Worth Watching

I just watched this documentary today. While I am "savvy" enough to know that these types of documentaries can be very one sided and should be considered somewhat skeptically, I was moved. I, obviously, am already a supporter of some Intelligent Design theories (I don't buy the whole seeding of life on earth by aliens :) but I got a lot more out of this than just reaffirmation in what I already believe. It was really interesting - particularly the second half. I also have to commend Ben Stein for putting himself out there and standing up for his beliefs. I've been impressed with him for a while; now I consider myself a fan.

Roxy

Here she is! The kids had been asking for a dog for... years now. I told them that when D turned three years old, we would get a dog. That way, there would be no babies and dogs (a combo I refuse to try and repeat), and R would have plenty of time to get used to the idea :)

Well, once we got back from Phoenix, it was Priority One to find a dog. A couple days ago, we went to the animal shelter to look at a particular dog, when little Roxy caught our eye (she was called America then). So, after a little time getting to know her - her likes, dislikes... her political affiliations - we decided she was the dog for us!

Roxy has been so good! It has been a rather smooth transition so far. She's so sweet and really good with the kids and she's HOUSE TRAINED!!

13.1, Part Deux

Last weekend, I completed a running commitment that I had failed to accomplish in the past. There had been a couple other attempts at training for and completing a half marathon, but something kept me from actually following through (first time it was an injury, second time it was pure lack of motivation).

So, Rock n' Roll style in Phoenix was the location of my victorious run. My goal was to complete the race in 2:15:00 and I finished in 2:16:07 - I'm totally satisfied. My training was thorough and I don't think I could have run any faster without killing myself :)

The race was HUGE - around 20,000 participants just in the half marathon - crazy! The weather was sooo wonderful and the music was pretty good (it's called Rock n' Roll because they have several live bands along the racing route).

R, the kids and my parents all came to cheer me on. They were so fantastic - waiting in several locations to cheer me on - they were a great boost for me!

Visiting Phoenix was so much fun. We lived there about six years ago, so it was great to visit our old neighborhood and we even got to see a couple of old friends, despite the whirlwind nature of our short stay.

R has already decided he will run in Phoenix next year just to have an excuse to visit again! See you there?

(Q took this picture of my finisher's medal. He also accidentally took an unfortunate photo of my backside that I will not be posting :)

Random Bits

I saw this sign in an airport a few months ago. I, of course, added the sarcastic warning at the bottom. I thought it was a rather silly sign at first, but then I thought it is always better to be safe than sorry... right? Right.

This "Glamour Shot" was taken by my seventeen year old niece, L. My seven year old niece, M and my L were dressed-up, made-up and "forced" to pose for several adorable pictures. This one is a classic. I especially love M's little polka dot shirt.

Almost eleven years ago, R and I were given an ice cream maker as a wedding gift. We used it once about 6 months into our marriage. Since then the ice cream maker has been in a box, stored in our basement/attic/closet (depending on the apartment or house). A couple months ago we were cleaning out our garage and we came across the ice cream maker box. We decided that we'd give ourselves 6 months to use the ice cream maker. If we failed to do so, it would be given away to a more attentive, loving home. Well, I am happy to say that we did it! We made homemade ice cream. And do you know what, it was totally worth the years of carting/storing that thing - the ice cream was soooo good! I have a really special place in my ice cream-loving heart for homemade berry ice cream because my grandparents would make us ice cream, every time we visited, with strawberries or raspberries from their garden. So, THANK YOU to whomever gave us the best wedding gift we took for granted.

These are the most recent creations from my cake decorating class - mums and apple blossoms. Incidentally, I've caught on pretty quickly to most of the techniques, but I totally suck at making roses - which is interesting because roses made out of icing generally gross me out. It's like, where's my motivation... ya know?

Just after Christmas, my mother wanted all the grandkids to put on a nativity play with these really cute costumes she bought. Most of the cousins were really into it, taking turns being Mary or Joseph, or using the shepherd's crook to hook each other's necks. For some reason, D was just not feeling it. Maybe next year :)

If you sent us a Christmas or holiday card; first of all, thank you! Second, here is proof that the gesture is appreciated - each year we create a Christmas card shrine and spend much of the holiday basking in the love we feel that radiates off this wall of Christmas/Holiday greetings!

Hoot

The other day a nice neighbor knocked on our door to tell us there was an owl hanging out a few houses down the street. R and the kids grabbed the camera and headed out for a gander (well, D was stuck in the house because he was choosing to not wear pants at that particular time). Apparently, the owl sat at the tippity-top of a neighborhood tree for a couple of hours. The night before I could hear some hooting and thought maybe it was an owl - what else it would have been, I don't know... someone's outdoor ambiance turned up too loud?

This little story kind of reminds me of something that happened last summer. When we first moved to Albuquerque, it was monsoon season. There would be afternoon rain storms and then right after the sun would come out and we'd have multiple, huge rainbows across the sky. One evening as we were looking at a couple of particularly beautiful rainbows, L exclaimed, "Rainbows are real! I thought they were only on t.v!"

M's Discovery - Christmas 2008