Giant spiders on the loose!

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

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

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!

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!

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

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!

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?

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

I am officially employed!

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

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!

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

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

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

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!!

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

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

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!

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

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

iRobot

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.