Goodbye old year...

First I want to begin with my favorite picture of Miss Teddy Rose...

I saw on FB some friends ssuddenly lost their dog on Christmas.  She was a golden like Teddy and it breaks my heart.  Whenever we hear of loss it makes us take stock and hold on to what we have and remember to cherish what we have while we have it...

At the end of this year I am most thankful for

1. Family/Friends
2. Health
3. Financial security = jobs!
4. Health insurance
5. Opportunities

I've never been one to make New Years resolutions because I know full well I will forget about them in a week...
However, I would like to make a concerted effort in the following areas

1.  Stay connected with Family/Friends
2.  Maintain/improve a healthy lifestyle
3.  Become even more financially secure :)
4.  Not need my health insurance
5.  Find more opportunities and pursue them with gusto!

Here's wishing each one of you a wonderful 2012!

Frychik

Bowling

Our plan for yesterday were to go skiing with the youth group.  However, the forecast for Meadows yesterday was....rain, high 40s with wind gusts of 80 mph! So we decided bowling would be way more fun...

Here are some lessons learned from bowling...

1.  Bad form + Bumpers = victory

2.  Bowling is more fun with friends...

 3.  Bowling is the funnest with girlfriend...

4.  It is really fun to beat your husband at bowling...

 5.  The color of the ball is the key to success...

6.  No matter how much weight you lose you will always think you back side is huge!

 

7.  That floors can shine that brightly and you resolve to make yours at home do so... 

 8.  That no matter how excited you are about a strike you should never strike this pose in public...especially when there are cameras around...

 9.  That it is fun to beat your sons at bowling...

 10.  The most important thing that bowling can teach you is...if you have fat thumbs like I do make sure the thumb hole is large enough...VERY important!


Frychik

A List!

A List

1. Finished HIST556 US Constitutional History with an A!

2. Enjoyed Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning with lots a family and food

3.  Didn't gain any weight!

4.  Still haven't finished a puzzle which was begun on Christmas morning. 8 different people have worked on it at various times...hours have been spent and still this is what we have to show for it...
 

5.  We were to go skiing today but alas it is 42, raining with 80 mile winds up there...

6.  We will go bowling instead :)

7.  Took the family to see Mission Impossible yesterday...fun to see a movie in the middle of the day AND we had a gift certificate so it was FREE! :)

8.  Finished reading "Lost in Shangri-La" - loved reading just for the joy of it again... (not for class)

9.  Finished kitty sitting for a kitty that only loves his momma...challenging weekend to kitty sit given all the family and festivities but his momma is back and all is well!

10.  Slept in our own bed last night! After 3 nights of sleeping in Josh's bed Jeff and I were getting more aggressive towards each other in our sleep.  We were fighting for space (he is a HUGE bed HOG!)

Endorsement:  Have you watched "Snowball Express" lately?  Do it!

Frychik

Merry Christmas

We fudged a little and the four of us opened gifts on Christmas Eve, eve...

 I don't regret it it one bit!  I cherish the moments when it is the four of us.  I believe that one day I will cherish time spent with my daughter-in-laws, and grandkids just as much but right now I'm really cherishing the times when I have my boys to myself because I'm very aware of how those times are precious.

Books! I love my books and even though I caved and bought Jeff and Kindle Fire I am still in love with books!



 

I'm also in love with chocolate! Oh man where these desserts yummy!

 So...Twas, the night before Christmas and I asked if I could read the story to my boys and Ty of course said no Josh said YES! I use to read this book every Christmas Eve to them and I was thrilled to do it again for at least one more year! :) I'll admit they were adding variations of their own story as I was reading but we got through it anyway :)

Part of the Fry clan...you can see Grammy and Papo in the mirror!

 We were all delighted that my nieces showed up :)  I have four beautiful nieces and one handsome nephew. It's always more special when we can all be together.



Posing for next years calender :)

Merry Christmas!

Frychik

White Christmas?

There is zero chance of having a white Christmas this year...

I would love, love a white Christmas. 
I would love, love a Christmas in a log cabin deep in the woods surrounded by family and friends, food, books, games, skis...

But, I also love, love, having Christmas here at my home surrounded with family, food and love :)

Here are some pictures from days gone by...

 Joshua's first Christmas - 2 months, 3 weeks

Ty's first Christmas - almost 4 months

 2005 - Ty's first guitar...

  Josh and his cousin...I love this pic!

 Timberline 2006

Our best white Christmas 2008!

Merry Christmas!

Frychik

So I am free from the burden of studying for a Masters class for 6 weeks! I have decided to take January off as I transition into adding another class to my schedule at CAA.  I began my Masters last May and I've been taking a class ever since, sadly that is only 2 of the 13 I need.  They are 16 week courses and they take forever! Which means I will be 92 when I get this done!  On the bright side I have now completed all I needed to get myself re-certified which means a pay raise :)

In other news, thanks for those who have said encouraging words regarding my photography.  When I grow up I really do want to be a travel photographer... In the mean time I have entered Captureclarkcounty.com.  You can enter 20 pictures each week of Clark County and/or SW Washington.  They are making a coffee table book and will include pictures selected from those of us who have submitted.  I think it would be so exciting to have a picture published!

Things started off well when I was "awarded" Picture of the Day (POD) twice in a row!  What that means is that the editors (whoever they are) choose my picture (for whatever reasons) and my picture was posted front and center for those days.  There are other "awards" that can be won, such as receiving 100 votes, etc.  I have discovered several friends on the site and there are some AMAZING pictures.  Check it out if you haven't already and cast some votes if you like :)

Today is the first day I don't HAVE to do anything...and I like it! But because I'm me and it freaks me out to look at a day of empty I have the luxury of deciding what I would like to do...

-run at the gym (I've been running 4 miles lately and while its painful I'm so proud afterwards, its a sickness)

-Take Ty to Next Adventure and buy him board boots (It will be nice to have some one-on-one time with my youngest - Josh is working all day)

-Bake - I intend to WOW Jeff's offices with my award winning snowball cookies :)

-Rearrange my family room (because I'm certain the dust bunnies under the couch could take on an beat my golden retriever!)

-Take my golden retriever for a long walk

Frychik

Milestones...

First of all, thanks for your words of encouragement.  They are appreciated and will be what I choose to focus on when negative words find their way my direction....


It was a whirlwind weekend!
Beginning with Friday - half day of school and then faculty Christmas party here at our home.  It was fun.  The food was amazing and its always fun to get together and not talk about teaching issues but just enjoy each other.

Josh had his first solo excursion with his girlfriend and the car...they went Christmas shopping at the mall.  Heaven help me...

Sabbath morning we had SS brunch :)

But this post will focus on our anniversary...

Saturday afternoon our kids headed over to some great friends home and we headed out to celebrate our 23 wedding anniversary

We went from this...to...this in a blink of an eye!

  We began our meal at Meriweatherlewis restaurant.  We had the fireside table with a lovely Christmas tree nestled next to it.  The food was yummy and the company perfect.  We like to brag to each other about how long we have been married when we overheard the couple behind us celebrating their 45th...and suddenly we felt like newlyweds :)

I struck up a conversation with the wife in the restroom and she told me that they were engaged during the Vietnam War.  She knew him two whole weeks before he gave her a ring and then shipped off for 10 months.  He came home and a week later they were married! Can you imagine!  45 years later they are enjoying retirement as traveling grandparents.  I love a happy story! :)

After dinner we headed into the city.  For our anniversaries we tend to do one of two things (since moving back to the NW) We head to the beach or we head downtown.  This year we stayed local and just enjoyed an evening in Portland with all the Christmas decorations and protesters...

 This guy was serenading us as we left the parking garage.  He was very talented and it was amazing all the different tones he was getting from his various buckets and the light pole next to him :)

Pioneer Square

 The window from a Haberdasher shop

One of my favorite night scenes from downtown..



And then because my husband knows I'm a freak this way, we found the protesters and I took some pictures...

FYI - I am in no way endorsing any of the messages portrayed in the pictures above :)

Have you ever had a drink from these fountains downtown?

We headed to the waterfront to take pictures of the Christmas ships.  I didn't have a tripod so it was a bit challenging...



We then proceeded with the rest of our evening :)


I am so thankful to have Jeff in my life.  He is a gift that I celebrate each year.  He is my best friend and an amazing father!

I'm a lucky girl!

Happy anniversary to one of my bestest and oldest friends Jo, who celebrated on the 17th and to my dear friend Suzanne who celebrates the same day we do!  So thankful friends are also celebrating their love!

Frychik