Merry Christmas

Well Merry Christmas to everyone... We are snowed in Spokane and not going anywhere and so will miss all of you. I know that the rest of you are in a similar pickle from watching the weather and forecasts for the rest of the state. We love and miss you all and are thinking and praying for you this Christmas holiday. Hope everyone is able to stay warm and safe. We love and miss you all. God Bless everyone for Christmas and for the new year 2009~! May it be everyone's best year yet! Love You~!

This is a pic of Levi's car... 3 hours after he finally dug it out of the driveway... we have accumulated another foot since then... Aren't you all glad your are not here?!

Jacqui-isms

I have a fun story to share with everyone. Jacqui and I were driving in the car a few days ago, listening to music when she says, "Mom, did you know that Jesus loves me?"
I answered her, wondering where this was going, "I sure did, and he will love you your whole life!"
Smiling, she replies back, "Do you know how I know that? ... I have a bunny who tells me that every day!" (This would be great grandma and granddad's bunny that sings Jesus loves me.)
"Well that bunny is right, Jesus does love you and he always will", I tell her. We resume our silence, watching the traffic and people walking by...
After a few minutes of just staring out the window, Jacqui starts up again. "Mom? Did you know that Jesus lives up there in the sky?"
"He does? That's right! How did you know that?" I say, wondering where she is getting this information and where this conversation is going...
"Mom, (with attitude) you know when you yell to the sky and there is an echo...? (pausing for effect here) The echo is Jesus talking back to you, because he lives in the sky, that's why!" said with as much authority as a 4 year old should have.
This concluded our conversation as she heaved a big dramatic sigh and let me know she was done explaining how things work to me. I think for a 4 year that is as logical as you can get for figuring out Jesus and where he lives... what better proof is there?! Thought you would all get a chuckle out of this one, I know I sure did!

My Life

These days, my life revolves around my work at Center For Sharing, Kayla, Levi and Jacqui. It seems there is never enough time to do it all, considering all the travel and such...however I try to make the most of the time I do have with Levi, Kayla and Jacqui.

Now that Levi is in Spokane, I do get to see him more often...which is great...when he was in Phoenix and Seattle, it a little more work to get there.

On the work side, I just returned from a trip to Hyderabad India. I will post a report on that in a few days. The trip before India was one to Muskegon Michigan the first part of October. I went to a conference of Partner's Worldwide, Partners Worldwide ...it is a non-profit that connects successful business people to aspiring entrepreneurs in developing countries. There, I learned of a new concept called, "mircofranchise". Successful business people putting together small simple businesses, like selling milk or reading glasses that can sustain families in developing areas through a franchise system. The idea is great because you know it will work if you follow the guidelines because it has worked elsewhere.

Using the bicycle to sell milk, they said a person that buys the franchise can often pay off the bike in one week...how great is that!...then the franchise holds 10% of their earning so when and if they leave the business, they then get that 10%, which in some cases has saved them enough money to buy a taxi. Pretty cool, I think!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween! We went trick or treating tonight. Jacqui started off the night as a beautiful butterfly but had a meltdown after too much candy! She ended the night trick or treating as a skeleton with Lyrik and Levi took over the butterfly wings! We made a huge haul of candy... I'm not sure if it was the cute skeletons or the cute butterfly that got us all the loot! It was a fun Halloween, hope you guys enjoy the pics!

Wedding Pics

Just a few pics for everyone of the family at Christa's wedding over the summer. We are a sharp looking family! ;)

Pumpkin Patch

Jacqui and I went to Green Bluff this week to pick out some Halloween pumpkins. She, of course found a bunch of little "my size" pumpkins for her and some "medium ones for you mom". It was fun and she loved it. We also got fresh, local apple cider and some delicious pumpkin cheesecake (which I think was my favorite part). What a fun trip!

Rescue Concert

Hey All,

I just wanted to let everyone know Levi, Jacqui, and I were fortunate to see Steve perform with Rescue for the first time last night! They were amazing and I am so proud of my cousin! I bought the CD and it is GREAT (highly recommended and not because I'm biased at all). I hear he will be in Bothell next week so hopefully the rest of you will get to see him too. I put a link on here for their site. It was so fun and they really put on a great show. So this is just a plug for their music and the group. Check him out!

http://www.rescuemusic.com

Big Game!!!

Tonight Skyline High School (where I coach) is playing against Issaquah High School. Both teams are undefeated. We are ranked 1st and 3rd in state and it is a bitter rivalry. It is going to be a hard fought game on both sides. Issaquah's strength is their running game and Skyline's starting defense has not given up a single point all season. The game should be available on Comcast on Demand after Tuesday, but I'm not sure it is available outside of the seattle area.

Sean's 30th B-day

Sean is turning 30 next week!! I am throwing him a Seahawks birthday, even though they are having a rough season. It should be fun. I'm considering dressing the dog up for Halloween. That's probably a very bad idea, but they make doggie tutus! Happy October!

Lucy's Graduation

Lucy Graduated from Puppy 101 class and just started Puppy 102 this past weekend. She did a great job and is learning lots! Her weight is probably just over 40 lbs now and she gets at least 2 walks per day. We know she was meant to be Katie's dog because she likes to sleep in and take lots of naps. :)

September 2008

I thought I would share this with everyone. Cassie inspired me to get a hair straightener at G and G's anniversary get together. It is great and one of Jacqui's new favorite things to do. It only takes about 10 minutes to straighten her hair and she says "Mom it makes my hair longer and straight so I look like you! And then we can both be princesses together!" So we have been straightening it maybe once a week. She loves it and it is fun and cute for a day or so.



I think you all know that Levi is now staying with Jacqui and I here in Spokane. He is working at the BMW dealership as an auto technician and has turned out to really enjoy it there. (Which we love because that means he will stay longer!) We have been doing all kind of projects since he moved in and amazingly we have been fairly productive. This week we finished painting the entire fence (big project). He has been working on my car to get it up to par and all that. Jacqui took a pic of us this last month so I thought I would add that in too. She just adores him and always is talking about Uncle Levi.