National MS Society's Tour to Tanglewood

This past weekend was the bike tour. The tour started at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning at Volvo Truck and went to Tanglwood Park. Adam and I awoke at 6 a.m. on Saturday while the others slept. We got to Volvo a little after 7 a.m., giving Adam plenty of time to register and get his things together. Jason and Jonathan were running late, so Adam had to wait. They all ended up leaving about 5 minutes after the last bikers. I don't think they had any trouble catching up, though.

I got to Tanglewood around 3 p.m. Sabrina and her mom were already there. Mary Bernice, Amy and her boys came later. They had face-painting, a dunking booth, a bounce house for the kids, massages, etc. After dinner, Adam and Jonathan did a little karoake, singing "Total Eclipse of the Heart" at Sabrina's request. It was hilarious! I got a little video of it below. After they broke the ice, others followed suit. Colby and Gavin loved dancing to the music. Colby had a bowling birthday party earlier that day, and this topped the cake for him. I think we all had a pretty good time.

I decided to be brave and camped out with Adam. We used his new tent I got him for Christmas. We brought the memory foam mattress topper from our bed, so we were pretty comfy. We went to bed around 9 p.m. and woke up at 6 a.m. the next morning. It was cold! And can I just say I hate port-a-jons! I was very thankful to get back to my own bathroom.

The guys left Tanglewood around 7:40 a.m. and headed back to Volvo Truck. I tried to get back to Greensboro in time for church, but it didn't happen. I just took a shower, got ready for the day, and chilled a little while before I had to be back at Volvo. The guys arrived around Noon, and I got it on "tape." It was really cool seeing them arrive together. Check out the video below!

All-in-all, the tour was great this year. You couldn't have asked for better weather or family to spend time with. I hope it's just as great next year!

Top Left: Adam after Registering; Top Right: Adam getting ready to leave on Saturday

Bottom Left: Adam and Jonathan singing karaoke; Bottom Right: Colby getting his groove on

Top Left: Sabrina, Oliver, and Jonathan; Top Right: Adam and Gavin

Bottom Left: Adam, Jason, Gavin, and Rocky; Bottom Right: Sabrina and Martha (her mom)

Adam and Me

Left Top: Jason; Right Top: Roy (Sabrina's bro-in-law) and Sabrina

Left Bottom: Adam; Right Bottom: Oliver, Jonathan, and Adam

Adam and Jonathan sang "Total Eclipse of the Heart" as Gavin danced ...turning around whenever they sang "Turn around..." It was pretty cute!

Yea, they made it! All 90-something miles! It was nice to see them finish together.

Jasmine is 2!

So Jasmine turned 2 this past Friday. As with most Filipino culture, she had a huge birthday bash on Saturday. It started at 4 p.m. Adam and I stayed until a little after 7 p.m., but I'm sure people stayed there a lot later. The house was packed with people and food. It was hot as blazes! I'm really glad the weather was nice, because we could spend time outside. Jasmine had fun bouncing in her blow-up castle thing. I tried to get some cute pics of her, but she wouldn't look at the camera! She wouldn't smile, either. At least she knows who I am now, and she isn't as afraid of Adam anymore.

Enjoy the pics!

Jasmine and her daddy

Jasmine was very interested in this baby girl. I think Jasmine will be a "mothering" type to her friends. It's hard to believe Jasmine used to fit in one of those carseats! She looks so thoughtful in the upper right pic, don't you think?

Jasmine had a great time bouncing in her "castle" with her friends!

Carl and Jasmine

Buddy looks awfully cute in his "nest," so I decided to take the shot!

Christmas in August

As I've mentioned before, my new church calling is Enrichment Committee Member. The first activity I helped plan was Christmas in August. It took place the day before Adam and I went to Ohio. There were four classes: How to make gingerbread/houses, How to get your kids involved with crafts, How to make homemade gifts, and How to keep Christ centered in Christmas/Christmas Traditions. I ended up teaching the last class with the help of my fabulous sister-in-law Amy. I was pretty nervous about it (naturally), but she had so many great ideas to put me at ease. The ladies who came could pick two of four classes, so we had to teach it twice. The first go-round was a little rocky for me. I pretty much just read straight from the outline. Amy had some good discussions going on about service, so I felt more at ease toward the end of the class. The second go-round went very well. Anywho, here are some great ideas on how to keep Christ centered in Christmas and some great Christmas Traditions.

Bear with me, for this is quite a long post. I just hope you all find it helpful!

Here is a great FHE (Family Home Evening) idea you can use throughout the month of December. Family Home Evening Helps: Five True Gifts was something I found on lds.about.com. It came from the December 2004 Ensign. If you click on the link, it's the idea at the very bottom of the page. The five true gifts of Christmas are peace, love, service, self, and faith. Focus each FHE in December on one of those gifts. The website goes into more detail on how to do so. You then wrap some gifts. I took five boxes and wrapped them with paper grocery bags. I decorated them with ribbon and made tags with those words and attached them to the gifts. I think they turned out really cute. I'm really excited about doing it this Christmas, and I'm hoping to keep this going every year after.

I also made apple ornaments for Enrichment Night. Adam and I had some sticky fun. You can either cut the apples vertically (to make apple shapes) or horizontally (to make round shapes with stars in the middle). We did some of both. Just follow the recipe below to make your own. It's a fun thing to do with your family at Christmastime. You would have to cut the apples, of course, and your kids could dip the apples and poke holes in them with a straw.

Apple Ornaments

What you need: 1/2 cup bottled lemon juice, 1/2 cup water, 1 Tbsp salt, 5 red delicious apples, a plastic straw, newspaper, wire racks, ground cinnamon, and string or very narrow ribbon.

1. Stir the lemon juice, water, and salt in a bowl until salt dissolves.

2. Slice unpeeled apples to 1/4" (either vertically or horizontally).

3. Using a plastic straw, poke a hole below the top of each slice.

4. Cover work area with newspaper and put wire racks on top.

5. Soak apples a few slices at a time in lemon juice for 5 min. and stir well.

6. Gently shake off mixture and place on racks to drain.

7. Sprinkle both sides with cinnamon.

8. Place wire racks with apples in the oven at 200 deg. for 2-3 hrs., turning occasionally until they are dry and leathery. You can also use your dehydrator.

9. Thread string or ribbon through hole and tie.

Voila!

Here are some ideas of traditions others have found to bring the spirit of Christmas into their homes:

*Have FHE centered around Christ and his ministry
*Visit the Temple
*Attend a live manger scene
*Caroling (maybe even host a caroling party)
*Place a manger under your tree
*Send out annual Valentine cards instead of Christmas ones
*Take the kids on a Christmas lights tour while playing Christmas carols
*Let all the kids have a slumber party in one of their rooms or under the Christmas tree
*On Christmas day pop some popcorn, string it, hang it on the trees outside and watch the birds
*Place the baby in the manger on Christmas eve and read the story of Christ’s birth
*Have a traditional gift (favorite cereal, Christmas pajamas, crazy socks, a special ornament, etc)
*For smaller children, have an advent basket with Christmas books and music; every evening before bed they can pick one out.
*Make a Happy birthday Jesus cake
*Celebrate St Nicholas Day on the 6th , have the children leave out their shoes and give them a craft that they can work on a gift to give someone at Christmas
*Make your own ornaments as a family
*Invite a lonely person to join you for Christmas Dinner and other celebrations
*Let paper chains, straws in the manger, or other ornaments represent the good deeds of family members
*Exchange Gifts of service rather than store bought presents

Of course the list goes on and on...

Here are a couple of links to cute things you can print out for your kids. It will help them to better understand what Christmas is all about!

Nativity Cards (Go Fish)

LDS Advent Calendar

There are also a variety of service projects you can do with your family. A few websites are listed below, but I imagine your local church/ward knows of some service you can do around your city.

SOS Children's Villages - have one-on-one relationships with children and orphans usually from refugee situations (begun in 1949 after WWII)

Women for Women International - have a one-on-one relationship with a woman in Afghanistan, Columbia, Bosnia-Herz., Lebanon, Iraq, and Sudan

The Box Project - adopt radically poor families in the US

PBS Kids - Zoom - scroll to the bottom to download the family booklet for volunteering

Below are pictures of our decorated classroom. I really love what Amy did with the box wood (last photo). Maybe I'll have a natural and organic Christmas this year, too!

For those of you who made this far, I hope you enjoyed it!

Ohio and Friends

This past weekend Adam and I were able to drive up to Ohio to visit Miranda and Matt, and meet their beautiful little girl Jenna. It was great to get away for a little while...even if I did drive the ENTIRE way up there. It's all good! Jenna is the sweetest little baby. Adam and I got to hold her plenty of times. Granted all she does is sleep, cry, eat, and... you know... but that's what babies do.

This is what I decided to do for their gift. I was able to get a mold of her hand to make plaster replicate for Miranda and Matt. Poor little Jenna screamed her head off, because the stuff was so cold. It didn't turn out as perfectly as I wanted it to (which I didn't find out until I got back home), but it's still precious. I hope they enjoy it for years to come.

While we were there, we saw Shannon and Brandon, along with their little ones, Alexis (4 yrs) and Abigail (7 mos). You know how kids say the darndest things? Well, Allie sure did! She was upstairs in the apartment, supposedly watching "Cars," when she came sliding down the stairs on her bottom. Apparently she had fallen upstairs. When she got downstairs, she said "I hurt my feet wrist!" What is a feet wrist, you ask? Her ankle! We all cracked up and cried about it for a few minutes. It was so cute!

We also got to have breakfast with April, Tracy, and their little boy Gabriel (11 mos). He's really cute. He's walking all over the place and picking up things we didn't know where lying around. Unfortunately, they couldn't stay too long, because they were leaving for an Idaho trip that afternoon to pick up April's son Collin. He'll be home for the school year, which I know April is very happy about.

Sunday we hung out with Miranda's family and played Masterpiece (art auction game). We used to play that game all the time as kids. It was so much fun! Especially since we hadn't played it in years. I think this was the first time we used all the characters (six). Adam, Miranda, Matt, Hilary, Mike (Hilary's BF), and me...it was great!

It was just so great to see them again. Enjoy the pics!

Gizmo has gotten so little! She's down to 7 pounds, and she's turning 16 this year!

Jenna with her Grandpa

Look at those precious little shoes!

Happy Birthday, the Boy!

Adam turned the big 2-7 on August 4th. He decided to make this crazy cake for the occassion. I love watching Food Network, especially the cake decorating challenges and Ace of Cakes. Adam's seen a few of the shows, too, and gave it a shot. He decided to do a hand holding a Rubik's Cube. We bought fondant since that's what decorators use. We will NEVER use it again! It's a bit hard to work with, plus it's GROSS! Luckily we covered the cake with icing first (which we made). I ended up baking three different cake mixes in order to make a cube. We still have about half the cake left. It should probably be tossed.

For Adam's birthday dinner, we went to Red Lobster. Adam ordered the Live Main Lobster. I took a bite and wasn't impressed. It was chewey...I had to spit it out. I ordered shrimp scampi and coconut shrimp bites. That's about all the seafood I can stand.

As you can see, Adam got some nice things for his birthday: a bike trainer (so he doesn't have to always ride his bike outside), Zobmondo! the "Would you rather" game, two pairs of padded bicycle shorts, and Rogain Foam (hehe!). All in all, I think he had a pretty nice day.

The craziest birthday cake of the all!

Jonathan got Adam some punching balloons, and everyone had fun blowing them up.

Red Lobster

A Little Bit of Jasmine

Adam wasn't feeling too good this morning, so I decided to go to Colfax Ward and see my family. Mom and Meredith work in the library during Sunday School, Chris disappeared, and Dad and Jasmine didn't make it at all. So, I skipped out after Sacrament Meeting and headed over to Dad's. At first Jasmine was asleep, but she soon awoke. She was in a very good mood today, so I think I got some cute shots. I was also trying to get her to say my name. I think the best she can do is "Son."

I left from Dad's around 5 p.m. Adam was still in the shower when I got home. We watched a little TV, and I decided we should take a walk. We strolled over his parents' house and back. I hadn't walked there before, and I found it to be very nice. The time to go is in the evening after the hottest part of the day is done. We should definitely do it again sometime.

By the way, our road is finally open again! It's been closed since June 18th. Apparently there was a sink hole. I didn't know what the deal was until yesterday (a day after it reopened). It was a bit inconvenient, and I'm so glad it's back to normal.

Enjoy the pics!

I know this pic is in the collage above, but I just had to show a close-up! Oh, and she's eating rice....for those of you who weren't sure.

Meet Jenna Rae!

Meet the adorable Jenna Rae! She's the first daughter/child of Matt and Miranda. Jenna was born at 5:32 a.m. on Thursday, July 12, 2007. She weighs 8 lbs 14 oz and is 22 in. tall! She has brown hair, blue eyes, and lovely blonde eyebrows and eyelashes. If you'd like to see even more pics and sign a guest book, just click here and here.

Congratulations Matt and Miranda! Adam and I can't wait to see you and meet Jenna in August!

Photos courtesy of Hilary Kemp

New Stuff

So I've officially started updating my blog as I would my website. It's just too much to update both, plus updating the blog is easier. I've also started to make photo collages instead of posting one pic at a time. I noticed a lot of bloggers are doing that lately, so I thought I'd give it a try. It takes awhile to put them together, but it takes nearly no time to post them. Maybe other bloggers know a secret I don't! Anywho, I'll give it a try for awhile.

Alright, so there are three "Big News" items I have to announce. First, Jason and Sabrina are expecting their first child! I've known since the end of April but couldn't say anything until they officially announced it. The baby's due January 1, 2008! I just know she's going to have that baby on Christmas Day!

Second, Miranda and Matt had baby Jenna on Thursday morning! She was originally due on July 20, but Miranda knew she'd be having her a week early. She thought she would have to be induced, but Jenna came all on her own. Miranda was in labor for about 6 hours....lucky girl. Jenna is 8 lbs 14 oz and 22 in. long. She has jaundice, but that'll soon be over, and the new little family will be home. Once I get a pic, I'll be sure to post it. Adam and I will be visiting them in August, and I can't wait to meet Jenna!

Third, Catie got a new job! She's been hating her job with BB&T for quite some time now. Well she had an interview with Wachovia on Thursday, and they offerred her the job on Friday! It's crazy how fast it came together. She'll be with BB&T through the end of the month, but after that she'll be a whole lot happier.

I finally got a new calling at church. I am an Enrichment Committee Member. This means I'll help plan the quarterly Enrichment activities...I guess it also means I have to go to them. It'll be good for me. My mother-in-law Mary Bernice has the same calling :)

Well, that's all the new stuff I can think of for now. Keep scrolling down to see pics and read about other things that happened during the past couple of weeks. Have a good one!

Cutest Nephews Ever

Mark, Amy and the boys were in town a couple of weeks ago. Amy had them dressed alike for photos, so I told Adam to rush outside and get some pics. Aren't they adorable? I can't believe how big they're getting! I think Keaton (9 1/2) could be as tall as me...not that that's saying much.

Gavin really loves his Uncle Adam. He got a little upset as we left. We also found out his favorite thing to do is peel dead skin created from sunburns. Gross!

Independence Day

I hope everyone had a lovely Independence Day. We're all so lucky to live in this country. I couldn't imagine living anywhere else!

On June 30, our Stake had it's first annual Independence Celebration. Of course the whole stake didn't come (that would've been insane). They started off with a parade full of kids. Some decorated bikes, and some decorated themselves. We then ate some hot dogs, looked at veteran displays, and enjoyed a "concert" of sorts. Afterwards, Adam went off with the missionaries, and I went with my mom and Meredith to see Shrek the Third. It was a really cute movie, but really for kids.

July 4 we didn't do much of anything. Adam and I took Jonathan to Steak 'n Shake and then watched Transformers. Great movie! You all have to see it. Afterwards, we watched the Greensboro fireworks. Jonathan bought a firework in South Carolina, so we went to my dad's house later on to set it off. The dogs didn't like it too much, but I thought it was pretty cool. All in all, it was an ok day.

Family Fun and Pets

Catie came into town a couple of weeks ago to see Colby Howard's arrival from the mission field. She drove from and back to Greenville in one night! She's so crazy :) She also came last weekend, and we were all able to hang out for a little while. She probably won't be back in town for awhile.

Last Saturday we went to Andy Lindsay's house and played a came called Zobmondo. I really enjoyed it. It's a "Would you rather" game. For example, would you rather be blind in one eye for the rest of your life or have swimmer's ear for the rest of your life? One person reads the question and determines what the rest of the group will choose. The group then discusses and comes to an agreement. If the first person guessed correctly, he/she moves farther on the game board. It's really fun. I promise! We also had Moose Tracks ice cream with brownies. Yum! Unfortunately, Adam had to leave for work soon after we started the game.

Above you see some pics of family pets. Notice the Kitty's tail in the mid-right pic. He jumped off a dining room chair, which fell over and hit the wall. He wasn't too impressed. I just realized the photo got cut off when I was creating this collage. Darn!

Jason and Sabrina were in town last Saturday, so I took a couple of shots of Rose and Oliver. They are currently being dog-sat by Jonathan while Jason and Sabrina are at Disney World. I bet they're burning up down there!

Random Pics of Me

I was trying some different things out with my hair and thought I'd take a few pics. I guess my eye doesn't count, but I thought it looked kind of neat.

MS Tour to Tanglewood

As many of you know, Adam is participating in the annual Tour to Tanglewood for the National MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Society. His mom has MS, and my mom works for the National MS Society. He'll be riding nearly 100 miles in two days! It's in September, and he's still raising funds to go toward research on how to stop the devastating effects of MS. He and his brother Jonathan made a little music video that I thought you all might enjoy. Just click on the pick of "Martin Scorsese" below to watch.

Please feel free to visit Adam's MS Bike Page to make a donation! You can donate as much or as little as you want. Every little bit counts!