The Brown Blog

Aaaaaand We're Back

2012-02-03T12:54:00.000-08:00

Hello, loyal readers! I assume you are loyal because, after three years of inactivity, I can only expect the most die-hard Brown Family fans to continue checking this thing for updates.

Much has happened in the last three years. Scott started two companies, I became an administrative judge, my mom moved to Memphis, and Ev graduated from high school and then started college at Tulane in the fall of 2011.

Our most recent big news is that Scott and I moved to San Francisco in December 2011. A move was not on our radar - in fact we weren't expecting to do something like this until Ev was out of college and the coffers were replenished a bit. But an opportunity dropped in Scott's lap that was just too amazing to pass up, so here we are.

We are living in the Mission District in a beautiful building that was constructed in 1897.

Our neighbors are great and we LOVE our neighborhood.

Well, I am not making any promises, but my goal is to keep this thing updated regularly, at least until I find a job.

Danger City

2009-04-26T05:56:00.000-07:00

Forbes just came out with its list of America's Most Dangerous Cities. Sadly, Memphis is number two on the list. According to the article, we are one of the only large cities in America with more than 950 violent crimes committed per 100,000 people. Also we are apparently a transit point for Mexican drug cartels. I am doubly sad about the article because Detroit, where my sister lives, is ranked number one! We Henderson (/Reschke/Brown) girls love to live dangerously!

However, if I remember correctly, we were number one on the list last year, so I guess a glass half full view would be that we are improving. I'm not going to let this article get me down. We moved back here because we love this city. I see people working everyday to make Memphis a safer place - not only in my neighborhood, but all around the city. I know that in a few years, after more hard work and a new mayor who is not completely corrupt and insane with power, Memphis will be off the list completely.

Then I guess I'll have to move again - to where the danger is!

Catching up

2009-04-25T18:00:00.000-07:00

Man, it has been too long since my last update! Here is a brief rundown of events since last you heard from me:

September 25, 2008 - Ev turned 16.
November 9, 2008 - I got in a car accident and totaled my car, but came out without a scratch.
December 16, 2008 - I finally got my wedding rings to fit back on my finger after over a year without them (since the mashed potato fiasco of Thanksgiving 2007).
December 28 through January 2 - We celebrated a late Christmas with my family who came down from Michigan for a visit. We had 11 people in our house for five days and had a GREAT time.
January 10, 2009 - I turned 40!
March 3, 2009 - Everett got his driver's license.
March 4, 2009 - Scott was laid off.
March 11, 2009 - Ev was hired at Graceland.
April 6, 2009 - I was offered a job with the Tennessee Department of Human Services as a hearing officer/administrative judge and I begin the first week of May.
April 9, 2009 - Scott launched his first iPhone game
April 13, 2009 - I finally got a car to replace my beloved Vibe - a '96 Miata. We have been having lots of fun with it!

We are enjoying being back in Memphis. We love our house and take lots of walks in our neighborhood and to the zoo, which is just a couple blocks from our house.

Getting away from it all

2008-09-13T15:24:00.000-07:00

Scott and I decided it's time for the two of us to take a trip. We haven't been away alone together since we went to Mexico for a late honeymoon after I graduated from law school.

We weren't sure at first where we wanted to go, but Scott was kind enough to let me pick the destination. We don't have the time or money to do anything quite as exciting as Mexico on this trip. My only requirement was that we go somewhere that won't be hot. We've had weeks of 90+ and 100+ degree weather here in Memphis and I have had enough! My first thought was Chicago. My first thought whenever I get a chance to go some where is Chicago. I just love Chicago. But Scott and I have been to Chicago together a few times, so I figured we should go somewhere new. I finally decided on Boston. We have both been there on business trips, but never for pleasure and never together.

We leave in a couple days. I can't wait!

Highway Star

2008-09-11T14:28:00.001-07:00

Everett had his first driving lesson the other day. He and Scott rode around our neighborhood for a bit while Ev got comfortable behind the wheel.

After they came back from the first trip, I hopped in the back and went for a ride.

Ev's driven several times since then and he's doing a great job!

Rain, rain, go away

2008-08-29T07:03:00.000-07:00

We had a doozy of a thunderstorm the other day. We really missed the Memphis rains while we were in California, but this was ridiculous!

Our yard is like a mini New Orleans. The house is at the bottom of a bowl, and we have no levies to hold back the water, so when it rains heavily, we quickly find ourselves in the middle of a huge puddle. Here is a picture of our front yard taken near the end of the storm.

Luckily, the previous owners spent a nice chunk of dough installing a French Drain. So, within five minutes of the rain stopping, all the water went down here:

And our yard was left muddy, but water free.

My very own chauffeur!

2008-08-28T14:35:00.000-07:00

Someone in the picture below got his learner's permit today. Can you guess who?

This means Everett can get his license near the end of January. Just in time to take a date out for Valentine's Day!

Congratulations, Ev!

Ev's new ride

2008-08-18T07:29:00.001-07:00

Ev turns 16 on September 25. Although he does not have his license yet, nor even his learner's permit, he's got a sweet ride waiting for him when he finally gets them.

The day I arrived back in Memphis I found out a good friend of ours was selling the '96 Volvo his daughter drove in high school and college. Scott and I had been discussing getting Everett a car and had worked out a deal with him where we would match any dollar amount he saved to buy one. Well, we weren't planning on getting one so soon, but our friend offered us a great deal and our number one priority for the car Ev would get was safety, so we couldn't pass up the Volvo. Ev still has to save some money to cover his half, but he doesn't have far to go.

I think Ev had imagined something like this for his first car:

But once he gets behind the wheel of the Volvo (and when he comes out of his first wreck without a scratch) I know he'll fall in love with it.

All is well that ends well

2008-08-16T06:28:00.000-07:00

Ev's first week as a sophomore at White Station High School started off a little rocky, but things smoothed out quickly.

Even though we registered Ev on the Friday before school started, he was not enrolled when he got there Monday morning. Apparently his file was stuck with files of other transfer students who could not be enrolled until they were withdrawn from the school from which they transferred. Ev was never registered anywhere else, so that was a mistake. So, unbeknownst to us until he got home Monday, he spent the entire day sitting in the gymnasium.

But, all was well Tuesday. He was able to get the office to put him in the system in the morning, he got his schedule and he was on his way. He likes most of his teachers (based on the first week's impressions anyway). He was very happy to see some of his friends he hadn't had a chance to see yet since we got back. He seemed pleased with the first week over all.

A friend of Scott's who lives a few streets away from us has a daughter who is a junior at WSHS. She drives to school everyday, so she gives Ev a ride. That means I don't have to drop him off and pick him up everyday, so I am happy. Ev likes it too. He would be happiest if he could drive himself, of course, but since he can't do that yet, riding with a friend is still several marks higher on the cool meter than catching a ride with mom.

Citizen Petra

2008-08-12T16:37:00.000-07:00

My very good friend in California, Petra, became a US citizen last week. Congratulations, Petra!

I was vary sad that I was not there to witness the ceremony, but only until she told me it took place in a room filled with 3,000 people with no air conditioning. Sounds delightful.

Petra is from Snina, Slovakia, small town near the Ukrainian border with a population of just over 20,000. Isn't it beautiful?

Petra came to the United States the first time in high school when she was an exchange student in Minnesota. She returned to Snina to attend law school and eventually came back to the U.S. to stay, arriving in California on July 4th - such a little patriot! She and her boyfriend, Krasen (who is from Bulgaria), plan to move back to Europe in a few years, but for now she is an American girl. Welcome to the club, PP Magee!

Ev is officially a Spartan!

2008-08-08T05:40:00.000-07:00

We found out yesterday that our son, Everett, was accepted by White Station High School. We do not live in the WSHS district, but Ev went to White Station Middle School before we left Memphis and most of his friends (including his cousins, Cody and Zach) went on to WSHS. It is also the number one high school in Memphis City Schools system. We are very happy, but it was much more of an ordeal than it should have been to reach this point.

We were told initially that Ev was 26th on a waiting list to get in White Station. We kept up our hopes about WSHS, but we also began contemplating what looked like a very likely plan B, which was going to Central High School (the high school for the district in which we live). Now, I moved to Memphis my senior year of high school and I spent that year at Central. It was probably the worst year of my life. I do not have pleasant memories of Central and my first reaction was "There is no way he is going there." However, once I looked into it and talked to a few people about Central, I calmed down and realized I was making a decision based entirely on emotion. It is a very good school and Ev would get a great education if he went there. So, Ev tackled the summer reading list for Central and I met with the principal to be sure we had our ducks in a row to get him in the classes we wanted. All the while though, we kept jumping through the many bureaucratic hoops presented to us along the way in our attempt to transfer to WSHS.

In the interest of brevity I will spare you the rest of the long story. Suffice it to say most of the hoops we jumped through turned out to be completely unnecessary. The important thing is that Ev is in the school he really wanted and we are pleased. Unfortunately, Ev busted his butt to complete the reading list for Central (he finished three books in less than two weeks) and now he has to three more books to attack. Luckily the teacher has extended the deadline by a month for Ev. He is already half way through the first one (in less than a day!) so he will be fine.

Go Spartans!

Missing California...just a little

2008-08-07T14:16:00.000-07:00

We are very happy to be back in Memphis, but I must say there are some things I miss about California.

Mostly I miss our friends. We didn't make a lot of friends while we were there, but the ones we did make were amazing and I wish we could have brought them with us. I speak specifically about Julio and Fabienne (and their daughter, Morgane, of course) and Petra and Krasen.

I think of them everyday. I hope they will all visit us!

I also miss how beautiful California is. The weather was wonderful and the scenery was beautiful. We could admire it from almost every window in our house. My favorite was the view from one of my bedroom windows.

I would lie in bed and imagine I was on vacation somewhere tropical and this was the view out my hotel window. Nice.

Of course, there are many things I do not miss about California. The crowds and the traffic are the first things that come to mind, but I don't have any pictures of those to share with you. However, I do have a picture of my least favorite thing about California: SPIDERS. The place was lousy with them. I found this one just outside my back door one night.

I think he was about to let himself in and help himself to a beer and the remote, but I scared him off. (If you look closely you will see he is on his way to devour a slug. This guy does not limit himself to insects and he does not wait for things to get stuck in his web!)

So, if Julio, Fabienne, Petra and Krasen can stay safe from the enormous beer drinking spiders, we will hopefully see them soon and then I won't miss California so much.

Time for an update

2008-08-06T11:18:00.000-07:00

Wow! I have been very lax in my duties to keep everyone updated on our activities. Here is a brief review of our life since June:

June 6 - The buyers who made the offer on our house backed out less than two days after we accepted their offer. We were very disappointed, but got over it quickly. We decide to go ahead with our plan to move at the beginning of July, even though the house in Cali has not sold.

June 13 - My last day at work. Yipee!

July 1 - Scott picks up the 26 foot Penske truck, the largest truck Penske has, that he and Ev are going to load and drive to Memphis. After loading some boxes on the truck Scott is feeling smug because he is confident we will have more space than we know what to do with, despite the fact I insisted, over his objections, on getting such a big truck. I fly out of San Francisco that night with the dogs along in their crates in the cargo hold.

July 2 - We (me, Archie and Jammer) arrive in Memphis. We are picked up at the airport by my good friend Ann and we spend the evening with my sister, Margaret, my nephews, Cody, Zach and Austin, and my friends/cousins, Susan, Bill, Erin, Joe, Karen, Greg, Kevin and Zeke. I receive a few concerned calls that evening from Ev and Scott. After a day of loading the truck they have realized the truck is too small and everything will not fit! No worries. It's just stuff.

July 3 - After half the truck is unloaded, rearranged and reloaded, and several more calls are made to determine what we can and can't live without, the truck is packed. Scott and Ev take off Thursday evening, leaving fewer items in California than we feared we would have to.

July 6 - Scott and Ev arrive in Memphis mid-day. They park the truck, take showers and decide to spend the afternoon visiting friends and family and leave the unloading for the next day.

July 7 - The truck is unloaded. I get busy unpacking.

July 8 - After furniture is arranged, some boxes are unpacked and we can take a breath, we realize that we LOVE our house and are very happy to be there.

July 12 - Zeke and Meredith get married! Yay!

July 14 - Scott begins working from home. He enjoys it, particularly after the camera and sound are set up and he can see and hear his co-workers in California and they can see and hear him.

August 6 - Almost everything is unpacked. Remaining boxes are all collected in the otherwise empty dining room where I can conveniently forget about them until I am ready to deal with them.

That pretty much brings you up to date, except for the fact that our house in San Jose has still not sold. But it's okay because I keep it in my mental dining room where I can conveniently forget about it until I have to deal with it.

One more hurdle jumped [UPDATED]

2008-06-05T09:38:00.000-07:00

We accepted an offer on our house on Tuesday. Yay! It was a low offer and we will write a check at closing. Nonetheless, we are very happy and relieved. We knew we weren't going to make money on the house here, so we are just fine with how it turned out (and it helps that we got a good deal on the house in Memphis). Now we can focus all our attention on planning and preparing for the actual move.

We close on the house in Memphis on June 30 and on the house here on July 1, so we need to be packed up and ready to go by the end of this month. Ev's last day of school is June 12 and my last day of work will be June 13, so he and I will have about two weeks together to devote to packing. This will be the third time in two years I have packed up all our stuff. Once we settle in the house in Memphis I do not plan on leaving there for quite awhile. The next time we move, we'll be doing it to be near our grandkids (and Ev knows he is not allowed to have kids until he is 30).

UPDATE: We found out the last night the buyers are backing out. We are very disappointed, but we are trying to keep a positive attitude.

More pictures of the house

2008-06-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share a few more pictures of our new house. All the decor you see is the previous owners', not ours. Here is the backyard:

The kitchen:

The living room:

The dining room:

and the master bedroom (it opens up to the stone patio in the backyard):

Our new home

2008-05-29T13:46:00.000-07:00

I went to Memphis on a house hunting trip last week. I saw 25 houses in two days, narrowed it down to three favorites and saw those three again on my third day. After I got home Scott and I talked about it and made an offer on the one we liked best. There was already an offer on the house, but it was contingent on the first buyer selling their house. Once the sellers accepted our offer, the first buyers had 72 hours to set a closing date or withdraw their offer.

We just found out this morning that the house is ours (once we close, of course). Here it is:

It's in the historic Evergreen District of Midtown. It's a great house and we are very excited.

Scott is in Memphis this weekend for a conference, so he will be able to see the house in person on Sunday. I'll let you know what he thinks!

Jill's for Jospeh

2008-05-28T19:38:00.000-07:00

Our house in California has been on the market for about a month now and we haven't had an offer yet. We found a house in Memphis and made an offer on it, so we are REALLY ready to have this house sold. We decided it's time to look to a higher power for assistance and ordered a St. Joseph statue online the other day from buryjoe.com.

For those of you not familiar with the tradition of burying St. Joseph (the patron saint of the family and household needs), it started when Sister Teresa of Avila (now known as Saint Teresa) and her fellow nuns started burying St. Joseph medals in ground they wanted to attain for their convents. The practice has in more recent times evolved into the tradition of burying a St. Joseph statue which, with a few moments of prayer, is called upon to help sell property. So, we buried the statue in the yard tonight with all the requisite pomp and circumstance, plus our own special touch for good measure.

First, we dug a hole near the for sale sign in your yard.

Next, we placed the statue of St. Joe in the hole according to the directions: head first, feet toward heaven, facing the direction of the street. The directions didn't mention this part, but we decided to toss in our own special offerings to St. Joe. Ev gave him a cookie, in case he got hungry, and I poured in a little of the gin & tonic I was enjoying at the time, in case he got thirsty. Can you see the ice cubes down there?

Before covering the statue, we said the following suggested prayer: "Remember, O most chaste Spouse of the Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who implored your help and sought your intercession was left unassisted. Full of confidence in your power, I fly unto you and beg your protection. Despise not, O foster-father of the Redeemer, my humble supplication, but in your bounty hear and answer me. Amen."

Then we carefully covered him up, sprinkled him with a little water to help the grass grow back, and went about our business.

After the house sells and escrow closes, we'll dig up St. Joseph and give him a place of honor in our new home.

My celebrity look alikes

2008-05-26T15:24:00.000-07:00

People used to tell me all the time that I looked like Jamie Lee Curtis. She didn't show up here, so maybe people said that just because my hair used to be so short.

I did it a second time using a different picture of myself and Julie Andrews and Julia Stiles were the only two that showed up again. Robert Downey Jr. showed up on my second one as well.

I did one with a picture of Scott and Magic Johnson popped up as one of his look alikes!

To bark or not to bark

2008-04-19T16:46:00.000-07:00

When Karen the stager was here, she said our goal is to get people to say "Wow" when they walk in the house and when they walk in each room. Well, the photographer came today and he said "Wow" three times when I gave him a tour of the house. I am hoping that's a good sign.

Now that the pictures are taken, I think all we have left to do is have the carpets cleaned and figure out what we are going to do about the back yard. You may remember that our back yard is covered in sharp, ugly, white rocks.

The previous owner used to live in Las Vegas where residents get discounts on utility bills if they remove grass from their yards. By the time the lady moved in here, she had developed such a distaste for grass she ripped it out of the back yard and replaced it with the rocks. We would put sod in if we were going to stay, but doing it now would not get us the most bang for our buck.

Karen the stager suggested putting a layer of bark pieces over the rock. Not my first choice, but it will definitely be more aesthetically pleasing than the rocks. As it is now, you are blinded when the sun shines on the rocks and it detracts from the pretty things in the yard (rose bushes and other plants). I think the bark will blend in a little more. And the dogs will certainly like it better (what dog doesn't love bark? har har). The rocks hurt their their little feet.

Successful Staging

2008-04-18T20:01:00.000-07:00

We had a very fruitful meeting with our stager, Karen, on Wednesday evening. After looking around a bit, she complimented our decorating taste and then went on to explain the difference between decorating and staging. As I mentioned before, I de-cluttered quite a bit before she came in, but I learned there was much more to do. I knew a large part of staging is to make everything more spacious, but I didn't understand that it was okay (and necessary) to sacrifice some of the decorating in the process. We didn't quite have the right balance yet. I felt a little overwhelmed with the list she left us, but our realtor, CJ, said Karen usually takes a day to compile the list of "to dos" for her clients. She was able to generate ours before she left our house, so I told myself we got off easy.

We worked extra hard on Thursday and Friday evening getting everything crossed off our staging list. We wanted to be ready for the photographer who is coming Saturday to take pictures for the websites and the virtual tour. When Karen was here she took "before" pictures and she'll come back next week to take some "afters." I think she will post them all on her site later, so I'll put up a link here if she does. It should be interesting to see the difference.

Home for Sale

2008-04-15T15:39:00.001-07:00

We chose a realtor last week and the house is officially going on the market this Thursday. Our agent is bringing in a "stager" on Wednesday evening who will look around and give us tips on how better to present the house and (particularly) make it look more spacious than it is. I moved many many times as a kid and watched my mom get houses into shape to sell and I have sold two houses FSBO, so I feel like I have done a pretty good job staging this house, but I am anxious to hear her suggestions.

Our realtor is also giving all the agents in her office a tour on Wednesday morning. Their comments I am not so anxious to hear.

When people come to see the house during the day, Jammer and Archie will be outside in the backyard. I really hope they behave themselves. Quite often if Archie is outside and wants to get inside because he thinks something exciting is going on in there, he will belt out a high-pitched, ear piercing howl. He also does this if Jammer starts playing through the fence with Coco next door and won't include Archie. It sounds like someone is squeezing his tiny pigfoot in a pair of plyers and I could see where it might be a turn-off to prospective buyers. We thought about sticking our dogs next door with Coco, but then the prospective buyer would hear three spastic dogs next door, one of them probably screeching like a banshee, and would surely decide quite quickly that ours is not the house for them. Let's just hope most people visit in the evening so we can remove the dogs from the area entirely.

Making a Move

2008-04-07T14:56:00.000-07:00

Hello, everyone!

As most of you know, the Browns are moving back to Memphis. I don't know what to say about it except that California is just not for us. Well, not for Scott and me anyway. Ev loves it. When we talked to him about the possibility of moving, he wasn't thrilled with the idea, but said he would be willing to do it as long as we moved back to Memphis where he has lots of friends. However, he is feeling much more enthusiastic about the move now that he has spread the word among all his old friends that he's coming back. I think he is looking forward to an enthusiastic welcome home. Our goal is to leave in mid-June when Ev gets out of school.

We have decided to sell our house here, even though the market is in the crapper. If it does not sell by midsummer we will probably hire a property manager and rent it. We have been working diligently getting it in shape to sell. And we have been interviewing realtors to find one we like. I think we are just about ready to list it. Wish us luck.

After the move, Scott will continue to work for Microplace, the company he is with now. He had offers from companies in Memphis, but when he told his current boss about our plans, she completely understood and said she wanted to do whatever it took to keep him as an employee -- even if he is in Memphis. So, his job responsibilities will change a bit, but he will still be working with the same team (which he loves) and he will keep all his benefits, stock options, etc. Needless to say we were pretty happy. This does mean we do not have a relocation package, but the other perks we keep will more than make up for it. I am not sure what I am going to do in Memphis. I probably won't decide that until we get there and get settled.

Things should be interesting over the next few months. I'll keep you posted.

Everett is wounded [UPDATED]

2008-01-05T19:43:00.000-08:00

Everett suffered his first wrestling injury today. During a semi-finals round at his match (a round which he was winning) he hit the mat hard and ended up with a fractured collar bone. At least we think it's fractured. The emergency room doctor thinks it is, but the x-ray was unclear. She wants us to have it x-rayed again in a week. If there are calcium deposits showing on the x-ray, that will indicate a fracture. If not, it's a bad bruise.

He has it in a sling right now, but he won't have to wear that for very long. He is in some pain, but it is not too bad. He is more troubled by the fact that wrestling is over for him this season. He has really been enjoying it and has been working very hard.

Just a few minutes before Ev's injury occurred, Scott and I noticed a sweatshirt one of the mom's was wearing. It read, "Once you have watched your child wrestle, everything else in life is easy." We certainly appreciated the sentiment. It has been difficult to watch many of Everett's matches and those of other kids as well. Their necks, arms and legs are twisted and contorted in ways that look completely unnatural and unbelievably painful. Next thing we knew, we were there with him as he lay on the mat with coaches, refs and trainers surrounding him. It was unnerving, to say the least. Thankfully, he is fine. If this is the worst we have to deal with in his wrestling career, we will consider ourselves very lucky!

UPDATE: Ev is feeling much better. So much so that we feel pretty confident that we are dealing with a bruise rather than a fracture. Of course, we will still take him to the doctor later this week, and we are expecting good news when we do.

Anyone else working on Christmas Eve?

2007-12-24T10:13:00.000-08:00

Hi again. I am writing this on Christmas Eve, from work! We were required to work a half day today. It's really quite ridiculous. I drove a half hour to get here and work four hours and then turn around drive a half hour back home. We are located in a large office complex made up of about 8 or 10 buildings and we are the ONLY one with cars in the parking lot today! Ah well, what can you do (besides go skiing in Tahoe, which is what the boss is doing today)?

We had Brownmas yesterday and it was just wonderful. On Brownmas Eve (Saturday night)I ended up letting the boys open one present, which was their Wii. Everett was completely shocked and very excited. He had NO idea they were getting one -- probably because I told them there was no way we were getting one. But the Wii was the only thing Scott asked for for Christmas, so I caved. We opened most of the other presents Sunday, but left one each to open on Christmas morning. We were lazy all day, except for the time it took to cook dinner (prime rib, yorkshire pudding [a success again], roasted asparagus and mashed potatoes).

The boys are home today playing the Wii and Guild Wars (Everett's new computer game) and have probably not noticed yet that I am not there. Just kidding. Scott knows I am gone because I woke him up before I left. I was grumpy that I had to be up and wanted someone else to be up and grumpy with me.

I will post a few pictures from Brownmas on Flickr later, so look for those. I will be missing my family today and tomorrow. Please know that I love you all very much!

It's Brownmas time again!

2007-12-21T13:03:00.000-08:00

Hello again!

As usual, it has been way too long since my last post. Sorry!

We are all well and ready for Christmas. Some of you may remember that we celebrate Brownmas now, which is actually a few days before Christmas. It falls on whatever day suits us best. It was going to be Saturday, December 22, this year, but Ev has a wrestling tournament that day. It looks like instead we will have it on Sunday (although the boys are trying to convince me to let them open everything Saturday night).

Our friends Julio and Fabienne invited us to spend Christmas Eve with them and their 16 year old daughter, Morgane. I am looking forward to that. They are a lot of fun and we really enjoy hanging out with them.

Other than Christmas Eve, it looked like nothing special was going to happen this year for the holidays, but that changed last night. We found out yesterday that my sister, Margaret, is going to fly my nephews, Cody and Zach, and their step-brother, Austin, to Michigan after Christmas to spend time with my folks and my sister, Lisa, and her family. So we decided to fly Ev up there too and got him a ticket last night. He leaves on December 27 and comes home January 1. I am glad he is going, but I am jealous. He is going to have a lot of fun!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with your families. Hug them all tight and give them lots of kisses under the mistletoe!

Love to you all!

Happy Birthday, Ev!!

2007-09-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

Ev turned 15 on Tuesday, September 25! Can you beleive it?!

He got a guitar for his birthday, which he loves. He said, "it's probably the best present I've ever gotten." I'll put some pictures of it on Flickr soon. He also got a Ramones and a Marshall amp t-shirt from Archie and Jammer and a Guiness beer mirror for his bedroom.

Scott's company had the internal roll-out for it's website on Monday and it was a HUGE success! Yeah! They will do a roll-out for the general public in October. I'll post the particulars prior to that roll-out so everyone can check it out and make some investments!

That's it for now!

Anyone out there?

2007-09-18T09:43:00.000-07:00

Considering it has been three months since my last post, I would understand if no one bothers to check this thing anymore!

We had a pretty quiet summer. Ev went to Memphis for two and a half weeks in June/July. He had a great time and got to see all his family and friends. The rest of his summer was spent sleeping in and hanging out at the local community center with Tommy, the kid next door. Scott had a very busy, stressful summer. The website launch for his company is next week, so his team worked diligently all summer getting ready for it. Testing has gone smoothly though, and it looks like we are gearing up for a successful launch! My summer was quiet. Lots of work. I had another flare up of back trouble in July and missed a week and half of work, but other than that, things were quiet for me.

Ev started High School (!) on August 28. He seems to like it so far. He and Tommy have become good friends, which has helped make the transition a smooth one. Ev has also made friends with a pack of Juniors, which he thinks is very cool. When he discusses his freshman friends, he refers to them by first name ("Kyle said...", "Tommy went..."), but if a conversation involves one of the Juniors, he is much more specific: "My friend Greg, he's a Junior, he said..." or "David, one of my Junior friends,...," etc. It cracks me up.

That should catch you up on the general goings-on of the Brown Family. I will strive to be better about posting regularly. I also have a TON of pictures to add to Flickr, so check that soon to see what we look like now! :)

Welcome to the world, Maddox Milo Morton!!

2007-06-01T09:41:00.001-07:00

Meet the newest Morton! Congratulations to Shawn, Amy, Mahlon, Miles and Mira on this beautiful addition to your family!

Giant spiders on the loose!

2007-05-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

Our friends Shawn and Amy, who live in Louisville, have a three year old daughter named Mira. I saw this video of her today, posted on Shawn's Vimeo page. Shawn, I hope you don't mind me posting it here, but I could not resist! How could a story involving spiders (giant talking man-eating spiders, no less) be so darn cute?

from sMoRTy71 on Vimeo

Why is she so adamant that there were NO toys down there? It's a little suspicious. That, coupled with the hopeful look on her face at the end ("That was weak, but you believe me anyway, right Dad?"), makes me wonder what she was up to!

Ev's Project

2007-05-17T16:41:00.001-07:00

Everett's Social Science class has been studying the Civil War for the past few weeks. As part of their studies, each student had to prepare a five minute presentation about one important event or person associated with the war. Everett worked very very hard on his project. I think he did a great job, but you can judge for yourself:

Goodbye, Dixie Dog

2007-04-24T23:06:00.000-07:00

I found out from my sister, Margaret, last night that her dog, Dixie, died last Thursday after being hit by a car. I am so sad! Dixie was with Margaret and the boys for many many years. She was a loyal, grumpy old cat-dog. I'll miss you DD!

We are alive and well!

2007-04-02T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

I can't believe how long it has been since my last post! We have been very busy getting settled in the house. We are just about there. The inside is looking great -- just a few stray boxes here and there. Once those are tended to we can attack the garage and get it organized and then start working on the back yard.

We really love the house and the neighborhood. There is a 14 year old boy named Tommy living right next door to us. He will be a freshman next year at Leigh High with Ev. The two have yet to meet (it's not very cool at age 14 to knock on someone's door and ask them to play), but Ev is on his skateboard every evening in front of the house, so Tommy is bound to come out sooner or later.

We took an important step toward feeling settled in the neighborhood this weekend -- we found our local donut shop. Bascom Donuts and Sunny Donuts are both within a quarter mile of our house and we decided a taste test was needed to determine which one would be our regular haunt. On Saturday morning I went to them both and bought one each of five kinds of donut (Scott thought he and I should hit the shops at the same time so the donuts would be at equal levels of freshness for the test, but I thought that was overkill). At home, Scott and Ev performed a blind taste test on each. They compared a glazed old-fashioned, a jelly filled, a long-john, a cinnamon twist and an apple fritter. It was a close call, but Bascom Donuts won.

Ev wants to do burritos next, so we'll keep you posted!

Take care!

It's ours!

2007-03-12T19:41:00.000-07:00

The deed has been recorded, our names are on title, and we are now California homeowners! We should get the keys tomorrow. I can't wait! Scott and I are taking Friday off and all our stuff will be moved in by that afternoon. I am looking forward to spending the weekend unpacking in our new house!

I'll post an update soon!

The latest on the house

2007-03-06T23:03:00.000-08:00

Things are moving along quickly! Originally we were going to close on March 13, then it got bumped up to Friday, March 9 and now we are closing tomorrow (Wednesday)! We are excited! Our official move in date is March 16 (the day movers are coming to get boxes and furniture), but we will start moving things over, little by little, as soon as we get the keys.

I am trying to talk the boys into having a sleep over at the house this weekend -- a sleeping bag for each of us, some pizza and champagne, flash lights and ghost stories! What a way to break in the new place!

I will post more pictures of the house as soon as I can get in and take some. Hopefully I will get some video as well.

Thanks to everyone for the kind words and congratulations. This move to California has been a difficult transition for the three of us, but we are adjusting and I think having a place of our own will help us feel more at home here.

Until next time, love to everyone!

Our New Home!

2007-02-21T21:23:00.000-08:00

We made an offer on a house today and the sellers accepted! We are very excited! It is about 1670 square feet with four bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths. It's very cute! It's in an area of San Jose called Cambrian Park. You can check out our new 'hood here (look for the green arrow). We will not be very far from where we live now (near Cupertino). Scott works near Campbell, so he will be very close to work. I, on the other hand, work in Palo Alto, so my drive will just about double. But I'll deal with it!

Everett will be going to Leigh High School which is one of the top ranked schools in the South Bay area. He is handling the idea of moving again (and switching schools again) very well. He loves the house, which makes it a little easier for him. He pointed out the other night that he is not moving out of the state and he will be able to see his friends from Cupertino any time he wants to.

We will likely be closing very soon. The sellers are currently living in Oakridge, Tennessee (!) and are anxious to get this done. The house is empty, so we will be able to begin moving things in as soon as we get our hands on some keys!

I will post a video of the inside as soon as we can get in it again. Until then, check out Flickr for more pictures!

Separated at Birth?

2007-02-17T17:22:00.000-08:00

Oh my God! Someone needs to stop her before she pulls a "Private Pyle!"

I am officially employed!

2007-01-30T15:27:00.000-08:00

I received a job offer today from a Palo Alto law firm called Gilfix & La Poll and I accepted! You can check them out at Gilfix.com. This was the interview I had on Friday, which went very well. They called me in for a follow-up interview yesterday, where I met with Mr. Gilfix and Mr. La Poll, who I liked a lot. Mr. Gilfix is from Michigan and Mr. LaPoll is from Connecticut, so I was very comfortable in a room full of yankees!

I will be starting as a Paralegal and, if I learn a lot, work very hard and prove myself (and eventually take the CA bar and pass it), it will be possible for me to become an associate attorney. This is one of the elite estate planning firms in California, so I feel very lucky to get my foot in the door this way! The paralegals there basically do everything an attorney does, except dispense legal advice and appear in court. I am really looking forward to the work. This position will allow me to get some amazing experience and learn from the cream of the crop. I am very excited!!

Looking for a J-O-B

2007-01-27T08:37:00.000-08:00

Hello all!

I made it back from Michigan safe and sound. I had a wonderful time visiting my sister, Lisa, and her family! I miss everyone though! I got used to seeing a couple smiling faces everyday!

Since I've been back from Michigan I have been diligently job hunting! Scott and I decided that I am not going to take the California bar exam in February, as originally planned. If I find a job and they want me to be licensed in CA, I can take the bar in July.

I had an interview at a Palo Alto firm yesterday. I think it went well, so keep your fingers crossed for me!

I'm going to Michigan!

2007-01-11T08:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my birthday (I won't tell you my age, but I'll give you a hint: it rhymes with "Dirty-Hate"). As a birthday gift, my wonderful husband got me a plane ticket so I can fly to Michigan and see my sister and her husband and kids. My folks will be coming by to spend a day with us while I'm there, so I will be able to see the entire Michigan clan. I'm so excited! I leave tomorrow (Friday) and come back next Wednesday. I am particularly looking forward to Monday night when we are going to watch Matt, my brother-in-law, play hockey! Check out his game face! Grrrrrr!

It looks like it might even snow a little while I'm there, which will be nice!
Thanks for the birthday present, Honey!!

Bye, bye, birdies

2007-01-10T09:52:00.000-08:00

I have two budgies, Harvey and Crow. Harvey is pictured below (I don't have a picture of Crow).

Every morning, if the weather is going to be nice, I put the birds' cage outside. They love being out there in the fresh air with all the wild birds flying around. Well, Monday, after hanging the them outside and then running errands, I came home to find this:

The cage door was wide open and the birds were gone! I was so sad! As I stood on the patio scanning the trees behind our house, I could hear one of my birds tweeting out there somewhere, but could not see it. After Ev got home, we went outside to look for them, and once again we could hear one of them chirping. Sure enough, after a few minutes, we saw Crow fly in front of us and then way up into one the huge trees behind our yard. She is hard to spot, but here is a picture of her in the tree. She is the tiny yellow speck in the upper right hand corner:

That is the last we have seen of either one of them. I have left the cage outside, with the door open, just in case they change their mind, but I don't think they are coming home. :( Although my friend Ronnie told me about a buddy of his who had a parrot that flew away one day and then showed up again five years later!! So who knows...

xbox us, everyone

2006-12-24T14:54:00.001-08:00

Santa Brown (or "Brownie" as we like to call him) brought the boys an xbox 360 for Christmas (one of the motivating factors in our decision to have Brownmas and open presents early). You can check out Ev's reaction below, but first allow me to explain two things:

1. Scott's reaction is an homage to a very well known video capturing another child's reaction to a similar gift. If you have not seen it, that video is worth checking out.

2. When Ev says, "Thank God I have $225!" he meant that he was not going to have to spend the $225 he had saved to pay for half an xbox (he had been working on convincing his dad to pay the other half).

(FYI, this was not recorded on my new camera.)

Five things you don't know about me

2006-12-23T05:04:00.000-08:00

My friend, Shawn, decided to invite me to participate in a social sharing exercise. I am to share with you five things you may not know about me, and then tag five more people to do the same. Let's see...

1. I think Raspberry Zingers are the most delicious food on the planet. I am not a big junk food lover over-all, espcially the sweet stuff, but raspberry zingers are my weakness. I'll eat an entire box in one sitting if someone doesn't stop me!

2. I once spent Christmas Eve with Joe Walsh. In the winter of 1987 I was in Memphis working at a store that sold Christmas decor. Joe Walsh lived in Memphis at the time and happened to live right next door to my boss (Joe had become drinking buddies with my boss' husband). While I was working Christmas Eve that year, my boss and I decided to make Joe a wreath (decorated with little guitars, etc.). We went by his house that evening to deliver the wreath and Joe decided he wanted to hang out (he was already feeling quite jolly, if memory serves). He jumped in the car with us and we drove around with him for a few hours. He wished me a merry Christmas when they dropped me off and I never saw him again.

3. When I was in elementary school I desperately wanted buck teeth. There was a girl a few grades ahead of me who was tough and mean and could do back flips off the high bar on the playground. She had big buck teeth and I thought she was super cool.

4. I anthropomorphize my dogs when no one else is around. My mom and I always anthropomorphized my dog growing up and Scott will tell you I do it a lot now (which Scott actually finds entertaining at times). My secret is that I do it when I am alone. I have entire conversations with the dogs, even when there is no one around to laugh at it. I would like to attribute this behavior to the fact that I spend my days alone in a new city where I don't have any friends yet, but I used to do the same thing in Memphis, so I have no excuse.

5. In college, I once broke my foot simply by climbing into bed. That's all I'm going to say about that one.

Now I have to name five people to share five things. The problem is I think I am supposed to name people who can share on their blogs and I don't know anyone besides Shawn with a blog. So, if any of the people I name don't have a blog, you can either add your five things as a comment to this post, or you can e-mail them to me and I will post them on my blog. The five people are Denise Henderson, Lisa Reschke, Ruth Rodriguez, Birch Harms and Everett Brown.

Happy Brownmas!!

2006-12-23T04:40:00.000-08:00

Since we are here in California by ourselves, we decided to open our Christmas presents a few days early. We chose to do it today (Saturday, December 23) and we are officially calling it "Brownmas". That may sound a little sad (or perhaps slightly sacrilegious), but don't fret. We will still celebrate Christmas -- we will save one or two gifts to open that morning and we will have a yummy feast that day (and today!). We actually did the same thing in Memphis last year because we were at my folks' place in Michigan on Christmas day. It looks like we have started a new tradition! Don't worry, we have made Ev promise that when he has little kids of his own, he will celebrate Christmas like a normal person.

Because today is Brownmas, that means yesterday was Brownmas Eve. So of course, we got to open some presents last night as well. I will post a few pictures of Brownmas Eve and Brownmas Day later on Flickr, but the big news is that Scott got me a video camera!!

Come back soon to check out my mad video making skills!

Christmas Memories

2006-12-20T14:14:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from Christmas 2004 which we spent with my family at my folks' place in Michigan. I won't see my family this Christmas, which makes me very sad, but I feel better when I look at these pictures and remember how much fun we had and how much I love them all.

Training the Terriers

2006-12-11T10:34:00.000-08:00

Archie had fun investigating the train that runs around our Christmas tree. This is only a small clip of the long while he spent going back and forth, wathcing the train as it went 'round and 'round. However, Jammer, as you will see, took one look and headed in the other direction. I even put a milkbone in one of the cars to tempt her, but she wanted nothing to do with it!

I feel the earth move!

2006-12-06T19:56:00.000-08:00

Ev competed in the J.V. league finals last Friday and came in FIRST place in his weight class! Check out the video and you will see why the San Andreas Fault is not the only thing causing earthquakes around here!

More fun with stop motion

2006-12-05T20:22:00.000-08:00

I spent some time tonight playing again with the iStopMotion software and some Stikfas. This is so fun!

iRobot

2006-12-04T13:01:00.000-08:00

I have been having a lot of fun playing around with my camera (making the videos of Ev, etc.), so I decided to find some other things to do with it. I downloaded a demo version of Boinx iStopMotion software, which is a tool for creating stop motion animation. I've never done anything like that before, but I made the little video posted below and it was FUN! I filmed it near a big window, and it took a while, so you will see some crazy shadow action on the table as the sun moved across the sky. The little guy in the film is a Stikfas Mechana Segmented Robot.

Ev is undefeated!

2006-12-02T17:42:00.000-08:00

Ev wrestled in his final match of the regular season on Tuesday and pinned the kid in a matter of seconds! That meant he qualified to go to the J.V. League finals which took place Friday. Check back soon for video of the finals!

Oh, and be sure to take a close look at the very end of the video below, where Ev shakes his coach's hand. Check out the guns on that kid! I think we found the missing weapons of mass destruction!

Ev wins again!

2006-12-02T09:05:00.000-08:00

Ev wrestled (and won) his third match a couple weeks aqo (I've been slow getting it posted). He is doing so great! We are very proud!

I have redeemed myself!

2006-11-25T10:50:00.000-08:00

As part of our Thanksgiving day feast, I decided to make prime rib with Yorkshire pudding. For those of you not familiar with it, Yorkshire pudding is a bread that is made by baking batter in the fatty drippings of a roast. It is a unique, amazingly delicious and incredibly fattening treat! Traditionally it was made by pouring the batter directly in the roasting pan and letting it cook there, swimming in the drippings. Now it is usually made by taking a few teaspoons of drippings after the meat is done roasting and baking the bread in a small casserole dish or in a muffin pan.

This was not the first time I tried to make Yorkshire pudding. Several years ago we had prime rib for Christmas dinner and I wanted to have Yorkshore pudding with it, but all did not go as planned. The recipe calls for putting the empty baking dish in a 450 degree oven for ten minutes before you add the drippings and the batter. After my roast finished, I put my 8x8 glass baking dish in the oven to heat while I mixed the batter. When the extremely hot dish came out of the oven I put it on the stove top, added the drippings and then poured in the batter. Immediately when the cool batter hit the hot dish, the glass EXPLODED! There was glass everywhere and batter oozing all over my stove. The worst part is that you make the Yorkshire pudding very last, because it deflates quickly so you need to serve it right from the oven. So, while the rest of the meal was piping hot and everyone was ready to eat, I was scrambling to clean up shards of glass and gooey batter from my kitchen. Not fun.

Despite my history with it, I wanted to try Yorkshire pudding again this Thanksgiving. I used a metal popover pan this time rather than a glass dish and it was a great success!! Even though I am a vegitarian and refrained from having turkey or beef at dinner, I did allow myself one helping of Yorkshire pudding. It is truly one of the most delectable things I have ever had! YUM!!

Meat and Potatoes

2006-11-25T10:24:00.000-08:00

Hello again! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Ours was great, except for one minor bump.

I cooked a huge meal, but did it over the course of two days, so it was not too stressful. It all went smoothly, until I started peeling potatoes. I was not paying close enough attention and ended up slicing off a chunk of my finger! It was pretty nasty and bled A LOT. Thankfully Scott was here to help bandage me up and do most of the rest of the cooking. My hero!

I could not resist including pictures. My nail still has dried blood under it because I can't exactly scrub it yet! Despite the blood and gore, and the absence of friends and family, it was truly a wonderful Thanksgiving. And now I will have a permanent scar to help me remember it always!

He came to make a BANG!

2006-11-10T12:56:00.000-08:00

Everett wrestled for the second time last night, and let's just say Ev left the ref plenty of time to get a cup of coffee before the next match. Once Ev threw his opponent down, that kid never got up again and Ev had him pinned in seconds! Check it out!

By the way, the accompanying music is "Don't Speak (I came to make a BANG!)" by Eagles of Death Metal. Ev liked the choice of song, except where the lyrics say, "so don't be scared" Ev felt, in this case, they should say, "so be very scared!"

Oh, Happy Day!

2006-11-08T14:36:00.001-08:00

I won't go on an on about the election results, because I know some of you are not as happy as I am right now. Just let me say I feel like it's Christmas and Santa came last night and brought me just what I wanted, plus something special in my stocking (Rummy's resignation) just 'cause I've been such a good girl! Let's all hope this is a step in the right direction.

I don't have much wrestling news. Ev didn't get to wrestle last Thursday (again, there was no one in his weight class on the other team) and Tuesday's match got cancelled. Hopefully he will see some action when they wrestle Cupertino Middle School this Thursday.

Scott and I saw Borat last weekend and it was the funniest thing I have seen in years and years! Sacha Baron Cohen is a genius. The movie is definitely not for everyone (we did not take Everett!), but I loved it!

I am very ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas to get here! I want to decorate for Christmas now, but Scott (Scrooge) says I can't do that until after Thanksgiving. I think I am throwing myself into the Holidays because I don't want to think about the fact that we will not be seeing our family and friends this season. Unfortunately traveling is not in the budget now, but we will take a trip next year after I start working and bringing home some bacon. Then the trouble will be deciding whether to visit Memphis or Michigan first!

I miss everyone! Bye for now!

Wrestlemania!

2006-11-01T12:55:00.000-08:00

Here is the video from Everett's wrestling match on Tuesday. They are wearing similar uniforms, but Ev is the one with short hair (I never thought I would say that!). Notice Ev starts things off with a nice body slam! He did so great!

Forgive the shakiness of the camera at times, but I got excited! Things get particularly blurry around the three minute mark, which was the only point in the match where Ev's opponent had him down. Then Ev turned into the hulk and threw the kid off! It was awesome and impossible to sit still through! I am also fond of the cool arm swing Ev does at about 3:12. Very intimidating!

For those of you unfamiliar with a video like this, just click the arrow once to start it (double clicking will take you to YouTube's site). If the video seems slow and choppy at first, pause it until it's loaded completely, and then play it. Enjoy!

Halloweeners

2006-10-31T07:48:00.000-08:00

My boys set off this morning ready for some Halloween fun. Check Flickr for some more pictures. Ev's short hair made for a very nice mohawk. I tried to get him to let me paint it green, but he said, "I don't want to stick out THAT much!"

Ev's team wrestled again last night. The team won soundly and Ev won his match! He did great!! I filmed it all and will be editing the video together today. I will post it here when it's done, so check back later to see all the action!

Beginning Blogger

2006-10-29T12:10:00.000-08:00

I decided to experiment with keeping a blog, primarily as a way to keep in touch with everyone. My Flickr site works well for that, but sometimes I just don't have enough room on Flickr to go into detail about what we have been up to.

As many of you know, Everett made the Junior Varsity wrestling team at his school. We are very proud of him (often, when someone hasn't wrestled before, they are an alternate their first year) !! He has his next wrestling match this Monday. Last week their opponent (Miller Middle School) did not have a wrestler in his weight class on their JV team, so Ev did not get to wrestle. This week Ev's team, wrestles Sunnydale Middle School. Sunnyvale has a big team, and we are hopeful that Ev will have a chance to hit the mat.

Scott is enjoying his new job at MicroPlace. He has been busy interviewing developers that will work for him. He is excited about getting his team together so MicroPlace's new website can launch in the spring.

I have been studying a little for the California bar exam, which I will take in February. I am also working on getting the 33 page Character and Fitness application completed so the state bar can do a background check on me and make sure I have the character and morals necessary to become an attorney in California.

Look for pictures on Flickr after the match and check this blog soon for more entries!