Skate Night

Our youngest had skate night at her school, where the school receives a percentage of all sales that evening.  So, with the fun experience she's had in the past with her cousins in Texas, she waned to go!

At first, the skates seemed a little tough.  This place was much different from the one in Texas, and the skates were different.  She wanted to go home.  Lots of falling, real tears coming down her cheek, and just no fun at all.




Then, she recognized some friends in her class.  They were eager to help hold her hand and stay with her all around the rink.

Daddy decided to walk around with her, too!










After an hour and a half, the little one was moving on her own, although slow.  The falls were less frequent, and when she did, it didn't seem to bother her any more.







Eventually, it was time to leave, and she was sad to have to go.  But, they all gave her hugs and we left with smiles!

Solo Flight

After 25 flight hours since late-November, it was time to fly solo.  My first solo flight was to "stay in the pattern" and do 2 touch 'n goes, then a full stop.


The feeling of being the sole pilot in the aircraft is absolutely amazing!  Of all the pictures taken today, this one to the left is my favorite.  My son is looking on as I fly solo.

It's tradition at this flight school to cut up the student's t-shirt after their first flight to commemorate the event.  The shirts are then tacked to a dedicated wall at school. Sarah did an awesome job on mine!










Although we had about 8 kts of crosswind, and the first landing not my best, I finished my last two landings as soft as a butterfly.  Eric captured this picture of me walking back in from the solo flight and tie down.









This is my instructor, Sarah.  She has been so patient these past few months as I asked over 100 questions, had her repeat pretty much everything, and re-arranging her schedule to fit mine.  Credit for this photo goes to my little 6 yr old photographer!

Tech-free Weekend

Our oldest was required to do a project for school, and the whole family was encouraged to participate.  The project was to be as technologically-free as possible.  Meaning, no phones, wii, xbox, TV, computer, or even electricity!  The parents can make small exceptions, which we did.  Only the home phone was allowed to be used for emergencies, we could use our cars to drive to/from work and church, and only the necessary kitchen appliances could be on (refrigerator, freezer, and range).




The family did surprisingly well.  Our son got his friends to play basketball outside until dusk, then they played Monopoly by candlelight.  We ate salad for dinner (using candles & flashlights), and warmed by the fire.



















It was a fun experience, and the kids realized that they didn't need all the computer gaming equipment to enjoy their downtime.  But once that 24 hours was up, I have to admit it was nice to vacuum, run the dishwasher again, and do some laundry!

Birthday Girl

Today was our little one's birthday, and the day was centered all around her!  The day started with breakfast in bed, our usual tradition.  She had waffles, fresh fruit, and milk.












For lunch, we ordered cheese pizza, her favorite!  Then, since this year was a family-only party, the family went to a jumping playhouse.  The older two enjoyed spoiling her even though they were too old to play.

Then, the birthday cake.  She wanted a bunny cake, just like her Grandma made on Easter.  I was lectured about how it didn't look exactly right because the bow tie wasn't supposed to be green, etc.

Then presents!  She loved her books, cards, barbie stuff, puzzles, and remote-controlled car.  She plans on buying barbie clothes with her money, then putting the rest into savings.


Thanks for all her phone calls, best wishes, and prayers for many more sweet years!

Last Violin Performance

Our son has decided to quit the violin, much to my disappointment.  After months of constant persuasion to practice and listening to his complaints, I give up.  This is his last performance, so it's one that I wanted to capture.  He looked so handsome in his tux, and played beautifully!


In this first piece, he played 2nd violin (harmony).  Since he is the most experienced and strongest player, you hear his harmony above the melody.  But, he did play as soft as he knew how.
O Little Town of Bethlehem


In this last piece, he played a beginning solo and the main melody (1st violin), so the familiar tune comes out nice and strong.
Silent Night

Bucket List

Well, Eric had his list that included bull riding, climbing a 14-er, starting a new business, etc., so I took this time between jobs to fulfill one of mine - becoming a pilot.  I have to admit that it's a bit more expensive, but absolutely worth it!  I only have 15 flight hours at this point, and hope to have my license by the end of January.  I start flying solo next week.



This is a close up of the plane I actually fly each day.  It's not the most sophisticated or updated technology, but it works.  It's like learning on a standard shift vehicle so you understand what's happening when you drive an automatic.

This is me actually flying the plane a few weeks ago.  I'm not experienced enough yet to fly lower to the ground unless I'm landing.  This picture was taken with the plane at 2,000 ft.






I have one more week of ground school, then another 25 hours of flight instruction before I get my license.

McAlisters Deli

Our oldest has been wanting to work here since she was 8 years old.  She even saved the t-shirt and application they gave her when she had her 8th birthday party there.

As expected, they were eager to hire her, and who wouldn't want someone that's as bright, dedicated, and talented as our daughter?

We're very proud of her.