In the "Heart" of Washington

This has been a pretty eventful week for the Washington Larsen family. So busy, in fact, that Lewis wasn't able to post his blog last Sunday. We had a barbecue Sunday with Evan's 5th grade team and their families. We ate some good food, played some games, and watched the 49ers kick some Seahawk booty. We were having so much fun that it was bedtime before he had time to write his blog. We will have him post next.

Last night, Evan and I went to the Puyallup fair to see Heart in concert. They put on a great show, and we enjoyed each other's company punkin' around the fair grounds. I got a henna tatoo on my ankle. You can see the photo above. We each had a burger and shared a curly fry for the modest price of 40 bucks. Gotta love the fair!

Next week I start working Mondays, Tuesdays, and half day Wednesdays rather than 5 half days a week. Now I can make a little bit of extra money subbing on Thursdays and Fridays.

Our little cat, Trouble, is growing so fast. She hardly looks like a kitten anymore. She is very agile and playful. She has learned how to jump atop the kitchen counters and loves to sneakily hide behind the corners and jump up on you as you enter a room or come down the stairs. You can see a picture of her in a rare moment of relaxation napping on Evan's tummy in the above photo.

A couple weeks ago I got a church calling. I am now Rozi's beehive advisor. Last weekend I drove the beehives to Mason Lake for a YM/YW retreat. I missed out on the cucumber pickling night yesterday becuase I was at the concert.

Congratulations to Terra and Mark for the birth of their beautiful little girl. I really need to meet all of Evan's family! My parents are 68 and 72 and have 7 adult children, all over the age of 27 and still have no grandchildren. We just found out this summer that my youngest brother's wife is expecting, and we all couldn't be more thrilled.

Love to everybody! Have a super fabulous week!

love,

Cheryl

This and That

Well, it is my week to update the blog. It was the first week of school (student week I should say) for Cheryl and I. It is always a crazy week, and that is my excuse for not having pictures. Cheryl seems happy at her new school. The staff has given her a warm welcome (which doesn't always happen) and have made her feel like one of their own. Her only real complaint is that she would like to be full-time. She hasn't started seeing students yet. ELL (English Language Learner) teachers are buried under a pile of paperwork and tests at the start of each year.

I cannot complain about my students and my first week of school. They seem to be a nice group that is eager to learn. My work is defienetly cut out for me, but that does not scare me nearly as much as behavioral issues. Enrollment is a little shakey, so I may end up being a 4/5 combo teacher. I guess we'll have to see. There are five siblings of my previous students in my class, and this is the first time in years where I have had a girl dominant class.

Rozi and Lewis have both had a good start of year. Rozi has jumped right into junior high (8th grade in their district), and has a very positive attitude. She is so into school, church youth activities, and friends that I sometimes have a hard time relating to her. Lewis is such a constant in life. He is happy, works hard, and enjoys the simple things in life. The only major issue I have with the kid is that he always snags my remote. Okay, the kids have been at their mother's for a few days, and I my be waxing a little nostalgic.

Last night, Cheryl and I went to see Poison and Def Leppard. Neither of us have been to a concert in 20 years, and it was awesome. We bought the tickets to see Poison, but Def Leppard was by far the best. I have been to a few concerts in my life, but experiencing it with Cheryl made it so much better. We both knew all the songs, and we didn't have any problem singing and screaming along since the crowd was primarily made up of old farts like us (I mean me). Cheryl and I are going to see Heart at the fair on the 23rd.

Today, Cheryl and I drove down to Portland to eat Mongolian BBQ with Cheryl's parents, brother, and sister-in-law. It was a double birthday celebration. Trouble is living up to her name, but that is another blog. Hope all is well with everyone.
Later, Evan

First Day of School & Cool Cars

This week was the 1st week of school!!I'm sure that this year is going to be real difficult since I'm in all the honors classes. But, I have all my classes with my best friend (the reason why I wanted to do honors) except choir and PE. I like all my classes so far. Lewis likes his teacher. I didn't really like her when I was in 6th grade. :( I already have homework even though it was the first week of school. :( The 1st picture is of Lewis and me on the 1st day of school.

Yesterday, we went to the LeMay Car Museum. It is the largest car museum in the United States. The 2nd picture is me with a Daimler. That was my favorite car in the whole museum. I was getting ready to see a Rolls Royce, but that didn't really happen because they weren't on display. :( The 3rd picture is of me, Lewis, and Lewis' friend Derek in front of a Fastback '69 Mustang. And the last picture is of Dad and Cheryl in front of a Peirce-Arrow. It was one of Dad and Cheryl's favorites. The guided tour was over two hours long.

After the car museum we went to Farrelli's Wood Fire Pizza. It's a pizza-place only in Washington State (It's so good). We got a free set of nacho's because Dad didn't want olives so we asked them to put them on the side. But, they did put olives on it so we got another set without olives. :) I didn't care either way. Today, Cheryl was called to be the Beehive advisor. She is the advisor, I am the president, and my best friend is the first counselor.
Talk to you in four weeks,
Rozi

P.S. Please invite ckjlarsen@yahoo.com to visit the invite only blogs so she can comment as herself.