Me Again

Well, it is my turn again. Most this week it was just Cheryl and I. The kids popped in for mutual and church. The kids stayed after church today, and Lewis and I watched the final hockey game between Canada and the United States. It was a nail bitter, with a not so satisfying ending. You heard about Rozi's life on the last blog. Lewis went on his first camp out/backpacking trip last weekend. Being a scout activity, nothing went the way it was supposed to. The log bridge they were supposed to cross washed out, they had to camp in a non-camping area, and Lewis got his first scout wound (a good cut on his knuckle while slicing onions). You would have thought it would have been miserable for him, but that was not the case. His whole birthday wish list now is camping equipment. Not a video game on it. He did luck out with the weather. It did not rain and the skies were clear.

While Lewis was camping, Cheryl and I were at Bon Jovi at Key Arena. While getting older usually means you slow down, men like Brett Farve and Jon Bon Jovi bring a little bit of pride and hope for us middle age men. Cheryl and I both believe that it was the most enjoyable concert either of us has ever been to. They played all the classics, paid attention to the nose bleed seats, and played for an impressive 2 1/2 hours straight. For the last song, Jon Bon Jovi started "Livin' on a Prayer" a Capella, and then everyone in the audience (we are talking a packed arena that seats thousands) joined in. The band kicked in half way through the song. It was very cool. Dashboard Confessional opened up for them. They were pretty good. Next month we are going to see Cheap Trick here in Tacoma.

Last night Cheryl and I were thinking about seeing a movie, but then we found out about something called RUSH tickets at the local playhouse we like to go to. You show up 15 minutes before the show, and if there are any tickets left, you can get them for 10 bucks. They usually run 22 dollars a piece. We saw "You Can't Take It With You." It was hilarious. It is all about the quirkiness of families. A play that will make you laugh and think. I guess it is a common play. See a show if you have the chance.

Things have been in a weird place at school. While my grade level team and I have done well with standardized test scores (beating district average in reading and math), our school for the most part hasn't. We are now looking in the sky to see if the Black Hawk helicopters are going to swoop in and take over. For the next few weeks it is going to be all about report cards, conferences, and worrying.

The kids are back next week. It looks to be another packed week. Kids are easier when they are older, but believe it or not they are more expensive, and they have their own lives that you are expected to transport them to. Hope that everyone is doing well.

Miss You,
Evan

Snow trip!

Hi everybody! On Monday we had a trip to Mt. Rainer as a combined mutual activity. It was really fun, and the mountain had lots and lots of snow. I didn't go sledding because it had a really long line and I was sorta a wimp. Some young men decided to get creative and build snow igloos, tunnels, and caves. Most of the time we threw snowballs at each other and made snow angels; just that regular snow stuff. I also spent a lot of time at the lodge, looking at maps for my science project. No luck. At the end there was some confusion on when we were going to leave. Cheryl, some other youth, and I spent about an hour waiting for our drivers. They finally came, and in the car ride back I took a short nap because I was really tired. We had the week off for mid-winter break.

On Thursday, I went to Anderson Island with my friend Kelsey's family. They own a bunch of property there including a lot of barren land. We went to the beach to skip rocks and watch the sun set. Kelsey's brother, Caleb, found a little crab that he promptly threw into the ocean. The car was made for 8 people and we needed to fit 1o people. Most of the time, Kelsey and I decided to break the law and sit in the trunk. Although it wasn't the safest thing, it was really fun.

On Friday, I went over to my friend Madison's house to talk about EFY (Especially for Youth). Madison and I decided that we are rooming together during EFY because last time Madison didn't really know her roommate. I can't register until March 2nd, but I did set up my own account. It is at the University of Puget Sound. After we set up our account we went to Dairy Queen and got pecan cluster blizzards. They are the best blizzards in the whole entire world. When we got back to her house we watched Baptist at our BBQ. It was hilarious.

Love,
Rozi

Happy Valentine's Day

All in all, a pretty uneventful week. Last weekend I drove to Portland to attend the baptism for the daughter of my best friend from high school. Once there, I was asked on the spot to lead the music for the baptism since the person whose name was on the program did not make it. I've never led music before, so it was a little bit of a comedy routine, but we all got through the event unharmed. Evan and the kids stayed home while I went to Portland, but I did bring the cat. My parents got to meet Trouble for the first time. She didn't act up at Mom's and Dad's, but she was pretty shy and mostly hid behind the furniture the whole day. She was a pleasant little traveling companion on the way there, but on the way home, it was very dark so she just whined and meowed inside her cat carrier the whole way home.

We had a family Valentine's Day. Since it is our first Valentine's Day as a family, even the kids got gifts. It was also Chinese New Year this week, so the kids really got spoiled.

Rozi had a choir concert this week. I did not go because I had the young women over that night for an etiquette dinner. Evan went, however, and said it was phenomenal. We missed having Rozi at the Beehive activity, but I'm glad that the concert went so well.

A few weeks ago, the kids got their turn at the dentist. This week, Evan and I went. My tooth kinda crumbled when I was flossing the other day, so I had to go in. Now I have at least two more visits in my future. Evan went in for some tooth pain and he also has two future appointments. Hopefully, the kids will learn from our pain and torture and start flossing and brushing more regularly. We are trying to bribe them with incentives to floss daily. They lasted a few days, maybe a week. We'll see what happens at their next dental visits in a couple months.

Like I said, a pretty boring week. That's why the only thing I have to write about is the dentist.

Hope everyone had a Valentine's Day full of love and warm memories!!

Lots of Love,
Cheryl

Super Bowl Sunday

To start this week off, I went to an awsome rock climbing place in Tacoma with my mom. I went rock climbing for an hour while my mom went on a baley class so I can use the ropes. The whole time I played with another kid who is a year older than me. At the end of my mom's baley class, I used the ropes. I wasn't that bad. I then was sore for two days.

On Thursday I had a violin concert. I think my dad and Cheryl liked it. We played three songs; Frog in the Tree, Sailor Song, and Joust Ha Ra.

On Saturday, dad took me to El Torro. It was good. Dad and I both had the same thing. A burrito with steak, no rice, black beans, and cheese on the top. Cheryl and Rozi didn't go,because Rozi was at the mall with her freinds. Cheryl was at her freind's daughter's baptism in Portland. My friend stayed the night at our house on Friday night, and I stayed at his house on Saturday night.

Lastly, we watched the Super Bowl. My freind Derek came over again, because his parents aren't football fans. He was like us going for the Colts. We lost though. The Colts at the end had some bad luck.
Love, Lewis