Boston-Day 2

So...day 2 made me appreciate the road ways in the Midwest. Americans did learn from our pasts. Literally, we made split second decisions when we came to a fork in the road, which, by the way, was every 1/2 mile or so. A few veers to the wrong direction, and we finally ended up at our destinations. We dislike the fact that not all streets are marked--well, the cross streets are marked, but sometimes (when we had no idea where we were) we wanted to know what street we were on (or what street ours had merged into).

Our first stop was to visit my very dear Aunt Eleanor. We attended church with her, then went to Longfellow's Wayside Inn. Wonderful place to visit. Dates back to the 1700's. (Actually, most everything here dates back to the 1700's.) Wayside Inn is fully authentic, which is incredible to think about--old chairs, tables, floors, etc.

Also on the property of Wayside Inn is a working Grist Mill (yes, I bought some cornmeal), a beautiful church, and the Little Red Schoolhouse.

First, the story behind the cornmeal. For our dessert choice, we could have apple pie, sherbet, or this stuff called Indian pudding. Neither Josh nor I would have chosen the latter, but on Aunt Eleanor's request we both tried it. Basically, Indian pudding is a mix of cornmeal & molasses, which are baked together, then a scoop of ice cream is added to the top. Not too bad.

The story behind the Little Red Schoolhouse is interesting. When Henry Ford owned Wayside Inn (he was the last private owner), he moved this schoolhouse in from Sterling (sp), MA. This schoolhouse is where the poem Mary Had a Little Lamb was written. Pretty cool.

Aunt Eleanor did not want to continue the afternoon with us, which is too bad, as we could have used a guide on the roads! But Josh & I continued to Concord, MA and the Old North Bridge, where the shot heard 'round the world was fired. Extremely nice national park here dedicated to the Revolutionary War. We stopped at a few other historical places between Concord and Lexington.

Although we experienced rain throughout most of the day, we couldn't resist walking to the observatory area to view the Old North Bridge and the monuments on either side. Notice the foliage that is just beginning to take color. Such vibrant hues.


Along our journey in historic land, we ran across many famous author hangouts. I guess if a person was writing in the 19th century, this was the place of inspiration. Walden Pond is a recreation area--actually, it's bigger than what we consider a pond at home. Henry David Thoreau has his own street in Concord.
One place we stopped by was Orchard House, where the Alcott family resided. This house is said to be the place where Louisa May Alcott not only wrote Little Women, but also the house she modeled the March house after. Stunning, isn't it?


Finally, our journey of the day ended in a trip back to Boston. We like to call it our collegiate tour of Boston. Actually, we happened upon most of the places by chance. We drove into Cambridge and saw Harvard University. (Fun fact, in the early days, because the water in beer had been purified and regular water could have contaminates, Harvard students were served beer with their breakfast. That little ditty is courtesy of the Duck tour we took Saturday.) Anyway, we drove through Cambridge, saw the exit for Tufts and drove past Boston College's football field. Not too far from our hotel is U Mass. The sailboats are in the waters surrounding the university (also home to the JFK presidential library).

More tomorrow (unless it's too late after the baseball game).

Boston-Day 1 (the first full day)

On our first full day we decided to partake in all that downtown Boston has to offer. But first we made a stop at the Sam Adams brewery.






The brewery tour was informational, plus they gave us free glasses and beer. Not too bad for a free tour. We did send some people postcards from Sam Adams.




Following this we hopped back on the T line (Boston's subway) and rode to the downtown area.

We started on the Freedom Trail walk, which is easy to do, as the sidewalks are literally painted red for people to follow. We ventured off the trail a few times, but ended up back in Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall. This is the place of places in Boston. We could have purchased anything there. But before we did too much shopping we stopped to eat at the Cheers location. Actually, we accidentally found Cheers the restaurant, as we saw Cheers the store first.


Yes, we bought some Cheers ware...





As we followed more of the Freedom Trail around town, Josh asked two Boston Police officers to pose for a picture. He now has pictures from just about everywhere we have visited.

The officers were helping to block off an area for the Mayor's Cup, which was some sort of bike race or ride around City Hall.



Boston Square Garden--this one's for you Timaree! Home of the Celtics and the Bruins. I think there was a Bruins' preseason game tonight. Not sure though.

We traveled on all sides of the Garden, as we took a Duck tour around town & into the Charles River.


So this Duck tour was literally in a WWII Duck like those that would have been used on the beaches of Normandy. Pretty amazing that this oversized mass of a machine could not only drive but also float.

Josh was able to get some fabulous skyline pictures from the river tour.

We finished off our evening on the North Side, seeing Revere's house and the Old North Church. After walking around Boston's version of Italy, we decided to partake in Italian cuisine. I had this scrumptious chicken & eggplant dish--it had some Italian name that I couldn't pronounce, but it was awesome.

Caught the subway to bring us back to our hotel, which is near U Mass. By the way, the guy driving our tour said within 40 miles of Boston, over 50 4-year colleges are available. That's a lot!

Tomorrow, on to Wayside Inn, and possibly Lexington and Concord. Weather is supposed to be rainy, so this may hamper some of our plans.

One month later

Since it's been one month since my last post, now is the time. This week has been crazy, but what week isn't? Take for instance next week...we have a school wide (teachers & students) community service day on Thursday, then parent teacher conferences that afternoon/evening.

But...

The big news is--next week we'll be traveling. Josh & I will be visiting an aunt and doing some in general sightseeing. We leave on Friday REALLY early. I plan to post pics of the places we visit for everyone who cares to keep tabs on us.

Back to School

Actually, this is day 3 of back to school...day 3 with kids. I have a student staying after school already, so I'm taking the time to update my blog.

This semester I'm teaching computer applications to 9th graders, which is a challenge, as I'm constantly learning new things myself. I also have 7th grade speech again, which I swear will push me over the brink! I'm loving my reading class--sophomores who, for the most part, actually like to read. I end my day with junior high. I just have to keep the right frame of mind for junior high at the end of the day.

Looking forward to reading class this year (well, who doesn't mind 20 minutes of uninterrupted reading time?!). But we are adding the 8 to Great program in every Wednesday. With fun kids, the program should be great!

Need to get back to my little gent who is visiting me after school.

Tulsa girls' trip--day 1

We spent most of the day traveling on Thursday. Believe it or not, driving through Kansas & Oklahoma is pretty much like driving through Nebraska, except Oklahoma has red dirt.

One stop along the long drive was in Wichita where we stopped at the Museum of World Treasures. This started as a private collection & has amassed into a collection from 2600 B.C. to modern day. It really covers a lot of material. Could have spent a lot longer there.

The attached pics are from the museum. They actually had a full sized t-rex that the little kids liked.

Birthday surprise

Since I'll be on a girls' trip on my birthday, Josh made a romantic meal for me tonight. This was a HUGE deal! He made Chicken Parmesan, we had a dry red wine (my favorite!), candles, a lace tablecloth, and soft music in the background. The evening was truly magnificent.

No the photo isn't our back yard, but we did recently visit Sioux Falls.

Eight more days

Winding down the school year...only 8 more days!!! Yea! And, to top it off, seniors were done on Friday. That makes life so much nicer. But of course, there are always some who have to come back; doesn't matter what year it is.

'Til the end of the year...

NETA conference

I have found so many cool new tools while at NETA in Omaha. In fact, I'm going to use one of them below.

When I return on Monday to school, we will play the jackpot to see who is celebrating Marvelous Monday.

Click here for full screen version

Have a fabulous day. I'll try to add an additional post later in the day if the internet is working better--guess that just adds to the addage that if the technology is only as good as the system.

Snow Day

Here it is, the 31st of March and I'm at home because of a snow day. How great is teaching?!

Busy next few weeks as the school year wraps up. I told someone yesterday that if we were able to get a snow day today I would be productive and a) bake cookies, b) finish orders, c) take a nap. So far none are done, but it's not even noon yet.

Maybe I'll modify & bake a sheetcake pan of cookie bars, group my speech scripts into a lump sum amount that I can order next year, and still get my nap.

If anyone is free this weekend we will be celebrating Josh's birthday. You are more than welcome to attend! Maybe I'll even post pictures later this weekend. ;)

Facebook changes

So with the recent flurry set forth by Facebook, this is as timely and relevant of a topic as I can find while we are discussing persuasive speaking, as well as communicating in general.

The kids read an article from The Washington Post, as well as the follow up blog by Marc Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO. They also scanned the articles regarding the same topic from Business Week and Wired.

I guess the gist of what's out there is again back to the old adage, don't put anything out there you don't want your grandmother to see. Too many people aren't too smart and don't realize that the internet is constantly creating archives, so even deleted stuff really won't be gone.

Impact of technology

Technology affects our lives in so many ways. For instance, within a matter of an hour, I received an email from my mom and a text from Hayden that told me that Brooke & Adam's new little girl, Sidney Marie, was born. Also, my brother, although a little slow, also gave me the info. (side note: Yea! finally another girl to buy for!)

So not only does technology help bring great news, but it also aids in teaching. Gone are the days of typewriters. Also gone is the need for reliance on snail mail and fax machines for communication with speech coaches. Email and websites do much of the work for us.

Baseball predictions

The Cubbies will make it to the National League Playoffs. That's right, I've said it. Now, whether or not they will win there and advance, I don't care to predict.

Josh & I are planning an excursion to visit Chicago again this summer and possibly take in a game at Wrigley.

See their June schedule here.

Challenge topic--current event

On this President's Day, current events are of importance; therefore, we will write about what is taking place in our world today. The students have the liberty to add a hyperlink to their blog referring back to their news story.

Hugo Chavez is the topic of my discussion. With now unlimited dictatorial presence in Venezuela, I predict that he will try to take over other countries. Although his socialist-like government has improved conditions for a few, most of the poor and disadvantaged in his country are worse off than what they were in the 10 years since he took office. His now unlimited power and rule over the country will have worldwide implications.

View the article at http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1879742,00.html?xid=rss-topstories.

Problem I have

I seem to have some students who continuously dribble from their mouths. Although the spill can sometimes be amusing, many times it is a bit of a huge distraction to those who are actually trying to learn and or listen.

My resolution to this is to keep them busy with extra work, as when they are busy they don't seem to talk as much. Also, students who have multiple things to do often do not multitask as much, so talking is the one item cut out. However, sometimes overwhelming amounts of work has the exact opposite effect, and all they do is talk. A happy medium is needed.

Plans for Valentine's Day

Since I know Josh won't check this, I'm safe to say what he will be getting, as well as mentioning my plans for the day.

Obviously since it's a Saturday in February during speech season, I'll be attending a speech meet in Plainview. Hopefully the weather cooperates.

I'm like the best wife ever because I'm giving my husband authentic deep dish pizza from Chicago. He has to work, so we'll probably have it on Sunday afternoon before he goes to work.

After the speech meet, I will go watch our boys play basketball in Norfolk. Then I MUST get groceries. I'm out of a lot of supplies. My heavens!

If I were a food, I would be...

Yet another day from the seniors--describe yourself as a food, and why you would be that food. Speaking of why, that backs up our use of logical reasoning we've been talking about in relationship to persuasive speaking.

So my food--this is like a bad icebreaker activity at summer camp--would be lime sherbet. Why? Well, lime sherbet has many uses beside just regular eating. It can be used in making punches or desserts. I definitely reflect this, as I am very versatile in many situations. Plus it is always yummy any time of the year--this reflects how I am so wonderful any time of the year.

Persuasive speaking can be so much fun. Hopefully the students are able to learn more about their topics through their research. The organization process really aids in the writing of quality speeches.

If I were a superhero...

If I were a superhero, I would be sure to have a super cool sidekick. The sidekick would be more than just an errand runner. My sidekick would do all of the tasks that I really dislike doing. My house would always be clean because, let's face it, in Pierce, I wouldn't need to help fight much crime. Therefore, in order for my sidekick to earn her/his wage, they would need to do something in the down time.

Not only would I have a super cool sidekick, but I also would have a stunning costume in which everyone would be ultra envious. I definitely would not have a cape, as the cape could get caught in too many areas. I have trouble enough with a scarf.

No need for a secret lair where I would change into my costume. I'd like to mimic Wonder Woman and always wear my costume underneath. The benefits would be twofold--I would be warmer in this always cool place where I teach and if the costume is stunning, it would have to make the clothes over the top look stunning.

7 Choices made over the weekend

Today's blog will be for everyone to discuss 7 Choices they made over the weekend. They will need to label the choices as "good" or "not so good."

Also today is 80's/Retro Day for FCCLA week. I swear, it took about 1/2 a bottle of hairspray to tease & make big hair. Also wore the two pair of socks, killer shades, cuffed jeans, Josh's old wrestling jacket, and the class ring. What a hoot just looking through the old stuff mom sent home with me. This is like 5th grade all over again.

Choice 1--good--going to Norfolk Friday night to get shopping done for Chad's birthday, as well as Jerry & Maxine's anniversary. You can buy anything at Target.

Choice 2--bad--going to sleep late on Friday night. We had to leave at 6 a.m. for the speech meet in West Point. Seriously though, I woke up before my alarm so I was up at 4:00. Ridiculous.

Choice 3--good--had a wonderful sub for lunch on Saturday. Could have had greasy cold pizza, but I chose a bit healthier sub.

Choice 4--good--going to the boys' conference basketball game. Even though they lost, the game was excellent. Besides, a rematch will take place this Saturday in a regular season meet.

Choice 5--good--woke up early enough to have a nice long shower before going to visit the nephews.

Choice 6--good--had an extra large slice of ice cream cake. Excellent on all levels.

Choice 7--bad--started to fall asleep on the sofa last night, so of course I got up and did some other stuff to get ready for 80's day (made friendship pins for my shoes) but then I wasn't tired and fell asleep later.

Day 20-Perspective Change

We're entering into the realm of persuasive speaking, and what better activity to discuss than the importance of perspective.

The students will describe an evening out by looking at the preparatory work needed before going out, what they would do during the evening, who they would see or what they would see, and how their evening would wrap up. The writing, if the design is followed should be organized.

They will write about a night out from the following perspectives:

• Their own life
• Life as Homer Simpson (or some other famous character--I think I have a Peter Griffin, Hyde from That 70's Show, Gil Grissom)
• Life as a member of the opposite gender
  
• Life as a teen in the 1950s
• Life as a fish
• Life as if you were a caveman

I wish them good luck. Actually, this will really cover info well when we discuss how perspective on a situation changes depending on who you are, where you are, and what you're doing. This activity will also be a good lead in to the discussion of audience consideration when writing a persuasive speech.

Day 18

So I missed yesterday's blog, as I was busy grading speeches. Essentially, yesterday's blog needed to contain a picture of them on speech day, as well as what they did good & what they plan to improve upon.

Today's topic is to look back on goals we set in an earlier blog. The kids need to examine if they have achieved their short term goal, along with why or why not, as well as their longer term goal and why or why not.

Plans to get ready for informative speeches

So tomorrow is the big day. Informative speeches will be presented. That means for some that they will practice tonight. For some others, that means they will need to start on their visual aids, plus their note cards, plus extra practice time.

I love informative speech day. This is really the true test of speaking skills. Delivery is usually key, as I approved almost all of their speeches on Friday. Most can start to use good eye contact, but the gestures & facial expression will be lacking. Hopefully all will remember transitional movement.

Some will make every excuse in the world as to why their speech is sub-par tomorrow. However, I will have some really fantastic speeches, as some students will really try their hardest.

Speech Class

Today's topic--no holds barred--is thoughts on speech class. I'm sure with rough drafts of informative speeches due today, I'll have some interesting responses. Even though it's Friday, I almost had to come unleashed at a couple who had virtually nothing done. Ridiculous! However, I do have some students who have wonderfully written speeches. Thank you to them.

Yet another favorite

Marcus chose the topic of favorite sport and why. Some day we will not have the topics of "favorites," but until then I'll comply.

To watch, hockey is my favorite sport to watch. I mean, seriously, how awesome is it to see people slam into each other, then rip off their pads and jerseys only to beat on each other some more. Not once have I been to a hockey game and not seen blood.

Other sports that are okay to watch are volleyball, basketball, and some football. I probably say these because I have the most background knowledge of these sports.

To play, my favorite sport is cart golf. Seriously, if I were any good, would I be a teacher? So without a cart, a 9 hole round of golf might take something like 3 hours to play. That would be ridiculous. Besides, without a cart, how would I listen to tunes?

We are now at the halfway point of our challenge. Tomorrow starts the downhill slide.

Thoughts on the 1 to 1 computers

Michael's topic of the day is our thoughts on the 1 to 1 computers. We will each have no less than 125 words.

Well, as a PC lover, the switch to Mac was fairly smooth. I had previously used Macs at my other school and at the end of my post secondary education. Although some differences and certain nuances exist, the platforms are very similar. Gone are the days of complete and total difference.

For those that choose to embrace the Macs, they actually do hold power in the classroom. For students who have to use computers daily, the thought of losing them is one thing most students do not want to explore. Take for instance our speech class. Without the computer use, students would be unable to complete the 30 day challenge, thus rendering themselves as unsuccessful. We don't want students to feel unsuccessful, so therefore, the use of computers adds to the increase of student self esteem. Plus, as we are writing informative speeches, the research process is simplified by the use of computers.

Probably my favorite aspect of the 1 to 1 movement has been the use of no excuses. If a class has the assignment available via the computer, and every student is issued a computer, then no one really has an excuse to not have an assignment complete.

Overall, I have to say, without a doubt, that the use of computers at our school will make academic life, as well as personal life more successful.

One Wish

Logan's choice of the day (quite creative, I might add) is "If you had one wish, what would it be, and why."

Well, thank goodness I'm not in a beauty contest because then I'd have to wish for world peace, or my chances of winning the contest would be quickly pushed aside.

What if I was a football player? Then I'd have to wish to win all the time because winning is everything.

If I were a janitor, I'd wish for bigger brooms so I could always be sure to sweep the corners (sorry, inside joke at the school--I'll explain if need be).

But since I'm me, I wish for a month long, expense paid vacation to somewhere warm. Say for instance that someone wanted to give me a trip to a tropical area, February or March would be a nice time to travel.

Since I have no rich uncles on the soon to die list, my wish is to get one full day where I can do nothing--no laundry, no cooking, etc. All I have to do is watch television, surf the net, and read a book. I believe this day is called a snow day. My wish would be simple to fulfill.

My Favorite Book

Today's topic, chosen by Matt, is "My Favorite Book" and why. I also added the stipulation of 100+ words.

Without a doubt, Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell is my favorite book. I think I've read it 4 or 5 times. Every time I read it, I appreciate something different, whether it is the description of the dresses the women wore to the details of Atlanta burning. The love story blended with the historical fiction makes this enticing to read.

If Mitchell were writing in today's era, she would probably be pressured by publishers to write a sequel to make the series continue. Although this might have not been a bad idea, as the sequels written vary from Mitchell's style.

School lunches

I'm pretty sure Dan picked the topic of school lunches because he is anxiously awaiting lunch time. Although today's lunch is something with gravy. Yuck. Finally I remembered to bring my lunch. I was on a 5 day school lunch cycle. Really not good for me.

We were noticing in another class how blah the lunch menu is for January. We really could use less patty/processed stuff. Doubt that will happen though, as funding is always an issue. Just once I'd like to have fresh fruit. This time of year, about the only thing we get are oranges.

We're working on thesis statements and also researching for our informative speeches today. Hopefully all students can be successful in their quest for finding information.

My Favorite Class

So today's topic choice comes from Shawn...he wants us to name our favorite class and why that class is our favorite.

Really I have a hard time deciding which class would be my favorite. I really liked some of my college professors. Probably one of my favorite professors in journalism was Carol Lomicky. Even though her classes were really tough--and early in the morning--I learned a lot from her. She was a great teacher.

In English, I really enjoyed the classes I had with Mike Benzel & Susanne George. Both encouraged free thought, which I know made me love literature even more.

I had a few other classes in general studies that had okay profs--Peter Longo in Political Science--although the class was still about thoughts & theories of some long dead people, it was interesting. Carol Lily (sp possibly) was another great professor in World History. Actually incorporated literature to make history come alive and have some meaning.

High school must be too far gone, or no one really impressed me.

When I grow up...a topic by Brittney

Brittney's blog topic choice is for everyone to tell what they want to be/do when we graduate from high school. I guess kids could answer what they want to be when they grow up as well.

Hopefully all have high aspirations.

Saw some interesting videos today. I bet if they knew they had to post them, they would have taken a little bit more time. Actually, 5 of them were really well done & met all the requirements...the other 6 left something to be desired.

All had to submit a works cited page separate from the video.

Day 8

Blake put us up to the challenge of discussing President Obama's speech. The kids watched the swearing in as well as his entire charismatic presentation. Today's word count needs to be above 75 words.

I also posed the question to my theatre production class as to why people wore the colors they did and what the colors represent, if anything. We also discussed the setup and staging needed for everything to go off without a hitch (man, I sound like a bumpkin).

Anyway, the historic event was witnessed by my classes, as I felt this is a moment they should be able to look back on and say they saw it live.

Favorite Place I've visited

Today's topic was a student choice, & we need to tell our favorite place we've visited & why (oh, & I also added that we need to have 70+ words).

I've been fortunate to be able to visit numerous places in my life. Some of the the best memories are from Jamaica, Savannah, New York City, Chicago, Northern California, and Las Vegas.

While each is special and holds its own memories, I'd have to say that overall, Jamaica was my favorite place, as we were married, there. The wedding was a smooth, hassle free process. We were entirely pampered the whole time we were there. I'd highly recommend a wedding in Jamaica.

Dani's choice for the challenge

Dani chose our blog topic for today--favorite bands and/or artists.

My number one favorite artist is Kenny Loggins--hello, Footloose & Caddyshack...plus he has some good slower songs.

Number 2--old blue eyes himself--Sinatra

Number 3--Harry Connick, Jr, plus he's pretty okay to look at

Number 4--Nickelback--included in my golf cart tunes

Number 5--Tom Petty

Number 6--Van Halen

Number 7--Bob Marley--his music makes me feel like I live in a warm place although it's frigid here.

Number 8--Quiet Riot--had the tape as a kid

Number 9--Metallica

Number 10--Beatles

Now, if you asked my husband, he would reply that Air Supply is my favorite band...seriously, he actually said this before one of our wedding showers.

The Bluejay Speech Invite is tomorrow. Pretty under control and ready to go for tomorrow. Sleep will be my main priority on Sunday.

usng txt lang

Today's topic is for the students to tell me about anything; however, there's a catch (there's always a catch). You need to type everything in a text or chat format. I've already heard the comment that "Geez, this is harder than I thought."

hpe ths wrks out k.

The Challenge Rolls On...

Today's challenge asks the students to be the best speaker they can be. In order to be a champion at speaking, they will need to have goals. Achieving these goals will help students in achieving self satisfaction. Even the smallest of goals that can be reached will guide students in the right direction (99% of the time).

So for today, they must minimally tell me:
1 week goal
1 month goal
1 term goal

Those who do only minimum work will sell themselves short, as I'm sure those with longer term goals will be more successful in the long run.

My goals are:
1 week--get through this weekend's speech meet that we host without biting someone's head off
1 month--cook at least 2 healthy meals per week rather than eating out
1 term--gather prom needs lists and order supplies
until summer--plan our destination for this year's girls' trip
summertime goal--reduce my golf score to below 58.

Day 3--Tell me about an infomercial

All is well now that we're back from the snow filled roads. A 10:00 start is wonderful...time to sleep in, eat breakfast, watch some news, check my email...you know, all that stuff that gets rushed together.

Today the kids need to tell me about their favorite infomercial. Little do they know that this will lead us into our next speeches where they need to tell us about something. They will have the option to do a demonstration speech that's 3-5 minutes and then an informative speech of 4-6 minutes, OR they will be able to give just the informative speech but it will need to be 7-8 minutes in length.

Snowed in

Not sure how much snow we received, but we had enough wind to keep me happy for the rest of the year. Seriously bad road conditions--total whiteout just leaving the building. But we're lucky enough to have a late start tomorrow. Go Nebraska Snow!

Day 2-dum dum dum

Day two of the 30 day challenge consists of students adding a photo of themselves, as well as text. As an added extra for Monday, everyone needs to have at least 50 words, which seems to be a big deal. A couple of special students seem to lag behind. Their initials may or may not be b.s. and s.k. We will have to work to make them more computer literate & saavy.

Start of my student's 30 Day Challenge

Some of my students are really enjoying starting to write in complete sentences. Others are focusing on the snow, forget about the blogging they should be doing.

So, for the next 30 school days they will be adding to their blogs, with a topic of either my choice or their choice. This should be an interesting adventure.

New Year's Day

We did very little today. I watched the Rose Parade & then the Husker game, all the while staying in my bathrobe. Josh did a "craft" project during the first part of the game. He had to borrow some of my scrapbooking tools.

I've included our latest picture from Christmas (number 4, I think).

Last night we went to dinner with friends, then back to a house to play games--board games, pool, and video games. I'm pretty sure that not much has changed since I was younger--we're just set in older bodies now. This is one of the first times in about 3 years that we have had New Year's plans, since Josh works or the power is out. All in all, the night was great just being together.