The apple DOES fall far from the tree!

I have been staying at my parents house for about a week now because I was afraid of being snowed in at my house and missing Christmas.
The older I get the more I see that I am like my mother. That is a scary thing! (no offense mom) Since "living" here this past week I have observed some interesting facts about my mother that I hadn't really seen before and these qualities are not ones that I take after. In fact, we are the complete opposite on! My mother cannot leave the house without some kind of make-up on and have cute clothes on. Even if we are going out bundled in the snow to do some quick shopping she has to look in the mirror and freshen up! :) This bugs me because I could care less and throw on a hat, sweats and a jacket to hide the fact that I am not wearing a bra! Sorry if that's TMI!!! The other thing that I have noticed is that when someone comes to the door and she is wearing her PJ's she will run upstairs open the window and yell at whoever it is to say "just a minute." She will then hurry to throw something more decent on and may even throw a towel on her head if she feels inspired to. This cracks me up! I love my mother and I am giving her a hard time. I am sure I will be exactly like her when I get older! She is beautiful and I am glad she is the way she is. Maybe I should take some notes from her in the meantime so I can get a date. jk! Those who knew me in college can attest that dating and "impressing" others wasnt my strongest subject. :)
Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Date with mi papi

Tonight my dad and I went to see the UW woman's volleyball team play. They were ranked 5th in the nation. They played Nebraska who is ranked 4th. It was a great game to watch. UW won the first two sets and Nebraska won the last three. Bummer they lost, but still a great game to see. Those girls are amazing to watch and it makes me watch to play so badly! :)







Also tonight was the first snowfall of the year.

Deck the Hall Ball 08'

Thanks to my sister Carrie, I got to go see a few awesome bands play at the WaMu Theater on Tuesday. It was her Christmas and birthday gift to me. I got to see Aqueduct (they sucked), Shiny Toy Guns (awesome), Cold War Kids (they are ok), Death Cab for Cuttie (AWESOME) and the Killers (another Awesome)! Death Cab and the Killers put on an amazing show!!!
I had a blast and I loved it! It has been awhile since i've gone to a concert and i've forgotten the vibe of what it is like to be at one. The noise, the beats, the lights and the energy all make an upbeat experience.

I took some video clips of some of the songs I liked.
Thanks again Carrie! I had an amazing time! Thanks for letting me feel 20 again! :)




When you were young -The Killers


Soul Meets Body - Death Cab


I will follow you into the dark - Death Cab


I will posses your heart - Death Cab


Human - The Killers

Hangin with the girls

I got to watch my nieces tonight. We had a ton of fun! We made pizza, ate the pizza, danced to music, played some games and watched Meet the Robinson's. I love being an auntie and glad they could hang out with me.


Kiley made me laugh so hard with her dance moves. Madison was obsessed with the remote to the radio and could not put it down. Sorry, this ends up being sideways.


My little chefs!




I want to eat Sophers and her smiling face!


We got to play one of my favorite games...Guess Who!


A game of Go Fish....which lasted about 10 turns.

Show your Thanks!

I received a forwarded email from my mom and I think this is a good way to show how thankful we are and how appreciative we are for all that our troops do in serving our country. This is free and it only takes a minute.

Go to www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it out and send it to a solider that is currently serving in Iraq. You you can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services.

I tag everyone to pass this along so they can get a big stash this holiday season!

High School Tag....Thanks Marci! :P

I am not a huge tag fan...but since I love Marci so, I will do this to make her happy!

1. Did you date someone from your school?
Nope

2. What kind of car did you drive?
198? Don't know the date...white ford escort. She was a beaut!

3. Did you pass your drivers test on your first try?
Written test i failed the first time....Driving test i passed the first time with flying colors.

4. Were you a party animal?
A little...

5. Were you considered a flirt?
haha I didn't know that men existed...I was too into sports. No I was really really shy. That's the truth!

6. Were you in band, orchestra or choir?
No. I retired band in Jr. High...thank goodness!

7. Were you a nerd?
Nope. I was pretty chill and got along with everyone.

8. Were you on any varsity teams?
Yes all 3 years...Varsity vball and bball.

9. Can you still sing the fight song?
No.

10. Who were your favorite teachers?
I didn't have a favorite. I had a few that I were pretty chill and liked a lot. I dont think teacher and favorite go together! :) I had favorites in elementary school. :)

11. Where did you sit for lunch?
Cafeteria. Brought my lunch everyday (thanks dad)! :)

12. What is you schools full name?
Federal Way High School

13. What is your schools mascot and colors?
Eagles...blue and white

14. Did you go to homecoming and with who?
No. I went to a tolo dance and my prom. I was lame and way too shy.

15. If you could go back and do it again would you?
Yes! I miss being with friends. I miss the sports teams. I would try harder in school. I would have more confidence in sports. But I would rather go back to college than high school.

16. What did you remember most about graduation?
The money. :)

17. Where did you go for senior skip day?
Dont remember that one.

18. Were you in any clubs?
Yeah dance clubs :)

19. Have you gained some weight since then?
No opposite.

20. Who was you prom date?
Blondie...I forget his name.

21. Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion?
No. Maybe the 30 or 40 year when I am married and have children.

22. Did you have a job in high school?
No. I am the baby in the family...sports was my job. so spoiled :)

***I tag Kristin, Carrie, Nikki and Suz (girl you better get on this thing and do it!) :)

Out with the long and in with the short....

I had the itch and I caved in. I cut my hair! Ahhhh! 6 inches shorter and it feels great!

Free anti virus

I posted this before but it wasnt the right place to go (thanks to Kristin) so here is the right web address.
Enjoy!
http://free.avg.com/

California Voters Pass Ban on Gay Marriage

LOS ANGELES -- California voters have approved a constitutional amendment outlawing same-sex marriage that overturns the state Supreme Court decision that gave gay couples the right to wed just months ago.

The passage of Proposition 8 represents a crushing political defeat for gay rights activists. They had hoped public opinion on the contentious issue had shifted enough to help them defeat the measure.

It also represents a personal loss for the thousands of couples from California and others states who got married in the brief window when they could. Legal experts have said it will have to be resolved in court whether their unions still are valid.

What a blessing it is to have this proposition pass. The world is a scary place and is going to continue to test our faith and strength in what we believe. I saw an exit poll in California that stated what percentage of men and women were for the ban and also another poll that had the percentages of ages who were for the ban on gay marriage. I noticed that the younger the age was, the smaller the percentage was for the protection of families and marriage. How important it is to teach our children what is right and to teach them to be examples and give them confidence to stand up for what they believe even if the rest of the world doesn't have the same views.

Halloween party at the McCombs

This Halloween I went to the McCombs' annual party. Brett dressed up like a cowboy and got to wear real chaps, a holster and a gun. A pretty good lookin' cowboy if I do say so myself. :) I dressed up as an Indian. My mom helped me make my dress since it was hard to find a modest Indian costume. What Indian wore miniskirts and bras??!?!?!? I think they would have froze to death! :) The costume turned out good and it was fun spending quality time with my mom. She had so much going on and made many sacrifices to help me out at the last minute. Thank you mom!



In this picture you can kind of see my homemade moccasins! :)


Carrie and Damon as 70's hotties...nice chest hair Dam!


Anders and Kristin as Turner construction workers...(this was after they took all their gear off cause they were hot from competing at hoop shoot).


Marci, Jodi, Kelli and me in character

My new desk!

The other night Brett got some new drills and was excited to put them to use. He had wanted to build me a desk for awhile and now he had the opportunity to. The desk turned out great and I am excited to have a normal workstation. :) The next step is to paint or stain it black.
Thanks to Brett my lil' handyman for the desk!

No more speaker phone!!!

For the past 6 months the only way I could talk on my cell phone was by using the speaker phone function. I never had privacy and had to choose when I wanted to answer my phone depending on where I was at or who was near me. Ghetto I know! I was waiting for my upgrade to come around and it finally came. I guess you can upgrade 18 to 19 months into your contract. So I probably could have gotten a new phone a lot sooner, but didn't know! I have to say getting a new phone is similar to if you were stranded on an island sleeping on the beach for a year. I still am tempted to click on the speaker phone button. Not quite used to the normal form of communication yet and it sure does feel weird to have something touching your ear. :)

I like this song...

My mother

I just wanted to show my gratitude for my mother. I am thankful that she has a tender heart and is so thoughtful and kind. She always seems to amaze me with her ability to serve others. I love her for who she is and for always letting me know that she cares and thinks about my needs. Thanks for being you mom and for always being my cheerleader. You have a special place in my heart..I love you!

YMCA Soccer

Kiley and Madison started their first year of soccer. I got to see them in action for their first soccer game. They had a double header and I was a pretty excited and proud auntie for the first 30 minutes of their first game. The second game was just a tad bit too much soccer for me. Kiley ran around following the pack and those poor kids were so tired from all that soccer. Madison got put in as goalie soon after the game started and got scored on. She didn't like that and didn't return to the game. Kiley did great and played the whole time. At one point I got pretty emotional because I wanted to have MY own kids at their soccer game and I wanted to cheer them on! :) I guess nieces and nephews will have to do for now! They both did a great job and it is so fun to see their athleticism shine.


Madison got the first kick to start off the game!


Kiley did such a great job as goalie!!! Look at that ready position! "Natural athlete"


Madison as goalie before things went sour.


Sophers cheering on her older sisters.




Madison zoned out of the game and was more interested in what these kids were playing with.




After the game the whole fam went out to lunch. Caleb, Porter and I playing outside enjoying the warm sun.

Oh to live in the 50's...

My sister showed this to me and I thought it would be fun to see what I would have looked like back then...


1950


1952...my personal favorite


1958


1960...the 60's make me look smart


1966


1968


1974


1978...I always had some soul in me


1984


1988


1990...another one of my best shots


1994


1996

You are in the hole...or is it you are on deck?!?!

I still don't know which one comes first. You would think I would know after 6 months of playing softball. Our Fall season ended. We had our last game last night and lost. We tied for 3rd. It was fun while it lasted and I will see you ladies next Spring!!!

Kayaking at Owen's Beach

Marci and I went to Owen's Beach today to do some sea kayaking. What an adventure! I was kind of scared! We did some strenuous paddle strokes out in the ocean and all I saw was a jelly fish, a seal and the back of Marci's head. It was the perfect day to go out on the water. I thought we would never see the sun again since fall has begun and has been raining ever since. We had a clear shot of Mt. Rainier and the weather was great! What fun!