GSOBuchanan's

How to do the Macy's Parade

2010-11-29T13:55:00.006-05:00

I was able to gather from other blogs on a "how to" for the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. So I think it is only fair to share the details for others.

The parade starts at 9:00 AM on 77th and Central, and ends at about 10:30 AM at the same spot. If you are at the end on 34th, it may start at 9:30 and end about 11:30 AM.

We stayed in NJ overnight for only $60/night at the Ramada in East Orange. The hotel is not great but it was cheap, and the only one I could find that is walking distance to a train station. We took the 1st possible train that left at 6.14 AM and arrived at 6:47 AM at Penn Station (34th street). We walked over to where some were gathered and it was crowded, but in hind-sight we should have stayed.

We took a subway to 59th to get abetter view, and at 59th, we really should have stayed. The view was not as great, but we would have been hugging the gate.

We then walked north to about 73rd. We could not get on th eCentral Park Side. We thought we would be able to, but it was blocked off. So we watched from the city side at 73rd.

There was a car parked there and our kids sat on top to see better.

We could see all the balloons and some of the floats.

Santa Claus is on a float about 7 stories high, so everyone gets a great view of him, and he waves at everyone.

At 73rd, it was over at 10:30 and that was all I could handle. We had been up since 4.30 AM.

We had a great time. Next time, I might be willing to go when I can afford to stay in Manhatten and be willing to camp out at before 3 AM.

Asher is almost 5 and made me carry him on his shoulders most of the way.

Kingston is 2, and rode the stroller.

Liam is 7 and walked all over the city. He complained on Firday, but was a very good sport.

Big Piano

2010-11-29T10:16:00.002-05:00

Memorial Day Weekend 2010

2010-06-16T14:08:00.004-05:00

I hope Asher does not become one of those teenagers who grows a d-bag beard.

Britney and Jordin Concert

2009-09-28T09:03:00.009-05:00

Asher says "Goodbye" to the Summer of 2009

2009-08-25T19:05:00.009-05:00

It feels like we started out the summer very early. During Spring Break, Amanda and I took the boys to the Outer Banks. We had planned on doing this for a while, but it was very fortunate for us when work allowed for us to take a whole week off at the same time of Spring Break for the boys' school. So I cashed in the points and we had an adventure. My favorite part, was waiting until Monday to leave, and coming back around Friday. We still had the weekend before and after to relax at home. We drove in one big loop from Goldsboro, to Corolla, to Ocracoke, to Kinston and back home.

During the Summer, we did a few other trips.

Monticello in Charlottesville, VA

Old Salem for Independence Day

and a quick trip with Grandma and Grandpa Whitehead to the Beach.

Amanda and I enjoyed ourselves, but we appreciated knowing that the boys were learning and having the time of their lives.

Old Salem was free, but for Liam, he felt like the luckiest kid in the world to operate an 18th Century fire hose, or write on paper with a polygraph machine at the Children's museum near the home of Thomas Jefferson.

The trolley service that rides around the University of Virginia does not charge, but Asher's ego was boosted because he sees any transport not operated by Amanda or me as a luxury, and therefore he must be a VIP if he is riding around in such. Airplanes and ferry boats have the same affect.

It was the first time Kingston ever really got to run out on the beach, because he just learned to walk, and he didn't look back.

Amanda and I went to the Carolina Opry and saw a live show that really lived up to the hype. We stopped watching American Idol a few years ago, but we couldn't help compare what we were watching to AI. I don't know how people watch American Idol. I feel sorry for the live audience. How do they give applause after each performance? It is kind of like the whole, "we are all now dumber for having listened to..." quote. If we have MQ's, the Carolina Opry will increase your MQ (Musical Quotient). But if you watch American Idol, it probably depletes it. If you are at the live recording, the adverse affects compound.

Oranges

2009-07-05T16:07:00.002-05:00

Starmount Graduation

2009-06-03T15:28:00.005-05:00

Liam is Six years old today at 3.28 PM

2009-05-18T11:57:00.003-05:00

Liam brought cupcakes to his class. His favourite colours are orange and blue.

OBX

2009-04-27T07:46:00.002-05:00

Bank

2009-03-18T10:27:00.003-05:00

Baby Asher

2009-03-04T20:45:00.004-05:00

Real Snow

2009-03-02T11:03:00.006-05:00

Asher's 3rd Birthday

2009-02-20T09:53:00.007-05:00

Christmas 2008

2009-02-20T09:48:00.005-05:00

Pictures of Kingston

2009-02-20T09:42:00.004-05:00

These are pictures of Liam

2009-02-19T17:11:00.003-05:00

American Thanksgiving

2008-12-10T17:12:00.015-05:00

2008-11-21T10:25:00.002-05:00

Kingston

2008-11-07T09:10:00.012-05:00

Voting Results

2008-11-04T10:30:00.003-05:00

Only 7 people contributed, so that is why the only percentages you will see are divisible by 100/7.

For the first one, the % do not add up to 100, so don't lose sleep over it.

43% of you would trade your vote for free dues to a Country Club for 2 years, free groceries for a year, or even free gasonline for your car.
28.6% of you would do it for a free week vacation, a semester of education and free rent/mortgage for 4 months.
14.3% of your would do it for a free iphone with 2 years service, or $15k worth of cosmetic surgoery.

All in all, 28% of you claim you vote is priceless, while 72% would do it for one of the things mentioned at the top.

For all the people questioned all but one can legally vote and will.

72% have no clue who you will vote for for School Board. So if you ever thought about running for school board, might not be a bad idea.

100% of you were given the choice to appoint anyone to be the president. You could have chosen anyone! You could have chosen ANYONE! And all of you choose either Obama, McCain, Romney or Palin. Maybe I didn't make this clear, you were really appointing someone. So if you chose, John Jingleheimer, we would have had 4 years of jingleheimer. Considering only people I know, who are family and members of the church, no one thought to elect any of the Apostles. Oh well, I didn't want to put that as an option, because I didn't want to mess with the results.

If given the choice to do either a negative vote or a positive vote, 3/7 of you would rather do a negative vote than a positive vote.

Out of 12 candidates listed, you all hate Mike Gravel and Dennis Kucinich the most. I agree whole heartedly.

Out of 7 people, 3 of your are choosing the lesser of 2 evils, 3 are choosing someone they like, but it was not their fisrt choice. 1 of you actually feels that you are voting for the one person in the world that you would choose over anyone else. You love this person so much, you don't care what the odds are.

Political Survey

2008-10-28T18:46:00.005-05:00

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=6Qhoxj7ls3VMDs66apmcnQ_3d_3d

I will post the results on November 3rd.

Send it to as many people as possible.

Halloween Pictures

2008-10-28T18:45:00.005-05:00

Carnival

2008-09-09T13:17:00.011-05:00

Liam and Asher have gone back to school.

2008-09-04T07:54:00.004-05:00

Liam started his class the Friday before Labour Day. This is him with is teacher. Asher started a day earlier and goes to school 2 days a week. He always comes home from school ready to take a nap. He has a lot of friends who are back from last year and he remembered their names.

Asher and Kingston

2008-09-03T08:49:00.006-05:00

What is takes to be in the Middle

2008-08-29T10:06:00.002-05:00

In light of Senator Obama's speech last night, which was an excellent speech, I thought I would post something about the Middle Class. This is to poke fun at Vince Lomabrdi's famous speech. Nothing wrong with it, but honestly, if only one person can be number one, then what do you do with the rest of us. I don't think shooting first is bad, but if you don't make it, at least be happy about the fact that you still have modest possesions, and you actually paid for said possesions.

"Mediocrity is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't just do enough once in a while; you don't do things poorly once in a while; you do them half-way all the time. Mediocrity is a habit. Unfortunately, so is overachieving.
There is plenty of room for second place, third place and so forth. There is only one place in my game, and that's in the middle. I have finished at the top twice in my time, and I don't ever remember feeling any more special. There is a first place game, but it is a game for newbie’s who think there is some pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It is and always has been an American zeal to be average in anything we do, and to do just enough, and to do just enough.
Every time a person goes to play his trade he's got to pace himself—from the moment he walks in 2 minutes late, to the moment he turns in his work at the last minute. Every inch of him has to be consistent. Some guys come in 5 minutes early. That's O.K. You've got to be early to get that engraved on your tombstone. But more importantly, you've got to go with your heart, with only a few fibers of your body, because one day you will be out of fiber and you will be reduced to eating yogurt through a straw, because you have no teeth. If you're lucky enough to find a guy with an average work ethic and a lot of baggage, he's never going to try and take your job.
Running a monopoly is no different than running any other kind of organization—an army, a political party or a public school. The principles are the same. The object is to stick around for 30 years—to collect a huge pension. Maybe that sounds easy or time consuming. It probably is.
It is a reality of life that average Joe’s are willing to procrastinate and the most competitive markets attract a bunch a yahoos. That's why we are there—to relax; to know the rules and objectives when we get in the game. The object is to goof off fairly, squarely, by the rules—but to get a few things done.
And in truth, I've never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn't appreciate wearing flip-flops to work, the flexibility. There is something in good men that really yearns for flexibility and the harsh reality that while others duke it out, you can get your eight hours of sleep.
I don't say these things because I believe in the “averageness” nature of man or that man must be average to be happy. I believe in Steve Jobs, and I believe in dominating the market place with a product that constantly needs upgrades. But I firmly believe that any man's finest hour—his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear—is that moment when he sits back and watches others work their hearts out in a good cause and they are exhausted, and he collects a higher paycheck.”

Demotivation Quotes, My top 3

2008-08-05T09:13:00.003-05:00

Mr. Crabbypants

2008-08-04T12:08:00.003-05:00

Howard Dean came downtown the other day. Amanda and I had planned to go there for lunch with the boys, but at the last minute, I called her and said that i was not in the mood, and for her to just pick me up and take me to Taco Bell. I am gald we didn't do it, because he only stuck around for 5 minutes.

Liam was very upset about this, and will now call me Mr. Crabbypants. Yesterday out of the blue, he said, "Hey Mr. Crabbypants, didn't want to see Howard Dean."

Conan O'Brien

2008-07-17T08:36:00.003-05:00

Conan said that most of his viewers are parents with a new baby. So we then decided to rent a movie so we wouldn't have to watch Conan. There is this movie called Fool's Gold. It is really good. And I rememebr Ebert and Roeper saying it is one of the worst movies of 2008. Figures, these goons cheered for Happy Feet. They also said that 10,000 BC was just terrible. So I think I know what I want to rent next.

Deep in the Heart of Texas

2008-07-14T09:08:00.006-05:00

The players are David Young, Juan Rivera and Vlad Guerrero. The video is of Josh Hamilton hitting the Walk Off HR

La Posta

2008-07-02T08:51:00.008-05:00

I got my tostada compuesta the other day in Las Cruces. We also dicovered Carlos y Mickey's in El Paso. Pancho's in El Paso had closed its doors due to people finding out what kind of meat was being served.

I went to my old house, and at the park on the corner I found two "youths" hanging out at 9.30 at night. They did a good job hiding their weed, because I didn't see it.

I got a vary dark picture of my house, but maybe if I play with the tint, it will show up better.

Soccer - Season 2

2008-06-23T20:17:00.007-05:00

This time around Liam was a lot more in everyone's face in the game this season. He took things very seriously and never stopped running around. At halftimes and quarters, they sit and listen to the coach. A lot of times, I would send Asher out to Liam with a drink, and Asher would sit there and listen to the caoch. Asher is very excited to start playing. He can dribble the ball very well.
Most of the games we went to, Liam was dribbling the ball a lot and keeping a good pace the whole game. The first 4 games we told him he did a good job by dribbling the ball, but he would say he didn't win. So then the 5th game, he scored 5 goals, and I asked him if he won. He said he did, but he said 5 was not enough, and that he needed to score 100.
I told him, ok, that is fine, you have 2 games left and 95 to go.

Kingston's visitors

2008-06-21T11:49:00.005-05:00

Mimi sent nice flowers and Liam came by to say hi.

Kingston Connell Buchanan

2008-06-21T03:30:00.003-05:00

Born June 20, 2008 @ 5:19 PM

7 lbs.

21 inches

Bowling Party

2008-06-20T12:56:00.008-05:00

Liam has wanted a bowling party for a long time. He talked about this for 9 months prior.

This was $80 well spent. Amanda's friend made cupcakes that look like little bowling balls.

Painting

2008-06-16T12:03:00.002-05:00

Amanda's mom has been helping us paint the new kitchen and living room. It looks really good.

2008-06-13T09:58:00.000-05:00

2008-06-03T14:12:00.001-05:00

Asher

2008-05-06T13:51:00.002-05:00

Liam Skiing

2008-04-11T14:59:00.007-05:00

Myrtle beach

2008-03-13T20:05:00.003-05:00

Today Liam made me a card that says "Dad you are special because we go to the beach together." He drew two people and some water.

Outside the Louvre

2008-03-06T22:40:00.004-05:00

When I lost the group (mostly on purpose), I saw the coolest things.

Hey, Tom Hanks, so I walked around the pyramid, and there is no "rose line."

If you know what this is, let me know. I have no clue.

My kids are cuter than other peoples kids

2008-03-02T22:32:00.004-05:00

I truly believe this. And so do you, if you keep a blog.

Something I filled out and never posted, because stuff like this is just silly.

2008-01-04T04:12:00.002-05:00

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?

I went to Paris

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Yes and Yes

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Possibly

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Not sure

5. What countries did you visit?

France and Wisconsin

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?

Better test scores on the CPA exam

7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

The California pitted dates... so good.

8. What was your biggest personal achievement of the year?

I got the highest grade in a class dedicated to Accounting Theory

9. What was your biggest failure?

I didn't finish my dessert at Applebees the other day.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Where do I start? First I was diagnosed with Hypochondria

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Lunch for some Parisian born youths (their parents are Turkish) who were invloved in the property destructions in Paris a few years ago. In exchange for a Gyro, Chips and 33ml of Fanta, they filled out my surveys and told me about their adventures in the "so-called riots of the youths."

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Amanda.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Vinney Testeverde (QB for Carolina)

14. Where did most of your money go?

stuff

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Sending my wife to an all day spa.

16. What song will always remind you of 2007?

Kanye West - Stronger

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder?  b) thinner or fatter?  c) richer or poorer?

happy, fattish, same

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

drink water

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

drive

20. Did you fall in love in 2007?

Yes, with bowling. Amanda and I are going to try and be keglers.

21. What was your favorite TV program?

Little Einsteins

22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

no

23. What was the best book you read?

HP7

24. What was your greatest musical discovery?

The Little Einsteins Toy Rocket. It plays music!

25. What did you want and get?

For Christmas? Sausage Links for Breakfast

26. What did you want and not get?

For Christmas? I never know what I want so it is impssible for me to get short changed.

27. What was your favorite film of this year?

Elmo in grouchland

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I got stranded at Memphis and got $27 in vouchers for dinner. I was... my number keys on this keyboard just gave out. Oh well.

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

More rock, less talk

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?

Just let Brooks Brothers do all the work for you.

31. What kept you sane?

Going for a walk at UNCG campus with Amanda and the boys at least once a week.

Christmas Card from Bill

2007-12-13T13:23:00.002-05:00

If you didn't get one, then obviously you are not as good friends with Bill Marriot than I am.

Dear Bevan ,Happy holidays and thank you for being our guest and for your tremendous loyalty. It has been almost a year since I launched my blog, Marriott On The Move, and I have had the pleasure of hearing from many of you. It is gratifying to know you follow along with the news at Marriott and give us some great feedback on how we are doing.Indeed, Marriott has been on the move this year, opening hotels around the world from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Beijing, China. As you visit some of our 3,000 hotels, you'll see exciting new changes to our lobbies, the addition of cutting-edge technology in our guest rooms and public space, the elimination of trans fats in the food we serve, and some innovative steps to improve the environment.The holidays are a time to reconnect and enjoy the company of friends and family. On behalf of the entire family of Marriott associates across the globe, thank you and best wishes in the New Year. We look forward to seeing you on the road.

Warm Regards,J.W. Marriott, Jr.Chairman and CEOMarriott International, Inc.

I Guess It's My Turn...

2007-11-15T13:57:00.000-05:00

Bevan has been doing most(and/or all) of the sparse postings that we have been making lately, so I guess I should just do a quickie update to let you know what else has been going on aside from his (justifiably exciting) trip to Paris.

Liam has been attending five morning a week preschool from 9 till 1 p.m. It has been a big transition for him going from two mornings a week to five but he has done very well with it and enjoys a structured schedhule. This year there has been a very strong focus on pre-academics (as opposed to the play and learn approach last year)as there is a big push to have the children prepared for the rigors of kindergarten (which apparently is very rigorous these days). I wondered how he would handle this but has actually been very sucessful with letter recognition and beggining reading and spelling...we were all very proud when he came home able to write his name! He also enjoyed playing soccer on a team for the first time.

Asher is enjoying preschool as well this year since he is such a social guy! His age group mostly participates in structured group play so nothing to demanding, just lots of fun. I have been one of his co-teachers this year which has actually gone well. He mostly just ignores that I am there unless he gets hurt in which case he appreciates having me there for a quick cuddle. He is speaking very well and is a good little communicator.

Bevan of course has been very busy...HE WILL BE FINISHED HIS MASTER'S PROGRAM IN LESS THAN A MONTH!!I can't believe he's almost done! He received an offer letter for full time employment with the firm he interned with over the summer in August which he accepted. They have let him work during the fall as well and were flexible with his school schedhule which we really appreciated. In addition to the Paris school trip he also went on some business trips to such exciting locations as...Wisconsin, Charlotte, Buffalo and Indiana?? (I lose track). He finished the CPA review program he has been taking for the past six months every Saturday for 8 hours last weekend. This has been very effective in preparing for the CPA exam but has been a huge time sacrifice for our family. There weren't any family vacations this summer as a result but I am sure the pay off will be worth it. He has taken the first two parts of the exam already and has two more schedhuled to go. We will get the results most likley at the end of December, so we are keeping our fingers crossed.

My routine has pretty much been the same old...except for that the past couple of months I have been working five mornings a week instead of two at the preschool as I have been filling in for a lady who was out for knee surgery. This has really been exhausting for me, but was a good opportunity to make some extra tuition money! (Asher was also very cooperative about going to school five mornings a week while I was subbing) Being Young Women's President has also proven to be challenging in ways I never imagined...but in a good way, there have been many growth opportunities and I never cease to be amazed that the program still functions even though it's me who's responsible. Getting to know all the girls and thier families has also been a great privelidge for me. Anyhow we are busy but well!! Take Care!

Old Pots and Pans

2007-11-11T22:45:00.000-05:00

This was made out of old pots and pans. The heel of the shoe is a bunch of pots on top of each other that happen to be just a little smaller than the next one. The top is mad of the lids of the pans. It was pretty cool, but not as cool as the bear.

I mean seriously, this bear is hilarious. At first we didn't understand what it was, but then realized, that when it rains, the funnel will collect the water and the deer has something to drink. These were on the grounds of the Lourve. Which means, they just didn't quite measure up to the kind of works inside the Lourve. The bear and dear remind of those terrible sculptures that you see downtown that look like nothing, but some "artist" got paid $3,000 to support his cocaine habit. Whoever built this, must have 15/3, net 60 terms with his drug dealer.

Notre Dame

2007-11-08T20:18:00.000-05:00

This is a wood carving. There are many scenes from the Four Gospels in the Cathedral.

I like this one because it has the net cast. I beleive it is Peter who has his hand on the boat, and Jesus who is talking to him.

The boat is supported by a ton of fish, and Jesus is asking Peter to become a "fisher of men."

Overall, just a very good carving.

The next one is of Jesus riding triumphantly into Jeruselum and the little man in the tree is Zacchaeus.

I was glad to see that whoever carved this knew that this was an important story to tell. When Zacchaeus is told that Jesus will abide in his home, he promises to donante half his wealth and return 4 times any amount he ever cheated. For this the Savior promises the blessing of the Abrahamic Covenant.

We are Sharks

2007-11-08T09:37:00.001-05:00

Liam is a Shark. This is his team.

He kicked the ball,

smirked at the referree,

and got a trophy.

Amanda signed him up and drove him to all the practices and games by herself because I was always in CPA Review. We are so excited to keep Liam in soccer for the next 14 years.

Champ

2007-11-07T16:50:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, when we were driving through this traffic, we made it all the way to the Arc from this point in about 2 minutes. Take notes America, this is how we need to drive.

Slingshot

2007-10-29T10:49:00.000-05:00

This is the one painting I looked at longer than any other. Other paintings have tried to paint this very scene, and it seems that Goliath's head is just too small in proportion to David. As for this one, I think it is just right.

Here is the info about who did it.

Guido RENI - Bologne, 1575 - Bologne, 1642David vainqueur de Goliath Vers 1604 - 1606 H. : 2,37 m. ; L. : 1,37 m.

Saint-Germain Des Pres (I didn't try the magots)

2007-10-28T09:17:00.000-05:00

This is where I tried clams for the first time ever. It was the appetizer. I thought it would be a plate with a few clams. Instead, it was a whole bowl of them, with cream sauce. The steak was great too. I aksed for medium and they actually cooked it that way. However, the food in Paris is prohibitively expensive, so we spent the rest of the time eating Gyros in Saint-Michel. This one restaurant there was so specialized, that they had, not just Tunisian food, but Southern Tunisian food.

Anyway, it is fun to eat out for 30 euros, just once but after a whole week, that can cost you a month's worth of rent. The other good thing they have there, are the crepe stands. Chocolate Banana Crepes are so good. And even cheaper than eating at Quick.

Quick sells a Cheeseburger that has 3 types of cheeses (one of them is Brie), and the bread is nice and stinky. The place was great, and they have Smarties(chocolate, not those things that look like cocaine in the form of a circle) mixed in the milkshakes.

Just don't drink the Diet Coke

2007-10-26T12:16:00.000-05:00

Diet Coke in Paris tastes like they used the downstream water from the River Seine to make it. Other than that, McDonalds is not that bad of a place to eat.

I am Open and Receptive to all the Good in Abundance in the Universe

2007-10-26T10:00:00.001-05:00

Back to School

2007-08-14T12:23:00.001-05:00

The last week before School starts and we are so excited. This is when we go find the books I need, write down the ISBN number and buy them on Amazon.

In the middle are a bunch of kids moving in. We have about 4,200 kids who live on campus.

So, soon we will get to go over to the EUC on a Sunday evening and get a free plate of BBQ, just for showing my UNCG ID.

Weekly emails about our kids

2007-07-31T11:07:00.000-05:00

I get these emails in my box from this address: mybabythisweek@babycenter.com. They used to be about Liam but now they are about Asher. I rarely take the time to read them, but when I do, I think, "hmm that sounds about right." The email is almost like a prediction of what your kid is doing, yet it is based on the majority of the population so of course they are right. But it still has some general horoscope language that can be for anyone. Anway, I don't know how, but they know how old Asher is. I think the doctor's office passes this on.

So this is what it said. By the way, they think Asher is a girl.

When you're out and about, your toddler's favorite pastime may be
running from you as fast as she can, squealing in delight as you rush to catch up. She's oblivious to danger, so you'll need to be extra watchful of cars, bicycles, and dogs if you take her for a walk outdoors. Keeping her strapped into a stroller is safest, of course, but that's not always where she wants to be. You'll probably have to compromise about how much time she spends on her own power, and build in extra time when running errands.

They are right about the squealing.

New Book

2007-07-21T09:11:00.001-05:00

We hung at Barnes and Nobleeses last night. I got this really cool key chain that says 72107. But some kids was too short to grab it so I gave it to him. Besides, Eden got one so I figured, that was enough.

The book is great. I have read 100 pages and am very pleased. I am currently on break at my CPA review course, so I can't read the book again till 5pm. So far 2 people... well characters have died. Well actually, 3. A lot of dying. Which is good. Most of the poeple who have died are crap characters, so thus is my delight with the story.

Harry Potter 5

2007-07-13T14:05:00.000-05:00

This movie exceeded my expectations. If you have never seen a movie or read any of the books, see this movie. You don't need to know the background. It stands on its own very well.

The only draw back, it tried to get away with taking a stab at conservative America. Which is foolish because who do you think is reading all the HP books in America? I say, don't bite the hand that feeds you.

Kansas City

2007-07-12T09:35:00.000-05:00

Ok forget Nashville. Kansas City... anything good? And don't say the Royals!

Anyway, the contest is, whoever gives out the place to eat and I actually eat there, you get bragging rights.

Look, nothing agains Ruth Chris. But I am looking for something I can't get 2 miles away from home. Like St. Elmo's

Memphis Trip

2007-06-25T17:26:00.000-05:00

My plane left a little late from Greensboro, and it caused me to miss my flight from Memphis to Indianapolis by just 5 minutes. So I was told to go to B35 where some people would get me on a different flight. I was supposed to be in Indianapolis by the next morning, so I was willing to go on 2 or 3 connections all night to get there. If not, get a greyhound or Amtrak. I mean, Indianapolis is like a 5 hour drive. And the time was only 8:00 PM. So I had plenty of time.
Well the solution they had was to fly me out to Atlanta at 7 AM, and then to Indianapolis. I would get to my destination by Noon. Well 4 hours late is not so bad. The airline booked me in the Marriot East. It is nice! I also got some dinner vouchers. So I went downstairs and had some Memphis Style BBQ Ribs. Sweet BBQ is not my favorite, but it tasted great (after 5 years in NC, I am sold on Eastern Carolina BBQ).
During dinner I unfortunately witnessed the Tar Heels lose to Oregon State in the CWS for the second straight year in a row! Ironically enough, the one great pitcher that Carolina had last year is now playing for the Detroit Tigers. So after the game, ESPN2 covered the Tigers/Braves game. And that same pitcher, Andrew Miller, pitched a shutout against Atlanta. But nothing hurt worse than to find out that Reggie Theus will not return to New Mexico State. He got a job with the Sacramento Kings. Reggie, I have two words, “La Posta” y no hay tostadas compuestas en Sacramento.
So then I get to the airport and I find out that I am in zone 1. So I get to board first. And look, they have a little Dasani water bottle for me on my seat. Man these seats are big. And how polite the flight attendants are! They got me an orange juice right away! Then I realized, I was in first class. I like first class. I get more than one drink, I get to use my cell phone, and in case of an emergency, I will be the first to be saved! They didn’t actually say the last one, but you know it is true. Didn’t you see Titanic?
Anyway, when I was in Memphis at gate B35, the lady said that I was very polite and a good sport. So I didn’t think it meant anything. But apparently, she had given me the hookups. And there were a lot of others who had missed a flight, and they didn’t exactly get a good room or a good flight.

NASCAR Hall of Fame

2007-05-29T11:16:00.000-05:00

Liam told us that he wanted to go to the Lowes Motor Speedway for his birthday. The same day that the Nextel Cup would be doing the All-Star race. So I called up Lowes and they said that the tours can't take place on a race day, but I was welcome do bring my family to the speedway to watch the All-Star Cup. The tickets were about $40 to $150 per person. Honestly, it is not a bad price for what you get. Anyway, we went tot he NASCAr Hall of Fame instead. It was more our speed. We got to see old cars and the boys were able to enjoy a very low key environment. One thing that really hit me, was that the branding on these cars were all over the place. The tobaccoo and alcohol adds are all over the place. Which is approriate, because one of the first things we say in the museum was a car that was designed to transport moonshine. we got to see an old moonshine facotry. It was two barrels and some pipes. One brand the boys recognized well was McDonalds.

I would post more pictures, but a lot have names of beer companies, and they don't need any free advertising from me.

Liam is Four

2007-05-28T21:35:00.000-05:00

When Liam woke up forhis Birthday, he had pancakes with syrup. I didn't have the energy to make them so I ran to McDonalds and bought some Hot Cakes. I also got the 2 for 2. But, Asher wanted the other Egg McMuffin so I had to settle for a glass of V8.

Liam is now four-years-old. Here are some pictures of him at the park. Amanda made a Banana Fudge Cake. With the cake, we had American Idol Birthday Cake Ice Cream. One present that he got was a 2 Liter bottle of A & W Root Beer. This is Liam's favourite drink. He calls is "Beans Juice." I need to not kid around with him so much. I told him it was made from pinto beans once and he believes me still.

Liam brought worms in dirt for his class at pre-school. Amanda made all this stuff. The party in the park, the cake, all of it. These cups are basically chocolate pudding with oreos and gummy worms. I tasted them while Amanda was preparing them and it was great.

Teacher Appreciation Week

2007-05-17T12:52:00.000-05:00

Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week at the preschool and we were all VERY spoiled. Each morning all of the parents put on huge, homemade breakfast buffets in the staff lounge. We had all kinds of amazing breakfast casseroles, fruit and cheeses, breads and baked goods and treats it was obscene. Then on Wednesday after class they put on a formal luncheon upstairs in the church parlour, which was yummy as well as elegant. I think all of us who work at the school must have gained at least five pounds last week. As if all that weren't enough each teacher had a basket placed outside of her classroom for the families to put little presents in all week, and at the end of the week had a personalized gift basket to take home. All kinds of neat lotions and stationary, treats etc. It was very sweet,everyone was so thoughtful and one of my sweet little girls even brought me some beautiful flowers. I felt so overwhelmed by the end of the week, basicly I just feel fortunate to be able to have a job like this that doesn't interfere with my family life and allows me to provide my children with quality early childhood education when it would otherwise be finanically prohibitive. All of this extra generosity was certainly unexpected but made me feel very appreciated indeed!

Mother's Day 2007

2007-05-13T21:06:00.000-05:00

Trying to get some pictures with the boys this morning before church was a little wild, but we did it! I am trying to be better at taking pictures when the occasion arises. Bevan made a nice Mother's Day dinner that featured a grilled chicken and strawberry salad, ranch breadsticks and a marshmallow-chocolate pie. Afterwards we went for a refreshing walk through UNCG campus...comencement was on Friday and Saturday so the place was pretty cleared out, its strange to be at a place that is usually so busy when it is deserted. I hope all the Mother's out there had a great day and felt adequately appreciated!

6th Anniversary

2007-05-12T09:41:00.000-05:00

Bevan and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary on Cinco de Mayo. I suppose people usually make a bigger deal about celebrating 5th anniversaries...but last year at this time Bevan was in finals, had a slave labour job at UPS and I was nursing a five month old...so needless to say not many festivities took place, (Bevan came home for 45 min. between school and work and we ate dinner with Liam!).
Anyhow, what a difference a year makes! No more UPS, Asher is now a big boy (comparatively speaking) and since Bevan's semester was comprised mostly of an internship; schoolwork had been squared away in time for us to have a weekend get away! It has been a very long time since we had done anything of the sort and my parents graciously made the 13 hour drive down to watch the boys for us while we went to Charleston, SC.
Charleston is one of the most beautiful and historic places I have ever been...in fact it has one of the biggest historic district's in the world second only to Rome! We took a night time walking ghost tour that told us all about the more macabre history of the city (very fascinating...lots of neat graveyards in this town!), we took a guided horse drawn carriage tour and learned even more historic background on the city, we toured Magnolia Plantation and its famous gardens, we took a boat ride out into Charleston harbour and toured Fort Sumter...where the first shot of the civil war was fired AND last but not least we ate way way to much good southern food and walked around just enjoying what is a very lovely place. (If you ever find yourself down that way you have to try Jestine's Kitchen...amazing!). Thanks for a great weekend Bevan! This was by far one of the best things we have done togethor and I look forward to many more adventures with our little family!

Fort Sumter

2007-05-07T07:33:00.000-05:00

Fort Sumter is an island that sits in front of the Charleston Harbor. It was built there to protect Charleston from invaders after war of 1812. This is where the Civil War started. This island was Union controlled, at the time of April 12, 1861. Since the Confederates were already in Charleston, the fort was attacked from behind. This place was 3 stories high all around. Now only one side has one story. The other side is a mound of rubble. I didn't take any of these pictures by the way. We forgot to bring our camera. And that is a good thing. It was so relaxing to go on a vacation and not have a camera. I recommend doing just that in Charleston.

When visiting Charleston, this is a must. The boat ride is a great way to relax from all the walking and eating and walking and eating. If you want to bring a snack, stop by the candy stores and pick up some pralines before you get on the boat.

Also make dinner reservations before you get on the boat. SNOB was a great place. We ate there for our 6 year anniversary. I think this is has been oneof the best vacations. All we did was get a hotel on hotwire and drive down. We had no idea what we would do until we got here. It was just really nice to have no commitments. I don't feel like posting anything else, so I will leave it to Amanda.

Hearts

2007-05-02T12:41:00.000-05:00

I own this game. It is hard to see this picture, but I just shot the Moon 4 times in a row.

First Place

2007-05-01T13:09:00.000-05:00

Right after our unplanned but very fun trip to DC, I had been in town for only 1 hour and I was waiting for class to begin. The name of this class is Accounting Theory. It is a Masters Level course that lasts 8 weeks long to accommodate the Accounting Grads who need 3 credits and can't take any classes until after March 15th. The reason we can't take classes before March is because we were all doing full time internships. So last Wednesday the professor sent us an email that said, "you all have an A or B. If you want to know which one, come see me." So I was too busy to do that on Thursday because we were getting ready to go to DC. (One of the errands was to go through Stamey's drive-thru and purchase some Eastern Carolina Barbecue.) And besides, who cares? I might have an A. If not, I will still pass.

So one of the classmates says, "hey guess what?" I asked what. She was one of the many who had the time to find out her grade. She said that she was told that she has the second highest grade in the class. She was upset and wanted to know who was ahead of her. The answer was Bevan. The Professor simply explained that "Bevan participates in an intelligent manner and that even though I disagree with him, he formulates his arguments in an intelligent manner." I guess that explains why he never cut me off from speaking in class. She congradualted me and I felt pretty smug. I like feeling smug. Especially around a bunch of others who have higher GPA's than me. So for the last day of class, I thought, I could just put my head down and say nothing. But of course, the people presenting on pensions said something that wasn't true so I had to correct them. And then the people presenting on derivatives gave a scenario where a a ski resort owner will give 33% of his profits to a ranch owner if it snows more than 60 days. And if it snows less than 60 days, the ranch owner does the same. I couldn't resist, ski resorts don't make a profit. So either way the ski resort wins. Because giving someone 33% of a negative number means they give you something.

This is one of the few subjective classes I have been in. I like it because it does not allow morons to slip through the system. I think at the Masters level, it is appropriate to punish those who make untimely or inane comments. In fact, it should be done no later than the 5th grade.

Annual UNC-Greensboro Banquet for Accounting Graduates

2007-04-21T10:15:00.000-05:00

Last night we went to a nice banquet to honour all the graduates in Accounting from UNCG. I don't graduate till December, but I was still aloud to go. And since they made it free (all I had to do was pass out name tags to people) I couldn't refuse. This has been a tradition for about 5-6 years now. We were lucky enough to have a professor come to UNCG and organize all of this. He decided that he was tired of serving as president of Borders, Books and Music, and went on retired as faculty. He didn't fund it, he just got the Accounting firms to do it. He taught one of my classes back in 2004 and he was great. Unfortunately, 2 days after finals, he passed away at a very young age. But Rick Flanagan set things up so well, that the Accounting Department was able to survive and keep moving forward.

So before I go into how last night went, I will try to re-call last years:

Amanda and I had gotten some friends to babysit. They had a cellphone and gave it to us in case of an emergency. We still do not have cellphones. I won't get a cellphone my superior hands me one. At which point I will turn it off, leave it in my desk drawer and never answer it. Actually, we might get one this summer... maybe. We we were attending since I was graduating with my BS in Accounting.

So we arrived at 6pm for cocktails. Why did we do that? Dinner didn't start till 7. So now we had to endure the awkwardness of talking to strangers. The good news was, these strangers were loaded and had many positions opening in for next winter. So we had going for us, which is nice. So after we got our complimentary drink, we walked around the back of the crowd and ran into an accounting manager from one of the small public firms. I was afraid that the conversation would end in 3-5 minutes with, "Here is my card." This is code for, "Leave me alone, I need to find someone else more interesting to talk to. And that card I just gave you, don't even think about calling me."

So half an hour later we were still talking and I forgot that the doors would soon open and we would all go into the banquet hall to have dinner. My diet Coke was all gone. It was crap. I should have gotten the Shirley temple. But I didn't want to have any fruit in my drink. Because guys shouldn't have fruit or umbrellas in their drinks. Does Bond have fruit in his drink? No, olives are not fruit. I need to come up with a non-alcoholic drink with olives in it.

So as the doors open, we all move into the hall. Jared all of a sudden hands me his card and says, "wait, let me give you this." Ok, so it wasn't that bad. He actually wanted me to have it.

Amanda and I sat with an even smaller firm. The two reps from the firm were the two lead partners and their wives. Dave and his wife kept asking Amanda for advice one how grandparents should go about kidnapping their granddaughter (theoretically) and talking her to Disney World. It was fun, we had a great time. I even forgot that I had to go in and work that night at UPS (Under Paid Supervisors).

The guest speaker was Eddie Sams (president of Dixon Hughes, PLLC). I wasn't listening, but then all of a sudden he mentioned staff exchanges to London and Capetown. I was like, I'll go to England. I later found out that as long as you speak the language, you can go anywhere.

So this year it was very different. I was passing out name tags from 6-6:30. It was fun because I remembered a lot of the people from different functions over the past 12 months. So I didn't have to ask them their names, I just grabbed their tag and gave them their ticket for a free drink. Amanda had the chance to meet up some of the students and faculty form the MS-Accounting program.

It was great, because I didn't care. I mean, I had just interned with one firm, and things are set up for a new internship this summer with Dixon Hughes. My first assignment is in May where I will got a week of training at a golf resort in Pinehurst (this is my chance to learn how to golf). Most big firms send you to a nice place for a week of training.

Arthur Andersen did the same thing a little different way. For two weeks they sent their new hires to an old college near Chicago. The book, Ambition, Greed and the Fall of AA by Barbara Ley Toffler, explains what the place was like. It sounded more like a prison. The book was funny, Tollfer, who wrote it, forgot to write the book in 3rd person. After reading it, I thought, "Well you participated in everything too, so what makes you so high and mighty?" I think the same thing about Sherron Watkins (Enron Whistle-Blower). But hey, if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be in this profession. I should send them flowers.

So back to the banquet. There was no pressure this time. But again, I forgot to get me a Shirley temple. Oh well, I could go next year.

As for the food, the dessert was pretty funny. It was ice cream. Amanda and I looked at each other. Ice Cream? Are you kidding me? Amanda said it best later when she said, "Am I five-years-old?" So that settled it, next stop Cheesecakes By Alex.

This place is great. I had PB cup, Amanda had Turtle. I wanted to order what looked like blueberry, but Amanda informed me that it would impair my driving.

Anyway, we didn't remember to bring the camera. But then again, it would have been too awkward.

Stone Mountain Excursion

2007-04-16T09:12:00.000-05:00

Since Taxes are pretty much done and Bevan's internship is also finished (except for one last day on Tuesday), we decided to take advantage of the first Saturday in some time when Bevan didn't have to work and have an adventure. So we headed a little over an hour to the West of us to Stone Mountain State Park. While we were there we saw lots of deer, toured a restored 1850's mountain homestead (loving historic preservation as I do this was by far my favourite part of the day!) and hiked a 3 and half mile trail to see a beautiful waterfall. Along the way Liam had a great time tasting trees (I think he may have watched Willy Wonka one to many times) and splashing a little in all the mountain creeks and streams that came from the waterfall. Asher also had fun looking and pointing in his new surroundings, but ended up sleeping through most of the trip. Having worked up quite an appetite with all the excercise and fresh air we stopped off at Golden Coral for dinner on the way home. It was a great out of the ordinary day.

Stone Mountain

2007-04-16T01:08:00.000-05:00

Adam, when you come to visit, bring your gear. We need to go repelling off of this thing.

Easter Update

2007-04-11T20:10:00.000-05:00

Asher on arboretum bridge. Liam Displaying his egg cache
Amanda squeezing Asher while he eats a jellybean

We celebrated a low key Easter with just the four of us this past weekend. I had managed to coordinate some springish outfits for us to wear to church on Sunday, but unfortunately for reasons which I will shortly explain...I was to flustered to manage to take some pictures before we came home from church and were all to tired to bother. We had an Easter dinner of ham, hash brown casserole, deviled eggs, steamed asparagus, carrot souffle and a reduced fat strawberry chocolate cheesecake that Bevan made (which turned out rather nicely, he did a good job). Afterwards we had a little egg hunt at the arboretum, which is always so lovely, especially at this time of year.
Anyhow, at church on Sunday I was sustained as the Young Women's president for our ward, so I was very panicked to be at church on time to be sustained. (Hence the lack of picture's, I did actually get some professional ones of the boys taken last month in their spring outfits so I am not too upset about it, I will post those once I have gotten them back from the photographer). I am a little overwhelmed at the prospect, but I have some fantastic counselor's and advisor's so hopefully I will be able to pull it all together.

Hot Cross Buns

2007-04-08T07:44:00.000-05:00

An Easter tradition at our home growing up was having Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday. Alot of the bakeries in town made them as well, but my mom's were better. I made these on Friday morning using her recipe. Basicially it is a sweet roll dough with cinnamon and raisins mixed in (some people trying to modernize these treats using dried cranberries instead of raisins, but I am a traditionalist when is comes to such things), then after you form the dough you cut an X in the top. After baking and cooling icing is piped over the X shape. I actually really enjoy making bread, but don't do it very often (mostly because I will eat to much of it!) and I had a good time making these traditional treats.

Sewing Project #2 Completed...finally!

2007-04-01T14:24:00.000-05:00

I finally finished the apron project I have been working on with my sewing group at church, it took much longer than I anticipated but it did turn out well. I am proud of the pocket in particular. Our former relief society president who also happens to be a home economics teacher has been leading the class and this past Thursday was our last meeting, which makes me very sad becuase not only did we all have a good time socializing every week but I will be on my own now. YIKES! I am sending the apron along with a cook book, some dish towels and a nice spatula to a friend back in Canada who was married recently. I wanted to take a picture of it before I sent it along. Next up I am already started on making a sailor suit for Asher, we'll see how that goes!

It's Not Over

2007-03-24T12:11:00.000-05:00

A free concert. What does that really mean? It means enjoy everything until it gets too crazy and then go home. So that is what we did.

Last night Downtown Greensboro had a free concert in order to impress the NCAA committee. Right now it is between Greensboro and Cleveland for the 2012 Women's Final Four. Good news is, Chris Daughtry is from the area and he was willing to do just that. If you don't know his music, it is country rock. We had a great time, but towards the end, it got a little crazy. The budget was 8,000 people, and at 9pm, it was announced that the crowd had exceeded 23,000. So that was when we decided to wait for Chris to sing a few songs and then we wouild leave. By the time we left, the crowd was very dense, and the beer smelled just terrible.

At this point you probably think we are terrible parents. However in our defense, and all the other families present, it was advertised as a famliy event. However, there were many beer stands selling booze for $4 with a one drink maximum. There was a sweaty guy in an Ohio St. jersey who just reeked of booze. Don't tell me that was from just one beer. So as we left we felt very lucky that we were not trampled. In fact no one heaved on us or the kids, so it could have been worse. So the next time an even like this is planned, and tickets cost 10-20 bucks, I will know that it is not to make a profit, it is to keep an area from beeing flooded witha sea of people half families and half redneck.

My hat is off to Daughtry. He has a broad fan base.

Atalya House

2007-03-20T22:54:00.000-05:00

This is near Myrtle Beach, SC. I really enjoyed walking around this house. One of the coolest landmarks I have ever seen, and I had never heard about it before. I like how copper turns blue. Cu + O2 = Blue

Spring Break 2007

2007-03-18T16:39:00.000-05:00

My parents took my sister Eden and brother Truman (the only two children still at home now, since Ethan left on his mission to Milan, Italy last week) to Myrtle Beach, SC for thier March break last week. They were kind enough to invite us to join them so we met up with them there last weekend. The resort that we stayed at had its own private beach which was very beautiful and Liam ran straight in despite the fact that the water was not at all warm yet. He has no fear when it comes to water, especially the ocean. He and Eden had a great time splashing togethor. Saturday also happened to be my mom's birthday so we went to what is probably her favourite restaurant in the whole world...Captain George's. She first went to one years ago in Williamsburg, Va. (there is a location in Virginia Beach as well) and we never pass up a chance to go if we are in the area. It is a seafood buffet that specializes in really amazing all you can eat crab legs. It was delicious. Afterwards we went mini golfing which was actually a lot of fun, Liam really liked it.

Sunday morning we went to Sacrament meeting and then went to check out Huntington Beach, National Park where we saw an aligator and some HUGE blue crabs in thier natural habitat (as opposed to my plate). This park is also the site of Atalaya, the former home of Archer and sculpture Anna Hyatt Huntington, which we toured as well. The sand dunes there were remarkable as well. Afterwards we went back to the condo and had dinner as well as Mom's birthday cake. It was a great family weekend and we got home Monday afternoon.

Move Over McDreamy...Here Comes McSchmippy

2007-02-27T14:32:00.000-05:00

This past month Liam's class has been doing a unit of study on "Community Helpers" where they learned all about the different things people do to help the people they live around. They had visits from several different people including fire fighters and a dental hygenist. To end the unit they had a community helper dress up day which was this morning. Liam had told me recently that he wanted to be a "Doctor Pilot" when he grows up (I am not quite sure how he plans to incorporate these two professions), so with my new prize possesion (a sewing machine that I was very kindly given for Christmas) I made him a pair of scrubs to wear for the occasion. I haven't sewn much in a long time and am just starting to get back into it, they didn't turn out perfectly and are a bit large but I did have a good time making them all things considered. I hope he had a fun time wearing them!

Pizza Rolls and Play Date

2007-02-22T21:38:00.000-05:00

On Monday morning one of the Moms from our playgroup was very sick so two of her boys came over to our house to play with Liam so that thier parents could get some much needed extra rest. Liam had a fun time playing with his friends and I tried a new recipe to make for the boys for lunch. The dough for these pizza rolls was made in the bread machine with very little effort and then they were rolled up like cinnamon rolls only with cheese, pepperoni and sauce instead (the recipe also called for sauteed peppers, onions, mushrooms and olives...but since this was for children I left those toppings out). The recipe made two pans worth so everyone got more than thier fair share, and they were pretty yummy...at least I thought so. For dessert I whipped out this box of cookies that I grew up eating in Canada and just happened to stumble across in a specialty foods shop while getting ingredients for our Valentines dinner last week. They are a cookie base, topped with raspberry jam and a marshmallow on top of that and then the whole thing is dipped in chocolate...oooohhhhh the memories! I forgot how much I liked those until I found a place that sells them here in the states!

Spa Day At Chakras

2007-02-18T15:57:00.000-05:00

For Valentines Day Bevan arranged for me to go yesterday and have a full spa day at a local day spa called "Chakras". It is a very beautiful and peaceful place that has been featured in travel magazines etc...and as far as I could tell was definately top notch. I am seriously almost embarassed to blog about this because it was such an extravagent gift, but Bevan deserves to be bragged about for putting this togethor. He planned all of this over a month ago but had been wanting to do this for me for a long time. After I had barely had Liam and Bevan had started school at UNCG he had a class with girl who worked at the spa. Bevan asked her what it was like and what they did there and thought it would be fun to send me there sometime. He asked her how much it would cost to go and when she told him he realized doing it anytime soon was obviously out of the question. Anyhow, now that he is working as a nearly proper accountant and we aren't quite the sturggling students we used to be he was very excited for me to go and do this and he actually set it all up without me finding out which is a feat in and of itself.
So yesterday morning at 10:15 Bevan and the boys dropped me off . The whole day was really dreamlike and started out with a seaweed body wrap and then a rinse in this amazing rain forest shower. After that I had an hour long massage. They ordered me lunch from a nearby restaurant "The Liberty Oak" and I had a grilled vegatable pita with feta cheese and a salad which I ate in a pillow stuffed and curtain draped alcove called the "nest" that is overlooking downtown Greensboro. After lunch I had a facial followed by a spa manicure and pedicure and after that I went down stairs to the salon where they washed my hair, massaged my scalp and gave me a blow out. I left around 5:30 p.m. Any one or two of these treatments would have been a luxury but the whole package was by far the most self-indulgent thing I have ever experienced in my life.
It was really the most perfect thing he could have done for me at this point in my life. Some of you know that I have worked really hard over the past year or so to become a more healthy person and I have made a great deal of progress, but this whole "Chakras" experience really helped motivate me to stay on track with my goals and keep taking care of myself. And in addition to that it really showed me what a selfless husband I have and how much he thinks about the boys and I and works hard to take care of and make us happy, which is the greatest part of it all really. (www.chakrasspa.com)

NASCAR

2007-02-17T14:20:00.000-05:00

For the second time in 7 days, I am watching NASCAR. I was trying to find a decent Basketball game and the only ones on TV are Miami/WFU (neither team will go to the tournament) and Wash/Pitt No. 5 (only worth watching if UW wins). I wanted to see Vanderbilt/Florida No. 1, especially since Vanderbilt was leading by 8 at the half. Tonight at Midnight EST, NMSU plays OHIO. I am excited about that. NMSU finally has a 7 footer since... I don't think we ever had one.

OK so back to NASCAR. We are watcvhing it because Liam loves the movie Cars. He thinks that Dale E. Jr. is Lightning McQueen. I can't wait till the race is over. He is going to freak when a human being climbs out of the number 8 car.

Liam's Class Valentines Day Party

2007-02-13T14:04:00.000-05:00

This morning I volunteered in Liam's class to help put on thier Valentine's Day Party. Another Mom from the class also helped. She brought in a special Valentine Story Book to read to all the children and organzied a cute craft and I provided the treat (see cookie post below). It was a really good experience for me to spend time in his classroom and get to know his classmates better. The kids all had a really good time with the craft (they made special picture frames to bring home to thier parents), delivered cards to each other and then ate the treat. The cookies were a big hit, most of the kids even ate two and they were pretty big! It was a nice morning.

Valentine Cookies

2007-02-13T00:40:00.000-05:00

I volunteered to help organize Liam's class Valentine's Day Party. I am pretty excited about this because I don't often get to be involved in the classroom because I am working in my classroom while he is there. I was able to get the morning off tommorow to be able to do this. I am in charge of the snack so I made homemade sugar cookies cut into heart shapes that have been sandwiched with raspberry jam and sprinkled with confectioner's sugar. My mom used to make these for us every Valentine's Day and I thought it was a yummy tradition worth continuing. I made three and half dozen this afternoon, there was barely enough room in the kitchen for them all!

Go Start The Bus!

2007-02-13T00:19:00.000-05:00

For Family Home Evening tonight we attended the UNCG vs. Elon basketball game. Before hand there was an alumni social that provided dinner for everyone belonging to the alumni association...and even though Bevan is still in school he is technically also an alumnus, so we decided to take advantage. There was a pasta bar, salad, rolls and pizza. I am pretty sure we were the youngest people there by at least 15 years, but the food was pretty good. The basketball coach even showed up to make a little speech and promised us all a good game, which was a nice gesture I suppose.

Anyhow, the coach didn't dissapoint. Elon and UNCG have a fairly intense rivalry going on, so everyone was pretty fired up to begin with. It was a dramatic game with lots of foaling...the crowd even got a technical foal for throwing a cup of water at the referee, good times. In the end UNCG won 86 to 73. Liam was shaking his keys along with all the UNCG students, telling the other team to "start the bus".

Big Boy Asher

2007-02-09T10:54:00.000-05:00

Asher had a well visit with his Dr. yesterday afternoon and we found that he has had a big growth spurt recently and is now in the 50th percentile for weight and, get this...the 90th percentile for height! How on earth did I ever manage to produce a tall child? Neither Bevan or I are very tall, Bevan is 5"8 I believe and I barely measure up to 5"3....I guess somewhere back there in the gene pool somewhere some tallness has surfaced. To be fair two of my brothers are a little on the tall side, both Ethan and Truman are about 6 foot....but I guess I am just suprised because I am such a shortish type of person (I had a roomate in university who was convinced I must have some form of dwarfism). This is a recent shot of Asher from earlier this month.

FHE and S'mores

2007-02-07T16:05:00.000-05:00

The other week while shopping for a much needed new garbage can at Linens and Things we stumbled across a S'mores/fondue/caramel apple set that was on clearance and immediately I knew it must be mine! So the following Monday we invited our friends the Carpers (who are expecting thier first baby this summer!) over for family home evening followed by some rousing S'mores making...delicious and FUN. Liam had never done this before and especially enjoyed himself. Good Times.

ArtQuest

2007-02-07T15:36:00.000-05:00

Liam has started an art education program this semester called "ArtQuest"...normally thier classes meet at a building downtown but our preschool has started offering some on site extra curricular programs (such as Kindermusik). Starting in January this art program was being offered until the spring so we decided to sign Liam up and he attends on Wednesday afternoons. We felt that this program would be a good fit for him because during a parent-teacher conference his teacher had noted that he really excels in class during arts and crafts. He exhibits above average fine motor skills when painting etc... and tends to express himself better verbally when involved in creative and artistic activities. So it seemed that this would be a way to help him with his verbal skills while doing something that he likes and is confident with at the same time.
So far we couldn't be happier with the program and Liam loves it. Each class involves an art history componant where the children are exposed to an artist and thier creative style. The children are then given an opportunity to try and recreate the artist's techniques themselves. After that there is usually a "story time" and afterwards a craft that centers on some componant of the story...the parents are asked to participate with the child for this last portion. The teacher also uses this as an opportunity to educate the parents about creative aspects of child development and things to try at home. The pictures are some samplings of Liam's work so far!

Semi-Healthy Play Group Snack

2007-02-07T14:52:00.000-05:00

Today I volunteered to bring treat to our ward playgroup. I wanted to bring something yummy, but I also wanted to be able to eat it myself and not have to spend a lot of time cooking and cleaning...so I found a recipe for reduced fat Cheesecake Brownies in Kraft Food and Family magazine (which is FREE! so sign up for a subscription if you don't have one at kraftfoods.com...also a great website with a recipe search engine that lists the nutritional information for all its recipes). It uses a boxed brownie mix, and generally I stay away from boxed mixes of any variety prefering to do things from scratch (mostly to avoid trans fats etc.) but I really didn't have the energy for that today. So in a pinch I thought this was a tasty compromise and was rather good for a mere 110 cal., 3 g. fat per serving. Here's the recipe:

Cheesecake Brownies

1 pkg. (19.5 oz) brownie mix
1/2 c. applesauce
3 egg whites, separated
1/4 c. water
1 pkg. (8 oz) Neufchatel (cream) cheese, softened...is a third less fat than regular cream cheese.
1/2 c. suagr
1/4 c. flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix brownie mix, applesauce, two of the egg whites and water. Pour into 13x9 inch pan sprayed with Pam.

Mix Neufchatel cheese, sugar, flour and remaining egg white until well blended. Spoon over brownie batter. Cut through batter with knife several times to create a marble effect.

Bake 28 to 30 min. and cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into 32 pieces.

The Great Influenza Epidemic of 2007

2007-02-05T21:42:00.000-05:00

I think we have finally surfaced from what has hands down been the most messy ordeal our family has collectively experienced (don't worry, there are no pictures for this edition!). It all started on Thursday morning with poor little Asher, fortunately for us though it was a snow day so school was cancelled anyhow so I didn't have to worry about finding a last minute sub which is nearly impossible to do. Friday though he seemed to have most of it out of his system so of course Liam was next...and then to my shock and horror I was next to fall ill Friday night (I rarely get sick, especially the kind of sick where I am out of commission) which was fairly fortunate at any rate since Bevan was home for the weekend by then and was also the only one not symptomatic. Liam had it the worst overall though I have to say, my already somewhat skinny boy is little looking a little skeletal I am afraid! Lots of chocolate milk and donuts for him I guess, no better medicine than that (just kidding!). We did some errands today that could not be avoided but otherwise took it easy and are gradually getting our energy back. The upside is though that on Saturday and Sunday while I was mostly to exhausted to move around I did find a window of reading opportunity and got a good jump start on 1776 by David McCullough which I am working on right now and is proving to be very educational. Bevan was also a good sport taking care of us all which was greatly appreciated.

100 Amanda-isms

2007-01-17T14:56:00.001-05:00

1. I believe in being polite, (even when being impolite!) and generally am to a fault. There have been times when I have really wanted to tell someone off, but the words just couldn't cross my lips...frustrating really. Even when an exchanging of "words" are needed, I think a great deal of thought should be put into how those words are going to be phrased. I think this may be something of a Canadian habit, and I think this tendancy of mine may even annoy some Americans.

2. I am an eater, I love food, I love to cook, I love trying new and different things. I used to be embarrased of this but refuse to be any longer. Food is something we can enjoy and celebrate with in life and there is nothing wrong with that. Moderation is important, but food is a joy and should be treated as such.

3. I am addicted to The Gilmore Girls, it is the only show I really watch.

4.I love clothing and fashion, although you wouldn't be able to tell that from the way I dress most of the time.

5. I don't have a large circle of friends, but once you are my friend its for life. I still have close relationships with people I have known since infancy even though we may have very different lifestyles and live far away.

6. I am very selective of who I will open with. I can be very gaurded and this frustrates me sometimes. It takes me quite a while to really get to know people and I am working on being less anxious about letting people get to know me.

7. I can be extremely silly and giddy, usually after 10:30 p.m.

8.I struggle with the concept of patriotism and feel that I lack a national identity. Generally I feel country-less, which is an odd sensation. I am working my mind around the possibility of becoming American, but it will be a decision long in the making. Fortunately it isn't even an option yet, so I can take my sweet time.

9. I take somethings to seriously.

10. Somethings I don't take seriosuly enough.

11.I like to walk, not for exercise (although that is a positive by product) but as a social or meditative activity.

12. I am fascinated and scared by pilates.

13.I thrive on structure, there's nothing better than a good orderly schedhule is there?

14.People generally think that I am either much smarter than I am, or much dumber. One or the other.

15.I am a "conscientious worker"...every report card I ever got from kindergarten on up had this comment on it, from diferent teachers at different schools. For a long time I thought everyone got that comment, but then I asked around and everyone else said they'd never heard of it.

16. I rarely cry.

17. I always have a plan...for tommorow, next week, next month, next year, five years, ten years, twenty years...and I am looking forward to all of them. I do a pretty good job at sticking to my plans, although I do reserve the right to change my mind at any time without notification.

18. Once I really decide to do something I am on task 100%. Obcessively.

19.I worry to much about what others think.

20.I aspire to being a "neat freak", but have a long way to go.

21. I believe my children are thier own people, and came to me with thier own personalities, strengths and weaknesses. I try to avoid parenting practices that will manipulate them into something that serves my own personal agenda (ie. I have a personal weakness of wanting to be seen as a "good mother", but this is not always good for my children and I have to watch out for that in myself) . Instead I try to treat them as individuals and help them adapt to thier environment. It is mostly trial and error, but I have found that the more I give my children space to do things at thier own pace the happier and more successfull we all are, as parents and children respectively. (Even if we all look crazy).

22.I love universities as an institution. I love being on any campus, I love the way the buildings smell, I love to eat in the cafeteria/food court on campus, I love looking at text books and registering for classes.

23.I dream of going back to graduate school. But it probably won't happen for a little while just yet...sigh.

24.I would love to teach at the collegiate level...maybe part time at first (but #23 has to come first, right).

25.I AM going to learn to sew.

26.I eat an egg almost every morning for breakfast.

27.Ringing telephones make me nervous. I am also very anxious about checking messages after having been out.

28.I have long term financial goals.

29.I eat 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day for better health.

30. I recently have become a fiber junkie, I am always looking for ways to increase my fiber intake (and no I am not 65).

31. I used to write lots of letters before email came to be, and want to start again.

32.I am useless when I haven't had enough sleep.

33. I try to stand up for people who can't stand up for themselves, and am grateful to those who have stood up for me when I couldn't do it myself.

34.I really hope to have a daughter one day, but have made peace with the possibility I may only have boys.

35.I can be a control freak.

36.I need to get out and about everyday or I will quickly get depressed.

37. I really don't like to drive if I can help it.

38. I didn't anticipate in advance that I would be teaching preschool this year, but have come to really enjoy it and have signed on again for next year.

39.I believe that talk is cheap. If my actions and choices do not reflect what I say I believe, then I don't really believe it or am that, am I? I hold others to this standard as well.

40. I can be very demanding of my immediate family and am grateful my husband is so patient with me.

41. I want to live in a neighbourhood with sidewalks one day.

42. I would love to live in an old or historic home, (again!).

43. I love Thai food...and most asian food as well.

44.I believe breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and needs to involve protein.

45. I don't own a pair of real high heal shoes, but hope to aquire a real nice pair of black pumps one day.

46.I am obcessed with Old Salem, NC and like to go there with my family whenever possible.

47.Although I am not an athletic person and don't understand the rules of any sport, I enjoy attending sporting events with my husband and sons. It is a wholesome family activity, even if I am not sure which team I am cheering for.

48. I really like getting pedicures and having pretty feet.

49.Family dinners are not optional.

50.I like to read a great deal and have a reading list I am working on, slowly but surely. (I am almost finished "The Scarlet Letter"!).

51.I always want to rent movies but rarely stay up to see the end. This drives Bevan crazy.

52.I am fascinated with BIG cities.

53.I have enjoyed living in very close proximity to large bodies of water in the past. I had a hard time living in Utah because it was to dry, not enough water around.

54. I have issues with Idaho. Generally.

55.I will never have a permanant residence away from the Eastern seaboard again.

56.I know that my children were meant to be born when they were, I recieved very strong confirmations of this and have never doubted my decisions in this area.

57.I believe a lanscape should be green. At least for me to live in it.

58.Las Vegas gave me a headache.

59.One day I will go to England.

60.I have told people that I have been to Walla Walla, Washington when I really haven't.

61.If you are going to eat chips, and you probably shouldn't...Cool Ranch Doritos are hands down the best.

62. I like Diet Pepsi better than Diet Coke...but in the end they are both rat poison.

63.I enjoy getting to know people from other cultures and believe I have a knack for it.

64.I try not to be overly dependant on external motivation.

65.I am very proud of my husband for working so much, especially at his education. His master's will be a degree hard won!! And he has achieved much.

66. I am really, really bad at math.

67.I got a degree from BYU in Marriage, Family and Human Development with an emphasis in family life education... even though I started university saying that I would never take a parenting/dating&courtship/marriage enhancement class because they were only for girls who just went to church schools to get married (that sure came back to bite me!).

68.I don't think Canada wants me back.

69.I really enjoy my church calling teaching the Gospel Principles Sunday School class.

70. I hate Walmart but keep shopping there.

71.I love a good road trip...anywhere.

72.I am grateful my children are pretty good travelor's.

73. I feel very important when in an airport.

74. I once flew on a private jet to New Hampshire on a business trip where I stayed at a Holiday
Inn and felt even more important.

75.I know the difference between a necessity and a want. It is important for me to pass this on to my children.

76. I hope that Bevan and I will go on many missions togethor in our retirement.

78.I think Fall is the best season and I am glad to live in a place where the colours "turn" so well.

79.I like Chrsitmas trees strung with real cranberries and real gingerbread men...and also real candles (I finally found some candle holders that clip onto tree branches from Germany, at half price no less!).

80. I would rather be cold than hot...but not too cold (I have become a little more wimpy in this regard since leaving Canada).

81. My mother is from Newfoundland and I am proud of my maritime heritage.

82. I am very proud of my mother for being the first person in her family to graduate from high school and university as well. I am grateful that she required the same from me.

83. I know my father is one of the most intelligent people I have ever or will ever meet.

84.I believe in supporting new mothers...baby showers, hospital visits, casseroles...all very important.

85.I love magazines.

86. The sight of blood makes me queasy. Especially if its my children's blood, I am no good if they scrape thier knee or anything.

87. I don't like spending money but generally believe you get what you pay for.

88. I have problems with holding a grudge, but when I do forgive it is completely.

89. Sometimes Oprah gets on my nerves. But not always.

90.I can't decide on a favourite colour anymore. But I have narrowed it down to blue, green, burgundy, pink, pale yellow, gold and black.

91.I don't own a cell phone and really don't have any desire to.

92.The best feeling is falling asleep quickly in clean sheets after a busy day.

93.I can swim but don't like to very often.

94. I prefer showers to baths, and take two a day...morning and night. I usually stay in for quite a while...I think its the noise of the falling water I find mesmerizing.

95.I love setting tables.

96.I am not afraid to go new places and do things by myself.

97.I love church history. I grew up very close to Palmyra, NY and enjoyed learning about its history. Bevan and I were married in the Palmyra temple which was very special to me for lots of reasons

98. I saw a bumper sticker once that I really want that says: "Historic Preservation Is The Ultimate Recycling".

99. My favourite book of all time is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

100. I am learning to be comfortable in my own skin again, especially after getting married and having children I have had a hard time assesing who I am and where I fit in. Its taken a while but I feel I am finally getting somewhere.

Dumpster Diving

2007-01-15T10:23:00.000-05:00

Last week was a very busy week for us, not that there was anything huge going on...just lots of little stuff. Lots of places to be and people to see. Honestly I like things better that way, I thrive on a full schedhule and tend to feel depressed or useless if I don't have SOMETHING going on...but it is still always a challenge to keep life balanced.
Anyhow, on Tuesday in the midst of this busy week I had an experience I have never had before and hope that I will never have again! Tuesday's are a preschool day and of course we were all up early getting ready to go. I am fairly organized at this routine by now and was just about ready to head out the door, children in tow, at 8:20 a.m. when I realized that I couldn't find my keys anywhere. I had looked all the usual places but nothing turned up. I really started pancking at this point and started ripping through piles of laundry and toy bins etc but still nothing. At this point I was almost late for work so I called into the program director to let her know what the situation was and she was very understanding, but I really stress out about lateness and stuff like that and was about to lose my mind.
So I started back tracking in my mind to what the last time I had seen the keys was. I realized it had been the previous afternoon when I had just come home from a walk with the boys. I had let Asher play with the keys while he was in the stroller to keep him content and when I took them away from him to open the door he got upset, because I was rushing to get dinner ready I just gave them back to him to keep him happy. And that was the last. Asher had been hovering around the trash quite a bit lately and I realized he had probably thrown them out. I also realized that Bevan had taken the garbage out that morning to the dumpster in our apartment parking lot. So I put on a brave face and out we went to the dumpster. I looked in and saw that it must have been emptied the day before because there were only three bags in there, and ours had spilled open on top. I immediately saw our copy of "Growing Up With Winnie The Pooh", so the odds were pretty high that Asher had been up to no good. I thought about climbing into the dumpster but realized I probably wouldn't be able to get out even if I got in. So I went back to the apartment and got a broom and then started poking around at the pile of trash, sure enough the key ring came skidding out. So I swept them into an open grocery bag (also full of trash) and then hooked the bag on the end of the broom and fished them out. It was the most disgusting thing I had ever done and the keys were covered on black sludge. So home we went and washed off the keys and headed out to work only and hour late.

Ethan is going to Milan

2007-01-07T10:45:00.000-05:00

Today while Liam was listening to the primary songbook, there was a song about missions. I asked him about it and he said that his Uncle Ethan was going on a plane. I said yeah lets look up where he is going. So we hopped on Google Earth and typed in Milan, Italy. It zeroed in on a big castle (Dark Duomo). So I clicked on the picture and Liam said "whoa, castle".

Ethan good luck on your mission and thank you for being a great example to the Schmip.

Well The New Year Is Here

2007-01-04T14:11:00.000-05:00

2007 is finally upon us and apparently in full swing. We rang in the new year on the 31st by inviting some other young families from our ward over for games and potluck treats. Including children we had 18 people in 1000 square foot apartment. We utilized space effectively however by setting up the TV for movies in Liam's room so the kids could watch shows and play with toys in there. Our bedroom was set up with port a cribs for babies and the living area/kitchen was used for grown ups to visit in...and it all turned out very well. Because we had just gotten home from Canada late the night before our house was already clean, and because I had asked everyone to bring something to eat I barely had to cook anything, so it was pretty low stress. We played the game "Pitt" which is one of my all time favourites and had just gotten a copy of my own for Christmas, and everyone else liked it as well. We also wrote down New Year's predictions anonomously and then put them in a hat, we passed the hat from person to person and took turns reading the predictions aloud, everyone then tried to guess who had made it. It was pretty funny to see what people had come up with. We all partied hard till 12:45 when everyone went home. It was Liams first time staying up till midnight for New Years. (Asher slept through the whole party untill the next morning, pretty impressive considering how loud it got in here!)
Bevan started his internship with Sharrad, McGee & Co., a public accounting firm in High Point NC. He is enjoying himself there and we are very excited for him to be joining the professional working world for his first tax season. We are also looking forward to the office party that is next weekend.

The boys and I are back into our regular routine at the preschool as classes went back into session this Wednesday. I know Liam is very glad to be back with all of his school friends. He has really taken off with talking over the holiday and his teachers are very impressed with the progess he made. I think it is probably because he was around so many extended family members who aren't well versed in his repertoire of pointing and grunting that he actually had to use his "words" so to speak. And Asher is running circles around his classroom, since he wasn't walking when he left before the break.

Anyhow, that is our New Year's update! We hope 2007 is treating everyone well so far! Best Wishes!

Mont-Tremblant

2007-01-01T09:58:00.000-05:00

Bevan went skiing with my brothers Stephen and Truman at a resort called Mont-Tremblant. It is a ski resort about 70 minutes north of Montreal. One of the best things about this resort is that most trails are about 3-4 miles long. It also allows pedestrian passes for those who would like to ride the gandala up to the top and hike for 10 minutes up to a lookout point.

Happy Happy Birthday

2006-12-29T20:58:00.000-05:00

We Celebrated Asher's first birthday with a little family party at my parent's house on the 29th, since we would be traveling on his actual birthday the next day. In attendance were Ethan, Eden (who put up the decorations), Grandma and Grandpa Whitehead, Liam (who insisted that party hats were a MUST for the baby party), Bevan and I as well as my good friend Autumn and her two daughter's Grace and Ali...also my Aunt Dorothy and cousin Ashley came down from Toronto and were also there. (Truman had to work that night and couldn't make it, but he did provide the Curious George theme...Christian and Stephen had already left to go back to Seattle and Toronto respectively.)
We had his favourite dinner which is spaghetti with meat sauce, also on the menu was alfredo sauce, ceasar salad, garlic cheese bread and of course carrot cake for the birthday boy. He ate two pieces!
His first year has gone by so quickly, I can't believe a year ago I was in the hospital after just having him. I remember thinking that the labour and delivery had been a piece of cake (compared to my first birthing experience at any rate!) and wondered what I had been so worried about for the past nine months! His birth must have been foreshadowing his temperment because he has been the most easy going and good natured child. We named him right I guess since Asher means "happy". He is always friendly and wherever we go people always comment on his big smile. I should also throw in that he is now oficially walking. He started taking a few steps at the begining of December but really took off once we were in Canada...now he is buzzing all over the place at home on two legs and loving it!
We love you "B"!

Kingston Christmas Pageant

2006-12-24T21:59:00.000-05:00

This is the best pageant ever. After I found out about how it began 29 years ago I was convinced it was indeed a miracle. All the members of the Kingston and Cataraqui Branch put it on and it turns out real well. Another thing that tends to turn out is large crowds. I was told the most in one night was 2,400 visitors with only 6 sessions (they now do 4 sessions and that was very tiring). It was freezing rain the entire night, but it was light enough rain that nobody got sick. Amanda and I played Mary and Joseph. My father-in-law, Leroy W., was kind enough to give us a quick run through of what to do. During the run through I found out that the donkey was not in the mood to give Mary a ride. I was relieved, because I didn’t need to have some angry donkey biting me. Amanda did Pageant her entire life growing up until she moved to Rexburg. So she told me stories about how the donkeys – in years past - tend to bite and the camels tend to spit (no camel this year).
At the end of the night, we all went out to see a camera guy from CKWS and acted out part of the pageant so that he could get some decent footage. Truman told me it was unlikely the footage would be used in two hours, but sure enough we were all on the 11:00 news that night for 20 seconds. So I thought it was a good use of my 15 minutes. At this point I probably have about 13 and half minutes left. And I am not splurging it on some reality TV program. That is such a waste.
Hopefully they will let me be one of the Wise Men tomorrow night on Christmas Eve. Because that way I am only out there for like 3 minutes (After the Wise Men, the show is pretty much over.

Ok this part was written on Dec 25th at night.

The picture you see of us in Shepards clothing is Liam and I on Christmas Eve. He was very reverent and respectful of the whole thing. He was happy to see the baby Jesus and kissed him. When it was time to point at the Angel he did it with much enthusiasm and did a great job at kneeling. Anyway, it was great and the weather was very nice. The stars were definitely out that night. I have never seen clearer skies. And the temperature was only 40 Farenheit.

Ride the Rocket

2006-12-23T23:57:00.000-05:00

While in Toronto we rode the Subway to Downtown Toronto. Stephen, my brother-in-law who lives on Madison Avenue, was kind enough to take us there and show us all the cool areas. He even showed us one of the best places to get Thai food. You know that peanut dressing that most Thai restaurants use on salads but they are really cheap and barely give you any? Well this place will give you a very good helping of it on top of your noodles. So yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and he is the lead chef at a place called the Salad King.
So back to the subway train, Liam was having the ride of his life. I now realize that if I want to make his day, I just need to pay the small fare of 70 cents to allow Liam to ride a Subway. So the next time I go visit my sister in D.C., I will take Liam on the Metro to the Washington Monument. Or maybe I won’t. I like to talk about doing it, and then not do it.

We had a nice visit with Amanda’s maternal Grandma Solo, her Aunt Dorothy and Cousin Ashley while we were there. Asher had not yet met his Great Grandmother and we got some nice pictures of them together. We also spent the night with Amanda’s Aunt Janet in Scarborough, which is a suburb of Toronto. It was good to be able to catch up with family we don’t get to see often.

Swedish Tea Rings

2006-12-23T23:54:00.000-05:00

One of my Mom’s longest running Christmas traditions is baking Swedish Tea Rings to give out to neighbors, teachers, family friends etc…They are a sweet dough that is rolled up with cinnamon, sugar and butter. Then they are wrapped into a wreath shape and baked. Afterwards, when they have cooled a vanilla icing is drizzled on top with a garnish of maraschino cherries. Bevan was very excited when he smelled them cooking and they are delicious. He and Liam (as well as myself) all had our fair share. Later when we went around delivering them, everyone was so excited because they had been anticipating the day in December when my mom would deliver the cakes. They have been a family tradition for about a quarter of a century now. Yum.

Also, these last 3 posts have been written by Amanda, not Bevan.

Tanglewood Festival of Lights

2006-12-23T23:51:00.000-05:00

The night before we left to come to Canada we took Liam and Asher to what is becoming a North Carolina Buchanan family tradition…The Festival of Lights at Tanglewood Park. Tanglewood Park is a golf course, horse riding, swimming and nature preserve all rolled into one. It is just outside of Winston-Salem and was originally a homestead for the Reynolds family back in the day. There is also a beautiful old mansion that is now a bed and breakfast, and an old church and family grave yard on the grounds. As you drive slowly through the grounds there is a massive lights display that covers everything, it is breathtaking. Liam is mesmerized by it. It is the largest lights display in the southeast and is sponsored by Chik-Fil-A. It takes about and hour to drive through and see everything, a very nice thing to do at this time of year.

Off to the Great White North

2006-12-23T23:50:00.000-05:00

On Thursday December 14th we left Greensboro the day after Bevan’s last exam to come and spend the holidays with my family in Kingston, Ontario. It will be the last time my family will be entirely together for the next three or four years as my brother Ethan is leaving on an LDS mission to Milan, Italy in March. My brother Truman who is only a year and a half younger then Ethan will be leaving on his mission the following year, so my mom really wanted everyone together this year and the whole family has really rallied to make that happen. Christian will be flying in from Seattle and Stephen will come back from Toronto as well, (everyone else still lives at home).
The trip itself went well, our good friend and neighbor Phil drove us to the Raleigh airport where we caught a flight to Charlotte (strangely enough) and then onto Syracuse, NY. Ethan picked us up at the airport and then drove us the additional two hours to Kingston. The boys behaved themselves very well and everything went smoothly overall. We are looking forward to a festive Canadian Christmas.