Texas Update

Most of you know that there has been talk from us in the past about moving to Dallas. We are still interested in doing that, and thought we'd give a little update about what's going on with that now.

The whole process was put on hold for the last year, since we made a commitment to Greg's boss to stay put. But, a few weeks ago, Greg had his annual performance evaluation, at which time his boss said he would approve a transfer if Greg wanted it. That's good news, since in Greg's company, your area supervisor has to approve before the company will transfer you. So step one is taken care of. Incidentally, Greg's boss also gave him a glowing evaluation, and stressed that Greg is over-qualified for his current position and would be better suited for a larger location. Yeah!

The second step is finding an opening in Dallas, and there IS one open right now. It is much larger than the property Greg works now, so we're not sure if it will be the right fit or not, but it looks like a good opportunity, so last week Greg made the first steps in applying for the position.

The next step would be to interview with the Dallas area director, who happens to be out of town for awhile, so we are just sitting tight where we're at. Whether or not Greg would get the position is a big unknown, also we don't know how willing the company will be to transfer someone period, so nothing is a sure bet at this point.

The bottom line? We have NO IDEA what is going to happen, but that's OK. We have a great deal of confidence from knowing that God is sovereign and He will put us where he wants us, when He wants to. There are many great things about staying where we're at. There would be many benefits to moving too. If you think of it, pray that we will depend on the Lord and His wisdom and have peace as we make big decisions. Thanks!

A Few More Seattle Pictures

My mom sent me a few more pictures from our trip to Seattle, from her camera.
Here's a family shot we took at Hood Canal.
And a shot that truly represents our family.
Here's Greg hosting the game "Friends vs. Family Fued" at my mom's birthday party.
Greg, Addie and I on the ferry. It was a tad windy.

There's a Lot of Love in this House

Our neighbor, Brendie Bandara, is starting out as a photographer and we had her take some pictures of Greg and I for some frames on our bedroom wall. Thought we'd share these cute shots with you all.

Family Bowling

Since the ever-constant drizzle interfered with our expected camping fun, we went instead to the local bowling alley. Since my dad does a lot of bowling, and my mom, sister, and brother in law join in too, it was a great family activity for us. Greg had never bowled with the family before and Addie had never bowled period, so it was great.
Here Greg helps Addie get the ball started.
This is her telling the ball "go ball, go!"
It slooooooowly makes it way down the lane.
Almost every member of the family helped Addie bowl at some point. Here's my dad celebrating with her. She was very excited when the ball hit pins. At one point, Addie did a little dance and my dad joined her. A good Grandpa is one who doesn't mind making an idiot of himself.
For the record, my sister beat out Addie, Mikayla and I in our game, and Greg beat Keith and my dad in their game! Wow!

Rainy Day Highlights

My favorite parts of a cold, rainy day?
Addie's bowling shoes.


sooooooo cute!
At the mall, after bowling, Addie reading a book to my dad. "Everyone Poops"- it's very educational.
This is her explaining that "a one-hump camel makes a one-hump poop and a two-hump camel makes a two-hump poop. Only kidding!"

Playing in the Water

We did have a little break in the rain, enough to go down to the water and play around a bit. Here, Greg and my dad prepare for their "Skip-Off." My dad won.
Addie threw rocks in the water instead of skipping. She thought it was a hoot.
See? My hands are dirty!
This was my favorite- she picked up a stick, put it in the water, and informed us she was fishing. She's been pretending to fish a lot lately, and I'm not sure where she got the idea. Maybe she'll just be a fishing natural.

More Camping Pictures

Keith educates Addie on the use of more electronic equipment.
Once it started raining, Addie wanted to be in my parent's trailer most of the time. Here are she and Mikayla coloring at the table. Mikayla was a very nice cousin and played with Addie a lot. They had a good time together.
Addie and I find some cover under a tree.

A Little Walk

We took a little walk through the campground at dusk...

And stopped at a scenic spot to take some pictures.

I think we all look scary in this picture. Fake smiles all around.

My dad with Addie & Mikayla

My sister Kim, Bro-in-law Keith, and daughter Mikayla.

Family Dinner & Fire

The first night of camping, we had a great family dinner. Greg grilled steaks.
We all enjoyed corn on the cob.
A nice dinner by the water.
Addie didn't like the campfire so much though. She HATED the feel of the fire on her face, so the only way she would sit there is if someone held their hand in front of her face. If you look closely at this picture, she had actually grabbed my dad's hand and moved it up in front of her. Funny little wierdo.

Camping on Hood Canal

We camped right on Hood Canal, which would have been so pretty had it not been so COLD! The Washingtonians didn't seem to mind, but we Californians missed our warmth and sunshine.
Here Addie and Mikayla walk on the logs at the back of the campsite. You can see Hood Canal behind them.
A funny pose, but kinda cute.
Greg and Keith get the tents set up.
Addie helps Greg carry firewood.
Incidently, this was the last time Greg wore shorts. The next two days it just rained and rained. Yuck!

Ferry Ride

After my mom's party, we all went camping together as a family! My parents are CAMPERS and already had a trip scheduled for when we were coming, so we joined in.
One of the highlights of the trip was the ferry ride we took on the way to the campground. Ferry rides were a common adventure when I was a kid, so I always look forward to them, and it was so fun to bring Addie along to enjoy the experience. Thankfully, we had some sunshine (it was short-lived), so after parking, we went to the upper decks and checked out the ferry in it's entirety.
Our entourage walks the top deck...
(If you look close you can see Addie is enjoying herself so much she's strutting)
And inside too!
Addie says hi from the deck of the Spokane.

Ferry Ride, Pt.2

I love this picture of me and my dad showing Addie where we were going.
I don't know if she was touching his nose, or pointing at something else, but it's cute.
Hi!
Probably one of the best pictures of my mom, sister, and I ever taken. Do you think we're related?