then to the airport Friday evening for the long trip home, getting to Portland on Saturday around 3 PM if there are no postponements. It's been quite an experience seeing such a different part of the world, though not really all that different in many ways. Probably much like a major city in the US except the mix of races is mainly Asian (Singaporian, Korean, Chinese, Malaysian, Indian, etc. with a few whites - very few blacks here). It will be good to get back to where the sweat evaporates from the skin!

SENTOSA ISLAND

Wednesday, Singapore time, we went to Sentosa Island via cable car. Magnificent views of city, harbor, cruise ships, etc.! Spent time at a beach swimming and relaxing. No shudders as you go into the water - it's almost bathwater warm. No surf to speak of though with many islands in the area. Fun watching kids - one group of teens was using chop sticks to try to catch leaves dropped from a ten foot high lookout by their friends! Fun youth group activity idea! It is very hard to do, judging from what I saw here. Sentosa Island is the southern most point of mainland Asia, 137 kilometers north of the equator, and part of Singapore.

We completed the evening with a laser light fountain show on Sentosa - quite interesting what they can do! Got a few pictures that came out OK to share later.

Hope all is well - we have a relaxed day planned, partly due to high temp predictions.

Singapore, Wednesday, July 27th

Rainy weather has been the highlight of sorts, although it looks better (and warmer!) today. It's interesting to look out the balcony window to see thick clouds, rain (at times heavy) - you think it is November in Oregon until stepping outside to feel the heat and humidity - like a sauna! Yesterday was cool for here - high of 86 or so. We've played Danny's new game twice now, watched DVD's, computer work (internet, journaling, games), and relaxed. Not sure what we'll do today - perhaps Sendosa Island, perhaps visit 'Little India' and 'Little China'.

Lots of little interesting sidelights - the taxi driver who has worked five years straight, 10 - 12 hour shifts, ZERO days off! Or the security guard who spends 17 hours EVERY day in work (12 hours), comute time (3 hours), and prayer (2 hours - he's Muslim) - No days off or weekends to relax. Leaves 7 hours a day for meals, shopping, recreation, family, sleep, business . . . hard to imagine. I'm sure he can do some things during the comute and some during slow time at security work, but still a tough life. Don't know what his family situation is like . . .

Hope all is well with you. We're enjoying our time, enduring the heat.

SATURDAY IN SINGAPORE

Saturday gave us some reason why it's called Singapore - the rain 'pored' at times while Mama reenacted a portion of 'Singing in the Rain' - even had an umbrella! We didn't do much going as weekends tend to be extra crowded with more tourists along with all the nationals. We 'hung out' in the apartment some, Betsy and mama took a walk to the store while Danny and I played 'Snooker' (a form of pool with a larger table, more balls, more difficult to hit pockets, but a fun game - Danny won the first game, I got revenge in game two . . .). Betsy and mama also spent some time in the pool, but it started raining before Danny and I finished pool so we didn't get in the pool. Singapore gets almost 100 inches of rain a year on average, double that of Eugene. But it's a warm rain - never need for a jacket, but umbrellas are used a lot, both for rain and shade.

Today we go to church and dinner and ???? with Danny and Betsy plus some other staff from the school Danny teaches at. More later. God bless to all.

Singapore day two

On our first full day here we went to the local mall and food court for lunch, watched National Treasure (on DVD), played Spades, napped, and visited. This morning we're planning some activities for the coming days. Due to the heat, sometimes it seems that sitting in the livingroom with the air conditioner is a highlight! I'm feeling more 'normal' - perhaps getting over the trip effects. Did some 'im-ing' with Tim this morning - he's on about the same schedule as we are since he works nights. He gets up about 5 PM, then to work at 11 PM. This morning at 8 AM our time he just got on line (5 PM yesterday his time after a good days sleep). Since it is Saturday here, we may do less - better to do the sight-seeing with smaller crowds on weekdays. Hope all is well with you!

We Made It

Danny and Betsy picked us up just before midnight Thursday - it's now 9 AM Singapore time - we slept well and are working on plans for the day. The trip went well - met a 20 something gal originally from a Russian island north of Japan who now lives in Ancorage, Alaska - teaches high school math/science. She was on her way home to Russia to visit her mom. Also interacted with a couple escorting a dozen 8 - 15 year olds from Korea to Singapore for an English camp of some sort. They were fun kids! Danny and Betsy are doing well. More later.

Singapore bound!

We're off to Singapore today (after 'seeing' grandchild via ultrasound with Beth this afternoon). We may do a few posts here to update our trip, so stay tuned!
God bless

A close second

Well, Beth, you beat me, but it was a tight race. As you can see in this picture, our beautiful child is due to be born around the 19th of February. (Of course you know that this is only approximate, we'll have a better date after our next appointment.)

We are very excited and look forward to raising another little Whittaker!

Job

Howdy all!

Here is the much anticipated update on the job situation. Over the past few weeks, I had steadily written off Nielsen Media Research as an option for employment. Despite telling me repeatedly that I would be informed of their decision either way, I have not gotten a response to my most recent attempts to contact them. I have now moved on and began pursuing other options.

Just a week ago, I had an interview with the post office in Oregon City. I was one of six who interviewed for reportedly five open positions as rural carrier associates. This means that I am basically a sub for the full time rural carriers. As a policy, they only guarantee one day of work every two weeks. From the sound of things, they really need the help, so the potential for two to four days of work per week does exist. I'll have to be chosen, trained and put to work before I know for certain how that will play out. There are no benefits offered and I get to use my own car. Once I work for them for a year, then I am eligible for full time rural carrier work pending seniority and if a position had opened up or not. The quickest that has happened at this post office is about 3 1/2 years. So, it'll definitely take some commitment on my part. Only time will tell....

Meanwhile, I have pretty much nailed down a part time job to keep me busy in the mean time. It is as a delivery person for a company called Clowns Unlimited ( www.clownsunlimited.com ). For now, I'll be delivering inflatable bouncers, slides, obstacle courses, etc... for picnics, birthday parties, and other events. The Portland office is just over a year old and growing rapidly, so there is potential for full time employment there someday, perhaps in 6 months or so. I am going in to work for them on Friday and Saturday just to see how I like the work and then settle into it a bit more permanently. I'll have to keep you posted on those adventures.

The real trick will be to see how well I can balance both jobs, assuming I get the postal gig. There is a good chance that both will require weekends, but the post office pays more. Thus, if I have to choose between one or the other, the post office is definitely going to be the way to go. We shall see.

Typoglycemia, fact or fiction?

I'm not sure I bevliee the hhtoipesys that only the first and lsat ltrtees of wodrs metatr, to test the terhoy I hvae wtrtien a prgaorm wcihh sabcrlems the lrteets in a wrod, levnaig the frist and last alnoe. I blievee that this is olny ture with wdros taht ppeole are very falaiimr with, or mabye olny wtih ceitarn tyeps of wdros. The fiololwng ppgaaharrs are all teakn form vaouris wsitbees. See how wlel you do rineadg tehm!

- In rntas psat, we have speokn on seeravl oosccinas of how auervrndets could esliay be cnerdeiosd smoe of the most unkcluy and utaonturfne plpeoe to ever have eixetsd. I tned to dicetdae a lot of tguohht to scuh thgnis for it is in them taht I fnid the tolos nssceeray to mkae myeslf a btteer sereyltoltr. You see - in the end - bnoyed reeeefrs and dcie-siesprouvrs, we DMs are sytoetlrlres more than aynhtnig esle.

- I was born froty-nine yaers ago, lses a day. I was bron a slave, as billnios are born svlaes. Wehn I was a clhid I did not imeeialdmty igianme that I devseerd freeodm, for this was not my moethr's aitudtte. Snfieufrg was to be edunred. She adtmietd a pnateit hope for lses curel maretss, when we wree bteween them. She tauhgt taht if feoredm was in our dintsiees, ftae wolud fnid us.

- I thnik myabe the cetmnoms I lfet yeetrdsay aobut kids ralely appeils betetr to fhsemern and soreomhpos. I hvae jinrous and sieorns tadoy and I am feenlig a reewend sesne of hope for the frtuue of our cortuny. I sitll tihnk our kdis need mroe diciisnple... mabye that's why tsehe kids are in adaecvnd mtah tghouh...they are the ones that were gievn smoe borenuidas. hmmm braes tnkniihg auobt!

- We had a hial moosonn in Bned, OR yrsetdaey! I was wnoikrg at Skbartcus (dwntwoon) and it hilead and reaind so hard that the sotre fleodod! We had to csole two hours ealry. Paprhes I sohuld be ahamesd of tihs, but nuaartl dsisteras are kind of tirnhillg - ecplseilay when no one gets hrut and it bearks the mdnnuae rtnoiue of eyeavdry linvig.

- I have dcieedd to add aotnehr ftuaree to my bolg in adtoidin to the usual "qoute for tdoay" eietnrs. Tihs may brnig ccisiirtm form folk who tihnk I am just finihsg for cmnmoets, so to the ciicrts I say, "You colud be rhgit." :) I wlil now be andidg the "qeuiotsn of the week/moment" ftaruee to see what ye'all thnik aoubt waehvter tpoic I coshoe. If you do not lkie the tpoic I csohoe, then I gsues you're aobut nrmaol.

- Our slhdecue will cionunte in this way for the next few wekes uitnl we mvoe bcak to our palce in the mdldie of Jluy to get reday for my praents avriarl on the 21st.

- The Jsutcie Dtramnpeet has been aeksd to istgeavtnie who dlsiocsed secret dleatis abuot a murioetyss and esnxeivpe U.S. spy saielttle poecrjt, a fdaerel law eernemcfnot offciial siad Tdeasuy.

- Let's move on to Snetoar Dodd who was on Tihs Week Ndees Diavd Blkeniry. The hsot of the sohw, Greoge Shaneoopoptuls siad, "Seontar Duirbn sootd by those cntemoms for svareel days, fianlly eiessxnprg his rerget on Fdraiy nhigt in the face of a lot of csiitrcim. Yet msot Daortemcs were sleint. Did Dtceoarms fial to uannrsetdd how ovfisenfe toshe cmmnoets smeeed to so mnay?"

- We wree not stavred, and were slodem beaten. I ddin't tnihk it was so bad. My mohter Smhi and I loekod out for one ahteonr. Wehn the ltoahsmoe Gadlrula the Htut lsot us to Watto the junk-daleer I got my frsit cnchae to tkae mhenicas aaprt and put them back theoegtr, and it was anazimg. The more I fxied tinghs the more tgihns Wtato gave me to fix. My mhoter was aslo poilfbrtae. It was a hppay riasnohitlep that mroe tahn hafwlay reelbsemd a fmilay, mcuh lkie the one Wttao had lsot yeras brefoe on Tiadryoa.

Tknahs, Bteh!!

Taht was vrey iretsenntig, Bteh! Tknahs for sihrang it!!

Typoglycemia

I was so astounded by the following that I just had to share it with you all:

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid! Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch taem at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but rtaher the wrod as a wlohe. Such a cdonition is arppoiately cllaed Typoglycemia :)-

Amzanig huh? Yaeh and yuo awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt.

Scary Baby

I think that I am carrying a Monster!

The faint white circle on the top right is the yolk sac again. Amazing how much size difference a few weeks can make, huh? Baby is on its side facing us- it is easy to see the skull structure, with eye sockets and the jaw/mouth. Its hands are up by its face, and elbows by its big fat belly (like Wallace saying "Cheese, Gromit!"). The heart rate is seen to the left in the midst of the squiggly lines- 158 bpm. The best part about this particular ultrasound was that I got to see Baby dancing all over the place, groovin' to its own beat. :)

Tiny Baby

Baby's first photo.

Most of you have seen this photo already. For those that haven't, the little white circle to the right is the yolk sac- at the time, the baby was still getting most of it's nourishment from the sac and not from me. The baby's head is to the right and body to the left.

Hi all! Is anyone there?

Since none of you are posting anything here, I wonder if you ever look at this site. Please at least put in a comment so I'll know if I'm wasting my time writing to you here. I look here often to see if any of you have left a message, but alas! It's always my last message!

Its strange and quiet here without Daddy around. I guess its always fairly quiet – probably strange too, right? But I’m keeping busy with one thing or another. Last night I went to a home school program of several kids from our church. It was really cute. They did a Veggie Tales play – “Where’s God when I’m scared?” and Daniel in the Lions’ Den. Fun!

Wednesday evening I went down to Roseburg with a couple of people and picked up Barby’s mom and went to a meeting about the Oasis products that I’ve been using and promoting.

Tomorrow I’m going with the singles’ group from our church to the Rose parade in Portland. We leave at 6:30 in the morning and will probably be back home by 4 or so. I was just invited yesterday, and it sounded like fun.

I don’t know what I’m doing on Sunday other than going to church. Monday and Tuesday I work, and Tuesday night I’m going to Kim and Andy’s and will stay there overnight. Wednesday evening I’ll go to Kathy’s in Centralia and on Thursday I’ll go with her and her senior citizens on a trip they have planned (can’t remember where they’re going). I’ll spend Friday with Kathy, and then come back home on Saturday the 18th. Your Daddy is coming home that day too for a few days. That evening there is a family barbecue at Dave and Lisa’s for Tate’s graduation (he actually graduates tonight).

Timmy moves in with me the week of the 20th (Daddy and I may be going down and helping move things on the 20th before he goes back to tractor driving). Then maybe Timmy and I will visit Joann that next week-end.

I love you all and hope to hear from you soon.

New job for Mama

Yesterday I got hired to work at the Junction City retirement home. They wanted me for 5 days a week -- 7 AM to noon doing housekeeping in the common areas of the home (dining rooms, gathering rooms, bathrooms, halls, offices, etc). I didn't want to work every day, so told them if they had someone else who would do 3 days, I would do it, otherwise they should forget about me. Well, the manager called back and asked me if I would work Tuesday and Thursday. I said yes. I think it will be good. I'll be able to talk with the residents while I'm there, and that feels a lot more like opportunity for ministry than the housecleaning I have been doing for a family 2 times a month. Hopefully it will turn out to be a good decision. This next week I'll go in for training on Monday and Thursday
(because Joann will be here on Tuesday!! )

Today Daddy and I have been sorting things in the shop and garage and getting things ready for the upcoming garage sale.

Last night we went to see "Phantom of the Opera". It was good, but I'm still not sure if I liked it or not. It's a horrible story really! Have any of you seen it?

'Hope you're all having good times and enjoying life.
I love you!

Mama

Yummy!!

Hey Danny! Thanks for the fun look at Whittaker chocolates!! Did you notice that it was started by someone named J.H. Whittaker?!! 'Wonder if we can cash in on that?

Love to all of you Whittaker people that I know!!

Yumm!!!

Found this site today. A great feat from some of our family!!

Whittaker Chocolates

What a great story, Mama! I am jealous- being a Turkey month girl, I have always had a strange fascination with wild turkeys and would have loved to have the opportunity to gobble back at that Tom!

Gobble - Gobble!!

Gobble - Gobble!!

A funny thing happened to me on the way to Eugene yesterday….

I was driving on hwy 99 and wasn’t far from Junction City when a flock of turkeys crossing the highway caused me to have to come to a complete stop and wait….

A pick-up coming from the other direction also slowed down, but was able to continue moving. But the moment I stopped moving, one of the turkeys started walking directly toward my car. He came right up to the bumper and was inspecting it (maybe he was eating bugs off of it, I don’t know!) The man in the pick-up was moving slowly, and watching the ‘birds’ with amusement. We both laughed when we looked at each other. Meanwhile, I was still sitting there….

So I honked, and the turkey just gobbled back at me!!
It was really funny!

I finally decided that the only thing that might work was if I would start moving, so I did that. SLOWLY I inched forward, and finally the turkey moved to the side of the car with the other male turkey that was doing his own inspection there. They walked along beside the car until I got far enough past that I could speed up and get away from them. I kept laughing out loud as I drove away from them.

A note of interest was that the females of the group quietly crossed the road and waited at a respectable distance. It was the males that were inspecting the car and ‘kicking the tires’!!

Great Pic

That is a wonderful picture, but Beth, I think the two of us were both stoned for the picture!

1990

Easter in Oregon

HE IS RISEN INDEED!!! Happy Easter to all. May your special day be blessed with thoughts of His Work for us rather than bunnies, eggs, and new clothes. We had a fairly short egg hunt across the street at the local park yesterday. The eggs were mostly in the wet grass, but the rain had stopped for a bit during the hunt. Lots of kids with baskets, mostly ten and younger. Our elderly neighbor lady came over on Friday in her bunny outfit - unfortunately I missed that occasion.

Back to school tomorrow for the last phase of another year. Pray it will be a good one - I want to impact young lives with Jesus in a way that will last beyond this year. I'm having some struggles enjoying teaching as much as normal - not sure why. I'm asking God to 'rekindle my flame', so I can do the best for the Lord and these students.

After school is out, I have plans to drive tractor for Jeff quite a bit this summer. Also the trip to Singapore. But next big item is Joann's graduation! Just a month away . . . time to get ready for church - God bless to all.

HE IS RISEN!!

HE IS RISEN!!

Spring Vacation

Ah-h-h!! Spring Vacation!!!
You’d think we’d be rested and refreshed as we near the end of the week, wouldn’t you? …far from it!!

We left last Friday afternoon to visit dear friends in Los Angeles. ‘Spent a night in a smelly little motel called the ‘Stardust’ in Redding, then spent 8 hours driving the rest of the way to LA. We got there stiff and tired of the car, just in time to go with them to dinner with his family about 40 minutes from their house by car…. (after we took a good long walk to get the kinks out!)

We enjoyed our time with Pat and Barby, doing things like church, Downtown Disney (a village of shops and restaurants outside of Disneyland), dinner at ‘Rainforest Café’ (fun!), a LONG walk on the beach (probably 4 miles total), relaxing and visiting in the hot tub outside their home, etc.

Then on Monday night the bug hit me! Actually, I think it hit on the way down, and just wasn’t recognized as a problem until during the night Monday. I thought I just had a sinus infection, and just put up with the discomfort. But then I started having severe stomach pain, and didn’t sleep well at all that night. Our original plan was that we would start our trip home on Wednesday morning, but by Tuesday morning I was ready to leave. Barby assured me that I didn’t need to do that, so we stayed one more day, and I’m glad we did, though we just stayed around the house and I didn’t do much at all. As it was, I wasn’t feeling quite so miserable for the trip home since we waited, but it still wasn’t much fun. We drove to Red Bluff – pretty much a straight 8 hours of driving with only a stop for gas along the way. We stayed in a Motel 6 (better than the first motel, but still not home). It felt good to stretch out on the bed and relax for the evening and night. Then on Thursday we drove the rest of the way home, stopping in Roseburg for a bite to eat at McDonald’s where Timmy was working (so we got a brief visit with him).

Jim drove every mile of the trip, and by the time we got home, the car had gone over 1750 miles! So are we rested?....

Today I’m feeling weak and tired, and don’t have much appetite (one good thing about it is that instead of gaining weight on the ‘vacation’, I actually lost a bit, which I can hopefully keep off!)

My sister and her family are out of town, so when we got home, my mom drove out to our house and is staying with us. She seems to have the same bug that I’ve been battling, so we aren’t doing much – just sitting around and looking at each other or napping. I think it’s better for her to be here, though than to be staying at home alone. The family gets back sometime tomorrow, so Mama plans to go back home tomorrow, too. It’s nice to have her here with us for a change.

Sunday is Easter. We don’t have any plans to speak of except that the choir is supposed to sing that morning. Practice is tomorrow at 6:30. If I don’t feel a LOT better by then, I won’t be singing with the choir this week! I do hope to be well enough to be at church, though.

I want to wish all of you a wonderful Easter celebration. May your relationship with our resurrected Lord bring you great joy and anticipation.

With Love,
Marie

Flying Penguins

Tired of solitaire? Here's a new game to get addicted to.
Click on the Yeti to start, then click on him again to see how far you can make that penguin fly. My personal record so far is 321.

A splashing good time!

A picture of our fun at the carnival on Saturday! More on our site, plus a bit more of a commentary.

Two big things happened on March 11, 2005. One was that my brother Dave married Lisa. It was a nice wedding,
and the cake was very nice (and yummy!) if I do say so myself!!

The other big thing was that it was Grandparents' Day at our school, and I was honored to be asked to be Katie Carmichael's "pretend grandma" (she suggested it to her mom). So I got to go and be Grandma for a Day at the school. I loved it! Fun! and Katie was so cute.
I love you all and miss you. Even though I saw 3 of you at the wedding, it was too short!

Mama's Daffodils

Mama asked me to upload this photo and share it with everyone!

Guest coming

Well, Betsy's Mom should be in the air somewhere above Asia right now, we head to the airport in a little bit to pick her up. Should be fun to have a guest, and a connection to home! Thankfully we can get on line to see that the plane has been delayed (about an hour). So, we wait at home, instead of at the airport!

Love you all, and look forward to your visits!

Danny

Busy, busy, busy!!

Making quilts for two weddings this month, baking cakes to decorate next Friday for Dave's wedding,working on getting everything needed so we can get our passports, working with a travel agent about getting tickets to Singapore, planning a spring break trip to L.A. to visit Barby and her new husband Pat (wedding tomorrow), numerous projects at home and at Grandma's, planning for going to Joann's graduation April 30, reading "Heaven", cleaning the church kitchen, going to Portland tomorrow to visit my former roommates, Twila and Kathy and attend a seminar with them Saturday morning, trying to lose weight again....

And at the same time, thinking of all of you and praying for you! Love you lots and lots!!
Mama

Glorious

Just wanted to share today's beautiful morning view with you...

Oops!

Um, forgive that last post, was supposed to go to our personal site, you can go there to see a bunch of pics of our adventure!

Andy, what fun, finding all our old treasures! You should fix the soup for Kimmie for dinner! Am I correct in assuming this is the wonderful Green couch? Hope it is still as comfortable without the extra objects in it!

Birthday in the Air

This week we had a great time celebrating Betsy's birthday. At the top of Mt. Faber (where we live) there is a cable car station that transports people to Sentosa. They have an interesting feature called Sky Dining. We got on the cable cars at about 6:30 and ate dinner! It was three courses which were served each time we returned to Mt. Faber. We ended up making four laps in the cars over the course of about 2.5 hours. It was beautiful scenery!! Pictures coming!

From Andy's Xanga Site

Just in case you aren't keeping up on Andy's Xanga site, I have taken the liberty of copying his most recent entry because it had me laughing hard, and was such a picture of the Whittaker family life...

"So, I was going to post something generic tonight after the day was complete, but lately I've been doing too many posts of that ilk. Fortunately, an interesting topic came my way by chance. I was watching the special features for the aforementioned movie, and stretched my arms out behind my head. While doing so, my wedding ring slipped off my finger and fell down behind me into the bowels and dark recesses of Kim's old style couch, which has been in her family for a long time. Well, while digging for my ring, I came up with a list of more than a few interesting items. I plan to list them all so you can get the full picture of what is now sitting on the coffee table for Kim to see when she gets home. Here is what I found:

a pair of ear plugs
toenail clippers (not clippings)
a wooden orange bead
a plastic USA flag
a business card for a climbing wall place in Roseburg, OR
four pencils
a paper clip
1/2 of a yellow ping pong ball
a Lego piece
the corner piece to a jigsaw puzzle
The Queen of Hearts (her card, not the Queen herself)
2 marbles
misc. candy & beverage wrappers
1 nickel
2 pennies
a Looney Tunes Cracker Jack "toy"
a plastic knife and spoon
1997 Taco Bell contest sticker for the movie Batman & Robin
a toy ring with purple "stone" on it
balloon fragments
a weird token/coin with a goat on it & the word "Cope"
a barrette (sp?)
a cardboard flap from a cereal box top
an upholstrey nail (a close call on the puncture wound)
toy bike handlebars
a pen cap
a piece of metal (probably part of the couch)
2 plastic shoes for someone's toy doll(s)
a plastic soccer zipper pull? w/ Danny's name & phone #
misc. plastic pieces
a rubber band
several yellow & white pegs for some board game
a Snapple lid
an index card with some writing on it
a "hook-things-on" screw
a tennis ball

and the REAL kicker.....

.....ONE CAN OF CAMPBELLS TOMATO SOUP!

Anyway, I felt like quite the archaeologist this afternoon. Oh yeah, I found the ring eventually too."

I don't know about you, but I am thinking that maybe Andy needs to become the curator of the first ever Whittaker Historical Society! :)

Birthday fun

Hi all of you! I hope you had a good Valentines' Day. I did... and my birthday was good too!


Daddy sent emails out to people in my email address book (without me knowing about it), reminding them about my birthday, and I got 47 greetings for my birthday over these past 3 days! Some were e-cards, others were just nice words of greeting to me. And that's not counting the dozen cards I've received in the mail. It's been fun! It was also good to hear from all of you. Thank you! And a very merry un-birthday to you!!

HAPPY VALENTINE/BIRTHDAY TO YOU

Happy Valentine's Day + Birthday to you, Marie/mama. Hope your day is/was great! Your Man

A Desultory Lilt

Llama, Llama, Llama, Duck

A Weekend in Junction City

It's a relaxing/busy weekend! Times to relax, and times of being committed to 'stuff'. There was no school yesterday, since our big fund-raiser at school (the auction) is today, and space and time was needed to put it together. Today starts calmly, but this afternoon I'm greeting at the auction, while mama helps with the dinner. Our school has a budget deficit at this point, so we're hoping for a great auction financially to give a boost. They brought in $20-25,000 last year. I'm hoping for $40,000 this year . . . Tomorrow is Kathy Perry's memorial service and both of us have parts, plus help with clean-up. Then back to school on Monday.

Hope all is well with you - and remember to do special things for those you love for Feb. 14th!!!!

God bless

Thanks for Praying

Thanks for praying. Yes, it was a shock for the whole church community, and there is a lot of emotion about Kathy's death. It seems that she had a massive heart attack. As far as her Kim knows, she never had heart trouble at all. It was obviously God's timing to take her Home. I know that God didn't take her one minute before He already had it planned for her, and He and she are both rejoicing in her being with Him. But its so hard for her family especially.

The 'Celebration of her life' will be on Sunday morning instead of our regular worship service. She once attended a service like that and made the comment that that is what she wanted for herself, too. There will a private family burial on Monday. So those times will be good times to be praying, too.

Kim asked me to do a cake for the family dinner on Monday. She wants Kathy's faviorite cake -- lemon poppyseed cake with lemon filling and cream cheese frosting. And she wants pink roses, and however I want to decorate it. I'm praying about how to decorate it. What do you put on a cake for an occasion like that? I've never done a cake for a funeral before....

I am so sorry to hear of Kathy's death, Mama. I am glad that you got a chance to spend a fun day with her just a few weeks ago. Have they found out the cause of death? It is good to be able to know that she is living on with Jesus now. But I am sure that Ralph and the kids not to mention the community are grieving. You are all in my prayers.

Sad news

I just got a phone call about 1/2 hour ago telling me that my friend Kathy Perry died today. As far as anyone knows, there was no warning. She was going on about business as usual, and then she was gone. Ralph found her when there was a phone call for her and she didn't answer.

I am in shock and am very sad. I was enjoying renewing our old friendship and was looking forward to lots of good times with her....

Please pray for her family -- and for me, too.

I'm back!

For an update in my ever-changing, and yet always-the-same life, click on the link to my website: http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=JoannRenee

Turtles!

Last Monday, the 17th, since there was no school, Ralph and Kathy Perry picked us up in their motor home and we went to Florence and had lunch at Mo's, then drove up to a viewpoint to see the ocean. It was rainy, so we didn't get out (except to go into the restaurant). But what a fun day it was! I told Kathy that driving a home around is a little like being a turtle! :^). We even watched a video on the way back home, had snacks and cold drinks from their refrigerator. It was all the comforts of home -- on wheels! I think I could enjoy having a motor home. The only problem would be paying for the gas to go anywhere....

Christmas

Well, Andy, I can't picture you saying it like Mr. Burns, since I have never really watched the Simpsons, but I get the gist anyway! We prayed for you in my Bible study this morning to find a good steady job that you like- keep us posted!

On to the photos...
The Red Door
Swinging
Flying
Dogpile
Just as Andy suspected...Kimmie has a halo

"Excellent!"

If you can picture me saying that like Mr. Burns from The Simpsons, then you know I am . . . . pleased. Thank you Beth for the link. I feel better now.

I have applied for work assembling golf clubs in Tigard. That is the latest. I may have to start looking for work on other planets. So far it has not come down to that . . . . but there is always the chance that it could.

Kimmie is making me blueberry panda-cakes. I am going to go offer my support. Laters.

Untitled

Well, after long negligence on my part, I am finally posting a message again. I guess I feel most days that I don't have anything of interest happening in my life, so I don't think to blog about that nothingness. I do have some photos from Christmas that I plan to scan in for everyone to see and steal for their own digital files. But not today- it is 60 degrees outside and gorgeous. I plan to spend some time trimming dead stuff out of my flower beds, then I am going to my favorite Estacada establishment, Mike's Second Hand Store.

Regarding Andy's request: I don't know how to make a button to direct you back, but I have created a link down in the links section that hopefully will work (assuming that I understand what you are asking for!) Please give me feedback.

More later...

Package to Singapore

The package to Danny and Betsy did arrive! Due to a misunderstanding of the Sinaporian postal system, etc. it actually arrived earlier in December and was in the post office waiting pickup - but it was a different post office than normal. Once Danny figured out the situation, he was able to get the package transferred to the closer PO for pickup. So on Friday evening (our time), Danny surprised Betsy with the package opening ceremony while we watched via webcam. It appeared the cookies were still OK and not crumbled, and all items survived the trip and wait.

Our longtime friend, Twila Poe Cowden, was here this weekend. She gets free flying due to a daughter working for the airlines, so she came in Saturday AM and just left this Sunday early afternoon. She could be flying past a few of you in the Portland area about now! Was good to see her.

I'm doing a concession stand at school on Saturdays for the local youth basketball league - we earn some money for the class.

In case you haven't been following the 'saga', I have Joann's broken laptop for sale on ebay. I tried to liven up the ad a bit in hopes the guy who paid multi-thousands for a Texas snowball might like to bid . . . anyway, the item is getting lots of 'hits' - over 330 lookers so far, plus a bid of $71 for a non - starting computer. I had hoped for $50 or more, so this is a good start. I added an extra ad pointing to it and even got a $9.50 bid on the 'pointer' ad! I promised a card of 'extreme thanks' for any desperate enough for mail to bid on the pointer ad. Not sure if the bidder misunderstood or was really desperate! You can follow all the exciting bidding action by going to ebay, click on search, enter my seller name of hiskidman after going to the seller search, and you should be at my few sales.

Hope you all have a great week! God bless! Dad

An update...

Well, the job search has resumed. I sent an application to The Home Depot and sent my resume to a Florida company that sets equipment up in peoples' homes to do the viewership ratings for the Neilsen folk. They have branches all over the US. The only difficulty if hired is 10 weeks of training in Florida, without Kim. Still, she is welcome to visit me whenever she wants. :-) Will keep y'all posted on that job stuff.

Kim is subbing today, and we will be going to the Friday Friends group from Northridge tonight. To pass some of the alonely time here I have been building a city on the computer with Sim City 3000. I named it Kimerica. I think Kim feels honored.

For Beth. I noticed that on some other Blogger pages there is a "button" I can click on to go right to the publish posts screens. I don't know which one to use when I come directly to the Whittaker page from my IE Favorites list. Is there such a "button" already, or can you add one? Any info/help on this would be especially grandy.

To All. Right now, I am very cheeseburger hungry. That is not good. Wish me luck. :-)

News from Joann's "other site":

Since Joann hasn't been able to get into the blogsite, I decided to enter her last comments from her "other site" -- partly to see if it can be done, and partly to let those of you who have forsaken our family site for other sites of your own, that you can easily write in the one and paste it into this site, too. That way you can have the fun of your other site, and WE can have the joy of more often hearing from you here....

Joann says:
I've decided to add a new and exciting portion to my entries called "Things I learned in school today." But the information I'm adding today is actually from the reading I did last night for my theatre history class:
Tragedy comes from the Greek word which translates to "goat song." The reason it was called this is because all of the choruses would compete to win a goat, or the chorus would dance around the goat and then sacrifice it.

In other news, my first real intermediate photography class meets tonight and I'm so excited. Our first assignment has something to do with "spy photography" (taking pictures without the subject realizing it) and then the pictures are going to be used in some kind of slide show during a symphony performance in Portland!

Just a note . . .

About supper time but thought I could get a quick one out first -
We had a major break-through recently - got both cars in the garage! I was spurred on by the cold and ice in the mornings and decided to see if it could be done, and a few hours later, it was done! Still some adjustments to make, but it works.

Hope your week is going well. God bless, Dad

Love to all!

'Just wanted to tell you I love you! Does anyone check this site anymore? I know Beth and Danny do sometimes. It's disappointing to not have any more posts here.... Just a hi once in awhile would be nice.

Last night Timmy and Heather were here. Timmy and Danny played games on the internet and talked via webcam, etc. Timmy says he was up til 4 AM, but Danny would probably tell you it was only 8 PM.

This morning Timmy and Heather joined us for breakfast at IHOP with Barby Keating and her new fiance, Pat Green. They were on their way to Spokane where she will help him get his things together, and in two weeks they will move him to L.A. They will be getting married around March 12. (I probably won't be able to go to the wedding because my brother Dave will probably be getting married on the 11th. I should call him to find out for sure the date....)
Anyway, Pat seems like a really good guy for Barby. I'm very happy for her!

Timmy and Heather went shopping after breakfast and then were going to take in a movie before they go back to Roseburg. We, on the other hand, went to church (a bit late).

'Hope you're all having a good day. I love you!

New Year's Day

Well, today we continued our family tradition. We had fondue on New Year's Day! A couple nights ago we were having dinner at some friends from school and mentioned the whole fondue thing, we thought it sounded like a good idea, so we made plans and had that today. The Lawrence family is another family of seven with kids ranging from kindergarten to 10th grade. Betsy and I, and Joe (school administrator) and his wife went to their place for the day. Got there at about 12:15 and left at about 10:15. We had a wonderful assortment of foods for the fondue. Of course we had the standard fare of hotdogs and bread, but we also did broccoli and califlower, and the best addition by far was little baby potatoes (cooked ahead of time).

In the chocolate we had just fruits, of course being in a tropical place we had fresh pineapple instead of canned. We also had bananas, oranges, and apples. Oh, and we had pretzels that could be dipped into either one.

All in all it was much fun with food and lots of games! (Boggle, Zigity, Nerts, Uno Attack, Speed, and Bang!)

Love you all, hope your New Year's Day is equally fun!