The Enge Family DINKs

Name Needed...

2009-07-27T19:32:00.000-07:00

Our blog is in need of a new name. In 5 months, we won't be DINKS anymore. Any ideas?

Misguided Spending

2009-02-28T12:24:00.001-08:00

In the newspaper this month, I found a small blurb that has been bothering me since I read it.
Job layoffs began in many industries before the holidays and are continuing. Yet, Hollywood just had its first ever billion dollar January. To me, movie ticket prices are astronomical. It makes me wonder how people are affording to support this surge in business for what I consider an industry that overpays its employees.

A Site for Ryan

2009-02-28T12:21:00.000-08:00

I found this while searching for tiramisu recipes for potluck tomorrow. The step-by-step pictures are pretty cool, and even though he is still pretty suspicious about it, Ryan liked the steps laid out in a left-to-right linear diagram.

Substitution Idea

2008-12-23T09:38:00.000-08:00

While browsing in the substitution part of a cookbook, Ryan found this:

If you don't have: one whole egg
Use: two egg yolks

????

For all the moms out there

2008-12-14T19:07:00.001-08:00

Name Etiquette

2008-11-25T09:57:00.000-08:00

Ryan and I have been having a disagreement over the etiquette of names.
It all started when Ryan got sucked into listening to a long, impassioned sales pitch from a mall kiosk carnie. Me, never interested in facial products sold out of middle of the walk-way kiosks, kept moving to find another window to look in. (I might also add that I would rather be left alone in EVERY store unless I have a specific question begging an answer). The man pitching to Ryan asks, "What is your wife's name?" When Ryan tells him, the man turns and calls to me (I am 15-20 feet away) "Kari, come here." I was irritated and refused to have anything to do with the visit.
Ryan thinks I over-reacted. I think that no one has the right to use my name unless they have been introduced in some manner. I considered his actions rude and past the point of pushy. He was using my name as if we were friends and not just passing strangers.
Ryan did tell him my opinions on his actions and why it offended me. Any thoughts on proper etiquette? I say it is rude to use someone's first name until you are properly introduced--either by yourself or another person.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-30T21:35:00.000-07:00

Not all Halloween shirts are appropriate for teaching middle school. This one helped me teach body parts a little better than I hoped last year.

This is what Ryan should have done with his Audi

2008-09-13T19:55:00.001-07:00

An Amazing Acomplishment

2008-09-13T19:13:00.000-07:00

Question of the Week

2008-09-13T11:48:00.000-07:00

A student from school came walking out of the boy's bathroom while I was walking down the hall the other day.
"Miss Enge, I have a problem, " he said as he stuck out his razzberry-blue colored tongue.
I queried, "You've been eating blue candy?"
"No. My pen exploded in my mouth. Will I die?"

DMN Weekly Favorite

2008-07-08T18:24:00.000-07:00

I saw this Sunday a week ago and have been meaning to comment on it since. This is an amazing phenomenon in a society. It is still boggling my mind that it wasn't a hidden transition, and it was so accepted (at least how this article presents it).
Enjoy!
Dallas Morning News_As Albanian women have gained liberties, the need for female heirs to live as males has dwindled...

Finally

2008-06-17T16:55:00.001-07:00

We DID buy a camera, but have been lax with sharing our shots from our past few months. We have been pretty busy and have had company and projects going on at our house.

In March, my sister-n-law, her mom and our niece came to visit. We went to the Ft. Worth Botanical Gardens. In the second pictures, you might be missing the 7th monkey hiding behind Michele.

We went out to Colorado over Spring Break. Ryan's family always amazes me at their cohesiveness. Here is a part of the clan in our family outing to the 'zeum. We also got to meet our newest nephew and watch him learn to limbo...

We started a small tiling project in our laundry room. Notice the new tile, ceiling (no more popcorn!), baseboards, and color! We also redid our downstairs bathroom. We like it.

Summer

2008-06-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

But only for one day and only for me. I had the perfect summer day, sleeping in, going to lunch with friends, napping and reading through an afternoon thunderstorm.
Staff development for summer school is tomorrow, so my rest is short-lived.
What is your perfect summer day?

Spelling is Important

2008-05-05T20:19:00.001-07:00

One of my kids, while working on a story, wrote that his mom didn't like his teacher because the teacher was "funny."
I pulled out the bilingual dictionary, looked up what I thought he meant, and asked if that was the word he was looking for. Yes, he was looking for funny. "But Miss, that is what I wrote."
I had him look carefully at the spelling of his "funny" and he realized he had inadvertantly replaced the u in funny with a nice a.
Our bilingual dictionary stopped just short of that slang word, so I had to show him the word instead.
And yes, fannies are funny, but fanny teachers are the best kind.

A Thought

2008-03-30T19:43:00.000-07:00

O Magazine has a feature of "A Million Ways to Save the World." This comment was in this month's issue:

"Our culture has vastly overvalued the lives of the rich and famous. Our children no longer hunger to be good citizens, but merely well-known ones. In our misguided quest for heros, we've made fame the most coveted virtue. But when our heroes cease to do heroic things, and we still venerate them, where does that leave our culture? It is time to restore balance. Let's boycott celebrity and celebrate instead all the unnamed warriors trying to make a positive impact on our daily lives."

--Lynn Nottage

Call your neighbors and rejoice...

2008-03-24T17:45:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I have posted NO pictures for quite a while for a simple reason: our camera has been missing. We have called all houses where we visited for the past few months, searched through bags, pockets, drawers, cars, desks, dark corners and even under the bed. Repeatedly. This weekend we were heading up to Colorado to see Alyssa and the boys and decided that we would HAVE to have one, so off to Best Buy we trotted. Twenty minutes later, I reached into the bag I went through at least 3 times...and pulled out...the missing camera. That same day we found our theater guest passes that we had also been frantically looking for.
Colordado was nice, seeing Alyssa, Barry and the boys, meeting up with the cousins so we could go to the 'zeum and look at dinosaurs and dying easter eggs fun colors. Now that we have a camera, we can post pics again. Soon.

The Right Tool for the Job

2008-03-13T15:49:00.000-07:00

Ryan found his about 2:30 Tuesday night when trying to get partially dried grout out of "natural stone markings" in our new tile.
Thankfully we have a well-stocked 24-hour Wal-Mart close by. (Emily cover your eyes).

Free Play for kids

2008-03-09T18:54:00.000-07:00

A friend passed this article along. Since we are about the only kid-free couple we know, maybe a few of you would like it. :-) I notice a coorelation between t.v. watching/wii playing/video game addiction and a decline in imaginative activities with the kids I teach.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19212514

Sayings from the Fridge

2008-02-21T19:11:00.000-08:00

While visiting friends of ours this week we found a quote on their fridge. When asked what it was, the mom replied that these are things she cannot believe she has had to say to her son.

"You play the piano with your fingers not your bottom."

Ryan and I can still giggle about this as we are not yet in need of making such statements. Our day will come.

In Sickness "or" In Health

2008-02-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

Ryan said he wished he knew when we got married that our vows said "and." He's had a wife who has been out of commission for most of the past three weeks and he's been my knight.
Ryan has been travelling with his new job. Getting to see a bit more of the world than the President George Bush Turnpike every day. He's been to to Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show. And to Florida and Atlanta. His job is challenging him, which for him makes it interesting.
This year has already started off fast. Hard to believe it is already February. Anyone with resolutions they have stuck out this far?

One more day...

2007-12-20T19:35:00.000-08:00

For Kari: Tomorrow is that day that teachers all over the world both eagerly look forward to and dread: the day before a major break. Yes, at 4:00 p.m. tomorrow, I will be a free teacher. For two whole weeks.
For Ryan: He is leaving his job of the last 9 years. Tomorrow is the last day of that job. Very bittersweet for him.

We Miss Connor!

2007-12-09T19:09:00.000-08:00

Ryan and I did the first rake of our yard yesterday. We sure missed our nephew, Connor. He helped us a lot last year.

Bigfoot marries Elvis

2007-12-01T20:16:00.000-08:00

What you are looking at is Ryan drinking....(suspenseful silence)....a cappuccino. We found a place in Greenwich Village that says it brought the cappuccino to the United States.
And my coffee-hatin' hubby, good sport that he is, ordered AND DRANK the whole thing.

He'll be an addict before I know it!

An UnWicked New York

2007-12-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

Ryan and I are back from New York and Connecticut. I was up for an NCTE (National Conference of Teachers of English) conference. The conference was good. Amy Tan was the opening speaker, and I was able to hear a few gurus in education.
Ryan came up on Sunday. We did walking tours of Greenwich Village, SoHo and the Financial District.

We loved the MoMA--This might be my favorite art museum thus far. It is the museum that your modern art history class textbook authors came to to write their textbooks.

I always thought the soup cans were all together. The spacing was interesting. My favorite Warhol by far.

Starry Night

I am in the picture to give a little perspective. I had no idea this Jackson Pollock was so HUGE!

This was Ryan's favorite picture. It is actually an ariel photograph of junk. The "man" and his reflection are the floor space. The junk is full-sized junk. Old chairs, coke cans, tires, etc.

We saw the Radio City Spectacular with the Rockettes. That was an amazing show.

Walking around the Times Square area, we saw many many people holding signs and drinking coffee. What impressed us about these people (mostly men) was that they weren't working. Which meant our Wicked tickets were only good for the refund. We are two for two for vacations and strikes.

This was a sculpture that stood between the Twin Towers.

They have moved it to Battery Park. They have added the flame at the base.

Ryan took this video of the Merchant Marine sculpture. The effect of it varies with the tides.

Another year older....

2007-11-03T08:19:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I have had a busy month. We both had our 32nd birthdays. I turned 32, but Ryan turned 33.
For Ryan's birthday we went to Lake Ray Roberts (just north of here about 20 miles) with some other couples. 4 couples, 7 kids (all under 6).

Ryan took me to hear Lyle Lovett (this is all you do when you get the cheap seats). Then off to Texarkana and Mountain Peak.
This is our first of two straight weekends at home. We get to do things like finally mow our yard, pull weeds, do laundry, clean our house, take a nap and have a potluck.
One of our friends became a United States citizen recently. We had a party here last night for him. The Larson boys came and decorated our house beforehand.

Acronimity

2007-09-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I were talking about PVC pipe tonight. Everyone knows what PVC pipe is, but, without cheating (looking up the answer through any means), do you know what PVC stands for?

1st Semester Spanish Love Song

2007-09-24T20:30:00.000-07:00

Nos llamamos Ryan y Kari. Sabemos un poco español. Este es un canción para ustedes.
(Gracias a babelfish translation).

Up, Up and Away

2007-09-24T14:52:00.001-07:00

This weekend Natalie and Norman were visiting. Friday night, Ryan and I lost to the Houstonites at bowling, and are tied 1-1 in couples air hockey. We are hoping our bruises go away soon from the flying mallets. Natalie and Norman: we are up for a rematch any time!

Owwwwwwwww

2007-09-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

Ryan's had a fun week. He has been complaining of his tooth since getting a crown on it. After a trip to the dentist, he ended up with a trip to the endodontist...for an on-the-spot root canal. What could be better than that news?
I think I will be driving until he runs out of those fun pain drugs.
I am back at school. My kids were EXCEPTIONALLY good today. I kept staring at them, waiting for the riots to start. Am hoping this keeps up for the next 167 days. :-)

How Much are You Worth?

2007-09-04T18:14:00.000-07:00

This is a fun calculator. I am worth even less than I could imagine. Maybe I will start working less while at work to make it all even out.

Where to now?

2007-09-03T06:48:00.001-07:00

Ryan and I are thinking about our next trip in December. Any ideas for destinations? (We are especially interested in ones that will put stamps in our passports without emptying our bank accounts).

Ica News

2007-08-21T21:30:00.000-07:00

We had some word from Ica. The Ramos family is safe. There was some damage to the wall surrounding their garden. They sent a few pictures of some of the damage. I thought I would include it so you could see as well. They said supplies are beginning to trickle in, but there is much fighting over the distribution of them, so that can be a bit scary.

Driving in the Rain

2007-08-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

We were up in Tulsa to surprise Dad for his birhtday. We drove up in rain sent to us by the weather on the coast. We drove home in it. Dur to some mixed communication, we left about an hour later than we we thinking we would. When we got to Okmulgee, we were glad we came through late. The closed down Highway 75 through town after "10.5 inches of rain fell in about four hours." I kept exclaiming and pointing and the parking lots and fields that we filled.
Here's a link to an article and a slideshow.
http://www.nowpublic.com/oklahoma-ts-erin-causes-massive-flooding-death-tornadoes
And another: http://newsok.com/article/3106856

Don't Call Us...We'll Call You

2007-08-07T19:51:00.000-07:00

That's right. As of August 5, our Voice-Over-IP service no longer is our service. They just forgot to mention this little tidbit via e-mail, phone call, telegram, singing telegram, courier, UPS, DHL, USPS, or any other way of getting our attention. After hearing that calls weren't coming through, Ryan checked the site and sure enough:
While services to customers may be discontinued at anytime, all services will be discontinued no later than August 5, 2007.
Our cell phones still work and are, as usual, the best way to get in touch with us. We will, however, have to change our phone number. Give me 5-6 months before you hold me accountable to knowing our new one.

Human Tetris

2007-07-31T16:42:00.000-07:00

These are hilarious. Watch the expressions of the people.

Looking in my Garden

2007-07-26T15:04:00.000-07:00

Lantana must be butterfly food. This is what I found in our garden. He/She was beating his wings to much in a "happy dance" while eating I had a hard time getting a still shot.

Jiggety Jog

2007-07-21T07:10:00.000-07:00

We are home again. Glad to be back. After being gone for 3 weeks we were glad to see our house. Now to get back into the swing of life here.

Nasca and Ica

2007-07-21T06:20:00.000-07:00

These are a last few pictures from our last stop of our trip. We went through Nasca to fly over the Nasca lines (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazca_Lines) and then on to Ica. In Ica, Sara and Elvia met us at the bus station and took us to stay with the Ramos family. They were so kind and had rooms with welcoming signs waiting for us. Carolina and Brenda went out to the Ballestas Islands with us, (http://www.go2peru.com/gal_ballestas.htm), one of our best tours, and then we went will everyone to Huancayo--an oasis in the middle of the desert.

btw, small airplane rides that bank to the left and right a lot=roller coaster rides=rolling stomachs.

Nasca lines--on the right is part of the hummingbird. Lots of other unidentified lines.
The Ramos family, Elvia and Sara
The pelicans were trained. Boys on the beach would feed them for money. This was the closest we have ever been to pelicans.

Volcanic Island. Thousands/Millions of birds lived on these protected islands. The tops of these islands are unnaturally a whitish/yellowish color due to the guano (bird poop). Every four years the guano is harvested and is worth $70/barrel.
Can you see the face on the right side of the arch?

The Cathedral, in the Paracas National Park
Near the top of the dune

Monasteria de Santa Catalina

2007-07-13T13:28:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday, we visited a beautiful place in Arequipa. It was too amazing not to mention. This is a very old convent that began in the 1800s I think. The rich would pay a dowry to have their daughter placed there. The daughter, after the first novice years, would then get a house and would often have servants to take care of the cooking and the cleaning. It was a self-contained very wealthy rich community...all women. The families wanted a daughter praying for them, and their solution was to put them here. It is a pretty place and the food we got there for a quick lunch was some of the best we have had here. They paint the walls to tone down the while sillar rock which the sun glares off of. The "streets" are modeled after places in Spain and named accordingly. Here is a taste of what we saw.

Below is the laundry area. A stream of water rolls down the center. To fill the pot, just put a leaf, rock, etc. to stop the hole in the bottom and then put your hand into the center. It will filter the water down your pipe into your pot. I like it when Ryan does laundry.

Condors in Flight

2007-07-13T13:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we woke up at 1:30 to head out to Colca Canyon to see the condors take flight. They need the updrafts in the canyon to soar. We probably saw 25 condors taking off, circling above us.

To get back, our driver decided to skip the road problems and took our bus over the dirt roads in a nature sanctuary. There were lots of fun switchbacks and many interestingly placed rocks to avoid, but no angry crowds.

Yesterday, the farmers went off their strike, but the teachers are continuing their strike. We finally found information we can understand. It seems they are striking for more pay (the lament of teachers everywhere) and because the government passed a new law calling for all teachers to have to pass a standardized teaching test (within 3 tries) or be fired. The standardized teaching test would help ensure a quality of education in the teachers before they teach the students. One test was given in February and quite a few of the teachers failed. From the article we read, it seems that the test is fairly basic math and reading comprehension, not the higher subjects of chemistry, physics, calculus. They seem more organized in the square today. Each region or school seems to have its own banner and the teachers are marching behind that banner. From the colors the teachers are wearing, it actually looks like the teachers we passed going to and from Puno that were throwing rocks in the road.

We do have our room for one more night. That part, I don´t mind.

We LOVE our hotel

2007-07-10T17:18:00.001-07:00

At the suggestion of Mylene and Chris from our hike, we are staying at this place in Arequipa... for less than the price of your average Motel 6.

Protests in Peru

2007-07-10T17:03:00.000-07:00

The teachers have been protesting here and it has made for interesting travel. Our bus leaves relatively on time. We get out of the city relatively easily and then...

The rocks were placed on the road to block traffic and were not being thrown at the cars and buses.

The protests today were worse than what we saw yesterday. We were a little worried at one point they were going to get violent when the police were firing tear gas into the crowds, and "teachers" were throwing rocks at the police. One police took a banner and it started a small scuffle next to our bus. We plan to be in Arequipa for a few days (avoiding the roads) and may just fly to our next destination!

El camino inka a Macchu Picchu

2007-07-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, Kari and I started on a 4-day trek to Macchu Picchu. The trek started at about 10,000 feet. The altitude was no problem, since we had been staying at over 11,000 feet in Cusco for several days. The second day was especially gruelling. We climbed 2 passes, including the one below, at 13,828 feet. The views were incredible. Note the hat and gloves. Hmmm... summer in North America means winter in the Andes.We went 45 km, over 3 passes, ultimately ending in Macchu Picchu. The trail was built by Incas several hundred years ago to thwart gringos like us from enterring their sacred area. Our trekking group consisted of Kari and me, two women from Belgium, and a newlywed couple from Ireland. We were a fast, fit, group, and got to Macchu Picchu in 3 days instead of the targeted 4... giving us a 4th day to go back through Macchu Picchu at a more leisurely pace.

The view above is from the Sun Gate descending into Macchu Picchu on day 3. Note the shorts here. We started in a cold desert-like mountain environment, and ended in relatively warm jungle mountains.

We have hundreds more pictures. We will post more of the trek when we get to the land of faster internet connections.

Love,

Ryan and Kari

In Peru

2007-07-03T19:15:00.000-07:00

We are in Peru. Our flight was very smooth and shorter than most international flights. We were greeted at the airport and went to the home of Celso and Vera. They were very welcoming. On Saturday afternoon, Luz took us for a tour around Lima. The taxis are definitely the most exciting part of Lima. We'll have to get a video and send it along. We were there for Sunday morning meeting--about 40 people. On Sunday, we went to the afternoon meeting at the home of Jose and Griselda. Afternoon meeting starts at 1pm, so was a mad dash to eat lunch, pack and get across town for the next meeting.
Lima was cloudy and COLD the whole time we were there.
Monday we arrived in Cusco, greeted at the airport by Alfonso and Pedro and the sun. Beautiful warm sun. We could finally take off some of our long underwear. They toured us around the city yesterday. Today we took a tour of the Sacred Valley. Lots of ruins and many answers of "No, gracias" to all the requests to buy any number of trinkets.
Lunch was interesting today. Trying to find a restaurant suggested in the guidebook, I was overconfident of the wrong address and ended up in a very small, interesting restaurant. We might pay for that mistake for the next few days, and we missed playing ping pong while waiting for our food (as we re-read the information about the first restuarnat in the guidebook :-( while eating at our dubious eatery).
We have learned thus far:
1. taxi drivers are crazy
2. a honk means move or get your feet/body run over
3. our hotel is nice, but could benefit from a heater
4. the altitude in cusco is 12,000 ft. and the air is a little thin. it is beautiful during the day and a WEE bit cold during the nights. (see no. 3).
5. we look way out of place and will be approached by each vendor on the street.
6. the welcome from the friends is overwhelming.

(Sorry, no pictures yet.)

Much Ado About Beans

2007-06-21T15:46:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, I threw some beans on the stove while I was running off to work, leaving a cute sign for Ryan to turn them off when he left for work. He worked from home, and forgot until he started sniffing a strange smell in the air. Burned, charred beans. He said he went downstairs and found it smoky.
Now, we are trying to get the smell out. It smells to me like we have come off of a smoking binge. We have ionizers going, baking soda and vinegar out...hoping all traces go away soon.
(Ryan did point out we could also have cool volcanos all over our house with the baking soda and vinegar!)
Any hints?

Garden News

2007-06-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

My corn really is high as an elephant's eye.

And I decided to do something about part of our weed patch in the front beds. I was drawn into a local nursery and loved all the bright colors. I'm crossing my fingers these are all clay-loving plants.

I Made It...

2007-06-03T16:25:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Silverton, Colorado!

Memorial day weekend we were out to Durango

for a little bike race for Ryan. Alyssa and I made it past the

cutoff and over the mountain with the kiddos in the back

showing a little brotherly love.

He did the Durango-Silverton Iron Horse citizens race

(timed only by the individual bikers) in 4 hours and 29 minutes.

Excellent for this flatlander. :-)

He was glad to bike with Ron and glad he made it over the mountain!

We watched Barry in a criterion in downtown Durango on Sunday. These guys are flying.

You can see Barry on the front row at the starting line in a blue jersey.

Someone said this looks like Ryan and me. She looks interested in the criterion.

Sunday night we went out to the Bar-D for the dinner and music. Brae loved the train.

Happy Dance

2007-05-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

One more school year is over. I can't believe how fast it has gone. Seems like it shouldn't be summer, yet.
Ryan bikes on Saturday. He's looking forward to it. Says he'll finish in one hour since that's how long each training session has been. We'll post pics of him crossing the finish line.
Summer previews: Peru and the new Harry Potter...
What are your summer plans?

Countdown

2007-05-12T08:24:00.000-07:00

I have only 10 more days of work in this school year and only 9 more days when the kids are there. This is my usual yearly countdown.
What do you countdown to?

A Weekend in the Hill Country

2007-04-18T19:23:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Fredericksburg, a cute town down in the hill country of Texas. The wildflowers were all blooming, so the drive was fantastic. We met Natalie and Norman and Kristen and Mike down there. It was a great time to go. We stayed at the Cottages on Limestone (really good breakfasts and tasteful cottages) and had a nice weekend.

On Sunday, we even made it out to Enchanted Rock for some hiking

Ryan and I aren't as smart as our friends, so we have the burns to prove it.

Kristen's 30th.

The guys enjoying the birthday party.

Kari & Ryan in front of our Cottage.

Norman, Mike, and a very big gun.

How Big is Too Big?

2007-04-08T19:10:00.000-07:00

Driving around looking at houses in Dallas, we came up with a question. How big a house is too big a house? If one had large amounts of money, plenty to go around, how big a house would you want? At what point would your large house make others of humbler means uncomfortable to be in your house? Would that be okay? Is it their problem and not yours? Any thoughts?

Blankets of Blue

2007-04-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

On Friday I used to my day off to head out to my garden to weed and kill bugs. Wanted to get some seeds in the ground, but with this cold front coming through here this weekend, that was cancelled until Monday or Tuesday this week. It is down parka cold here this weekend. BRRRRRRR. I think my toes are back to their permafrost stage right now.

Seems strange with it being this cold, but the bluebonnets are blooming. Ken McAdams is here visiting us this weekend. This is him taking pictures of them.

Here are more for those of you missing out on them.

Our Seattle Trip

2007-03-27T19:26:00.000-07:00

Kari and I went to Seattle, WA for Jeff & Teresa's wedding. We showed up a few days early, and got to visit Kari's Aunt Diane and Uncle Hal, Kari's cousins Mark and Michele, and Kari's cousins Laurie and Steve. Trevor and Belinda's family was at the wedding, so we got to play with Dillon and Connor, and hold Halle.

We got to see Seattle from the ground, from the top of the Space Needle, and from a ferry boat.

It rained only when it wasn't drizzling, and the fish flew at Pike's Place Market. The most telling T-Shirt we found said, "Seattle Rain Festival, Jan. 1 - Dec. 31".

The happy bride and groom.

Halle turns 1!

Seattle skyline from the Bainbridge ferry.

Steve, Laurie, Diana and Brennan

Kari and Ryan at Snoqualmie Falls (taken from a point somewhere beyond a fence at the end of the trail, where we had to scrape by a sign that said something like, "DANGER! STOP! FLOOD WARNING! HALT! DO NOT CLIMB OVER FENCE TO GET A BETTER PICTURE!" Little did the sign posters realize that our name forms the last four letters of challenge.)

Destination Imagination, plus our first bloom of Spring...

2007-03-04T15:44:00.000-08:00

This Saturday, Kari and I appraised at a Destination Imagination (DI) tournament. DI is a cool international program where school-aged kids work as a team for several months, without adult help, with a limited budget ($125-175, depending on the problem), to solve one of five challenges. The challenge all include a theatrical solution presentation, but the challenges vary greatly in terms of how much emphasis is place on technical vs. theatrical content.

You, too, can get one of the cool DI T-Shirts we are wearing by volunteering for your local DI competition.

At the right is our first new bloom of Spring. The new life is inspiring.

Dallas Dust

2007-02-24T19:27:00.000-08:00

We've had a windy day! Gusts up to 60mph in the Dallas area, according to news results. Thought you would like to see a picture of the dust that settled over Dallas for about 1.5 hours today.

Tilling and Thawing

2007-02-19T17:18:00.000-08:00

This weekend we turned the soil in our vegetable garden. We're looking forward to another season of squash, green beans, tomatos, corn and peas. Hopefully we'll eat more than the bugs.

Today it was 73 degrees in Dallas, and BEAUTIFUL. I'm sure you northerners remember what that was like (back in June). Tomorrow's forecast: 78 degrees.

Hablamos Espanol?

2007-02-15T19:48:00.000-08:00

It's official. We've started Spanish classes. We are 1/10 of the way finished. Getting ready for a little hike this summer in the Southern Hemisphere where we'll need all the Spanish we can get. I have a little college Spanish, but this is Ryan's first real foray into the language.
In other news, we went to see Adventures in Love last weekend at the Flower Mound Performing Arts Theater ( http://www.fmpat.org/). It is a cute musical. Similar to ILYYPNC, but we've made the switch. This is our new Valentine's play. FMPAT, for those of you locally, is a great tiny theater in the three-quarters.

cute wife

2007-01-23T20:00:00.000-08:00

NOTE: Posted without her approval. :-)

dumb & dumberer

2007-01-23T19:56:00.000-08:00

---> dumb

<--- dumberer

Some Assembly Required

2007-01-23T19:29:00.000-08:00

This month has seen us getting back into the swing of things after the holidays. And putting together furniture. We've finally bought some furniture we've been eyeing for the past two years. We've gotten bedroom furiture and a hutch for our living area. Our weekend and night entertainment has consisted of reading directions and taking seriously those words on the box, "Some Assembly Required."