The Supermanns

New Christmas Card Design

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:45:00 +0000

This is the design I came up with for my Christmas cards this year. I am interested to hear what others think of it. Please make some noise!

I am planning on doing a series of designs for 2010 and selling them.

The BEST Thanksgiving EVER!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:37:00 +0000

In the snow...

This year will go down as "The Best Thanksgiving Ever". It was trickery, plotting, and outright lying at it's best! The Mann family pulled off the best surprise gathering to celebrate the holidays.

Here is a summary: Mom and Dad Mann went to Salt Lake City to visit their 3 children who live there. At the airport, they were approached with the question "Can you help me find my parents?" by their daughter, Gwen, who lives in New York.

Later that same day, Chris and I knocked on the door, and they could hardly believe it when it was us (we had chatted on the phone earlier in the day as we were driving across Nevada... :-)

Surprise! It's us.

Shawn (Chris' nephew) and Karlena showed up a few days later, after driving in from Washington. And George and his family drove in from Idaho.

But - the most elaborate plot came out on Thanksgiving morning. The Texas family, after driving for 30 hours, were sneeked into the house and we had most of the family down-stairs to Skype with them... so, the parents were amazed that through technology we were all together, and then Christy popped downstairs... the tears came instantly!

The shock!

Yes!!! We pulled it off, and no one spilled the beans.

We wound up with 33 people (all of the Mann Clann) in one house for Thanksgiving. Noelle, Brook, and I were doing a lot of cooking, and cleaning, and cooking, and cleaning...

Here's the whole Clann:

The Mann Boys:

And the WoMann's:

It was an intense week, but so fun! Thanks to John, Noelle, Brook, and David for hosting this. We could never have done it without you and your big ol' house!

What Are We UpTo?

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:14:00 +0000

Well, about 5'6"... OK, bad joke.

The last few weeks have been flying by! We have celebrated our 3rd anniversary, done some redecorating (painting!), and explored some more of SacTown...and all the usual things of course.

We went exploring some parks - I really like Capitol Park. And since we were there, we went inside the Capitol and wandered around. I haven't been inside since I was a kid and my choir sang there. And I had to get my picture taken with the Governator's door - There was a group of very excited girls near us who were way too overly thrilled to see it. It was kind of scary.

We also wandered down to Discovery Park which is right where the Sacramento River and the American River meet up... and nice wilderness place in the heart of the city. It kind of ruins the remote feeling when the freeway is right through the center of the park, but take what you can get around here in the way of nature!

On our anniversary, we celebrated by going to the Sacramento Temple and to the Cheesecake Factory - a perk about living in a big city - they have EVERYTHING! We dressed up and Chris was so handsome in his new suit. I haven't seen him in a suit since our wedding day!

And for the painting - we decided to paint the kitchen "Buttery Yellow". It is not much different than what it was before, but a little brighter and sunshinier. I was very impressed that we only needed one coat... so we have lots of extra paint. We could go crazy and paint more of the house yellow (but we probably won't... maybe just one of the bedrooms).

My kitchen colors have been Red, White, and Black, but I was excited to add in a new color to the mix. And the yellow goes so well with all my red things. I really like the red curtains Noelle left for us too - they match right in!

Here's a picture of the green wall we painted in our living room a few months ago... I HEART it!

A Beautiful Day by the Bay

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 18:42:00 +0000

I spent 3 days this week in Pacific Grove, on the Monterey Bay. I was their for a Training Conference for work (I was one of the trainers). But I did get some time to enjoy the scenery. We also were given free passes to the Aquarium, so I went there on Friday- I especially enjoyed the special exhibit "The Secret Lives of Seahorses" - they are amazing creatures.

Conference Cinnamon Rolls

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 06:54:00 +0000

Chris and I have adopted a new tradition - Cinnamon Rolls for General Conference. Yummy! These beautiful rolls are hot from the oven, and tomorrow we'll add the fabulous Maple Icing! Hope everyone enjoys the weekend while we Listen to the Prophet's Voice. We will!

Trying out a New Green Thumb

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:25:00 +0000

What a surprise! Today was the first day that there has been any hint that Summer is leaving. This was the thermometer reading at 2 o'clock in the afternoon! A miracle! Usually this is what it is at sunrise.

I am enjoying having a yard! And now the weather is cooperating and I can spend more than a few minutes out in it, instead of watching it from the comfort of the AC. Chris isn't thrilled about the fact that now we have a lawn to mow, but he is a good sport. Even when he has to trim the edges of the lawn with scissors... we definitely need to get a weed-whacker one of these days! But it is so fun to plant things, to watch them grow.

Noelle and John left us a really cute little garden... The carrots are the only thing still growing, and they are little bitty things - I think partially because the ground is really hard. They get really fat at the top, but don't get very long. We've eaten lots of onions, and there was a cucumber and lettuce too. But the flowers are my favorite part.

Chris and I (OK, mostly me) spend a lot of time thinking and planning what we want to plant, and what we want to do outside. But for now, this is what we have:

The newest addition to our yard... I can see it out of our bedroom window. This tree took about 6 hours and 20$ (to buy a new shovel, and work gloves) just to plant it.That hole is 4 feet wide and about 18 inches deep - but the ground was as hard as concrete. We had to soak it, then dig a little, then soak it again. It is a Red Oak and will provide beautiful shade to the back of our house (according to SMUD, the power company here). They provide free shade trees to help lower power usage. Right now, there is a blade of grass that loves the shade it gives... but in a few years, it should be taller than the house.

The Iris-like blooms... I love them. They don't last long, but they are pretty! Anyone know what this is called? I have no idea.

One of my favorite flowers... I love Gerbera Daisies. We currently have FOUR big beautiful orange blooms! (Thanks Noelle!)

The Crape Myrtle Tree (the one that's still alive of the 2) is blooming. I see it out the office window as I work away on the computer. I love the vivid color! Chris planted another tree, with white blooms, next to it. And we'll be replacing the dead tree with one that has lavender blossoms. I can't wait for a few years from now when all three trees will be covered with color!

The "Get Current" List

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:14:00 +0000

In case you are wondering what's been happening at our house, here is the list:

Planting Trees in our new place is HARD work... the ground is like rocks. No joke, friends in the area have told me that the best way is to rent a jack hammer. So Chris and me with a couple of shovels had a hard time.
Commuting is hard, and my mind goes sometimes. I got to the office in Rohnert Park, a 2 hour drive from home, and realized I had left my computer at home. I was supposed to give a training that day to a bunch of staff... I had to postpone due to technical difficulties.
With all the extra time in the car, I "read" good books. Audiobooks are keeping me sane. My current project - Jane Austen.
Chris loves school - he is doing well and is excited about his program. On the first day of one of his classes, he came home and told me what they were learning - photoshop (which he already knows) and some basic design principles. He was able to talk to the department head and get that class waived, so now he has one on designing a class - he is learning how to teach, a VERY useful subject.
I got sick, but thanks to my new Netti Pot, it wasn't bad. I got off with sneezing and congestion, instead of the sinus infection/bronchitis that usually sets in. And no coughing. Yeah!(Netti Pots, by the way, are amazing. You have this little teapot thing that you stick the spout of into one nostril and the saline solution goes out the other one.... very fun and very effective. I used to have a constantly stuffy nose, and now I breathe freely. Check it out - you can get it for $12 bucks at Target.)
We took a fast roadtrip to Utah to visit family. I never want to drive all night again, but it was still a fun time. Great to see the family.
Settling into the new house/area has been fun. We've been painting, exploring, and learning how to get across town without getting stuck in traffic... well, still working on that one.
The Job Search still presses forward. Chris has been applying all over the place and working hard, but not even getting a call from most places. It's very frustrating for him, and for me too. If anyone knows of anything, please let us know! Your prayers and good thoughts are appreciated too.
Chris and I are reading Harry Potter together, and enjoying it very much. There are nights when we stay up way passed my bedtime because we're into it.
We are looking forward to Fall - cooler weather (it's been over 100 all week!), General Conference, our 3- year Anniversary, and the good times we'll have.

Welcome to a New Town!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:32:00 +0000

We've been moving... it's been a long process, but we're finally starting to feel settled in our home. The fun part of learning a new city, finding all the stores we need, discovering where the cheapest gas can be found, and exploring fun things to do is just beginning! But the biggest thing we have to get used to? This is a big city, with big city issues!

Our very first day in Sacramento, I went to the Safeway just a few blocks from our house to get some doughnuts for the guys who were coming to help us move in that morning. As I was leaving the parking lot in my car, about 10 yards away from me I saw the store manager talking with a "bummy" sort of guy. All of a sudden, the guy opens up his jacket and flashes the manager (I have no idea why - his back was to me) and the manager lunges toward him. He takes of running - straight at my car! I hit the locks and the gas and sped out of there... no car-jacker for me, thank you very much.

Later that morning, we met one of our neighbors - a guy just beginning retirement from the Highway Patrol. He told us all about the crime in the area, and that one time, these people left their garage open while the kids were playing outside. A van pulled up, a couple guys jumped out, and grabbed a few bikes from the garage and drove off, while the kids were watching, too surprised to do anything.

And then, we decided we needed to find a Target. Super Wal-Mart is right there with everything imaginable in the store, except the water filter we needed. So we went online, found the closest Target, and hopped in the car. We got off on the exit, and discovered a police barricade preventing us from turning left like we wanted to do... so we went right. There was a lot of congestion on the road (as happens when stuff is blocked off), and there were tons of cops. As we are waiting for a chance to turn around, a cop right across the median from us runs to her car and grabs a big old gun! We got a little further up and we could see a bunch of caution tape, news crews, and tons of cops. There were 2 helicopters and a plane circling the area as well. We finally made our way out of the area, and when we got home, we hopped online and discovered the reason for all the police action. A nearby bank had been robbed at 1:30 in the afternoon, with hostages. A cop had been shot (luckily, not a bad injury), and the guys all eventually took off and led the police on some pursuits. They caught the 4 guys, but still...

It has been several weeks, and nothing more has happened near us. But I've become addicted to checking the arrest logs!

Please don't panic Mom. I really do feel safe. I just will proceed with caution around here and remember I'm not in a safe, small town anymore. This is a big city!

And there are lots of good things about living here too. More to come soon.

G-pa's 90th Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:53:00 +0000

Chris and I had a fun weekend visiting his grandparents to help celebrate G-pa's 90th birthday. We drove up with Chris' parents to Grants Pass, Oregon - a 5 1/2 hour drive from our house in Sacramento.

One of my favorite things was finding photo albums of pictures from way back when, including baby pictures of Gran and G-pa. We went through the albums, and they told us stories about who and what was going on - I learned a lot about the Ottesen Clan!

Aunt Joanne, G-pa, Gran, Uncle Larry, and Mom (Joy)

For Grandpa's party, they had several friends over. The best part though was having G-pa's Barbershop Quartet there to sing. Grandpa lights up when he's singing - he can really ham it up!

At one point, he gave the pitch on his pipe and told everyone, "we're going to do a real upbeat number." He was all ready to sing when the other Quartet members said, "are you going to tell us which one?" That got a big laugh from the crowd.

G-pa's tenor rings out clearly - he's still got it! I am working on editing a short video of the quartet singing... it will be available to family soon!

Another great summer of movies

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:32:00 +0000

Hello, everybody! Chris here again with more movie reviews, because this year we have another great summer of movies like last year. I don't feel that there are as many good movies as last year, however, the year isn't over yet.

So the first movie I saw this summer, and I had known about it for months, was X-men Origins: Wolverine. It was a really fun movie. It was great to finally learn about Wolverine's past and introduce a lot of new cool characters at the same time. I love Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. I don't think anyone could play that role better. There were, however, some parts of the movie I didn't like so much because they were inconsistent with the X-men trilogy, and I don't totally like what they did with Deadpool, although I do love that they got Ryan Reynolds to play the part (if you don't know who that character is don't worry about it. All you need to know is that he is quite funny and that I was wanting more of him in the movie). I also wish that they had given Gambit more of a Southern accent, but oh well. Overall, at first I wasn't sure what to think of it when the movie was over, but the more I played the scenes over and over in my head, I really grew to love it. I recommend this movie to anyone who loves Superhero movies, or who love fun action/adventure movies with a lot of special effects. This one is definitely watching again and again. The action in this one tops that of all the action in the X-men trilogy. 'Nuff said.

The next movie I saw was Disney/Pixar's Up. I love Pixar movies. There hasn't been one yet that I haven't liked, and this one is definitely included. I went and saw it twice, in 3D no less. I love that 3D movies are making a come back, because it really adds to the experience. This movie is great! It has plenty of laughs for everyone, especially adults. I'm not saying that it's crude at times, because it's totally not. I'm saying that because the main character is an old man, so there are a lot more adult themes going on through the movie that just go over kids' heads. I really enjoyed myself when watching this movie, and it made me wish that all Pixar movies could be viewed in 3D. I highly recommend this movie for anyone and everyone.

Then I went and saw The Proposal. It's a comedy starring Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock. They are great together, and this movie had a lot of laughs. Sandra Bullock plays a mean boss that no one likes especially Ryan's character who is her personal assistant. And she pretends to be getting married to Ryan when she is told that she is going to be deported to Canada, and the movie takes off from there yielding many funny moments throughout the film. I recommend this movie to anyone who likes romantic comedies.

Next I saw Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and boy, is that ever an awesome movie! I don't know if I would say it is better than the first movie, but it is definitely as good. It is really a different story from the first one because there were new enemies and heroes as well as returning ones, but also a new plot while continuing to develop older relationships and such. The movie has a different feel than the first one, but that isn't a bad thing, since it's still really good. One of the scenes I loved the most is when Optimus Prime takes on three Decepticons at once. Also, Bumblebee kicks some booty as well. I definitely recommend this one as well.

I also saw Night at the Museum: Battle for the Smithsonian. It is good and funny. There are a few parts that make me wonder where all the security guards are during all the activities, but it doesn't really take away from the fun of it. If you saw and liked the first one, you will probably like the second one, and I definitely only recommend it to those that have seen the first one, otherwise it might not make much sense. Same goes for Transformers 2.

So that's it for now. Other movies on my list to see this summer is Star Trek (I've heard nothing but good things about it), Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, G.I. Joe, and Sherlock Holmes (though this one doesn't come out until Christmas). I may also see 2012, The Time Traveler's Wife, Planet 51, and Old Dogs later this year. I'll let you know about those movies as well, if you care to know. Till then Chao!

Happy 1/2 Birthday!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:05:00 +0000

It's 1/2 Birthday time in the Mann house - today Chris is celebrating 25 1/2 years on the planet. Happy 1/2 Birthday to the Love of my Life!

A Sleepy Boy!

First Day of School!

Graduating from High School

Hangin' at the Zoo with the Giraffes

Gettin' hitched to me, making me the luckiest girl ever!

Half Birthdays are a tradition that have been around in my family forever! Who doesn't appreciate a reason to celebrate and eat cake?!?!

A Taste of Pioneer Life

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:30:00 +0000

That's right... we were pioneers. Chris and I went with the youth of our stake on a Trek - a 3 day adventure meant to recreate the experiences of the Mormon Pioneers as they made the long hard journey to Salt Lake with handcarts. I can't really sum up the experience, so all I will say is that despite the dirt, it was an amazing experience!

Sit back in the comfort of your home and watch this little video about our trials and tribulations in the wilderness!

Good Times in LA

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:26:00 +0000

The Clawson Crew:
Chris, Keith, Rachel, Elisa, Andrew, Mom, Dad, Allen
Emily, Nathan, Sarah, Ashley
Emma, Luke, Jacob
(not pictured: April, Bradley, Jared)

Chris and I just returned from a quick visit to the LA area. My whole family (well... almost!) gathered for Luke's baptism and some fun. It was a little insane... 17 people in one house. But it worked, and we had a ton of fun.

Getting a little lost on the way down - we missed the 210 and ended up on a more crowded road, but it all worked.

Elisa, Chris and I took Ashley and Emma to see UP! Crazy LA movie prices = $14/adult and $11/kid. Gulp.

We went to see the new Clawson house - Andrew and Sarah are in process of buying a cool new house! The kids were excited to show us whose room would be where. Congrats guys.

Luke's Baptism of course! He asked Rachel and me to sing "Baptism on page 100 of the Children's Songbook". And everything was very nice. He is a great little guy!

My parents took all 17 people to the Spaghetti Factory... yummy. Even though Nathan decided he had to throw trash into my drink (and got it in twice). :-)

Playing "Sorry!" to a captivated audience. I won, but the game really heated up at the end when it was down to Chris and Keith.

Hangin' with my sisters... we were cracking up when no one else could understand why. "This lemonade is ... creamy!" We have decided we have to make a point to see each other all more often.

Getting up at 4am to drive my sis to the airport in Long Beach... unfortunately, they couldn't pick the airport 10 minutes from Andrew and Sarah's. But we beat the 91 traffic at that hour!

California Adventure! Elisa had never been there, so we went and had a blast. Ashley, Emma, and Luke joined us after playing in the Magic Kingdom for awhile.

And of course, the best part - driving for hours. Love the road trips on the 5!

Here are a few pictures from our trip:

Andrew and Luke in Baptism White

Ashley and I were Matchy-matchy!

Sisters!

Me 'n Elisa, waiting in line.

Chris n' me, waiting in line.

At Fisherman's Warf - we reeled in a big catch!

Emma, Luke, and Ashley... waiting in line.

For all you Office Fans...

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Fri, 29 May 2009 06:12:00 +0000

Who can relate to the Office? The craziness of being stuck in a small space with people you would not normally hang out with all day, every day, if given the choice. But you make it work, and find ways to keep sane and entertained.

Well, I am fortunate to have a job that I really like, and coworkers who are pretty fun people. We love to laugh at ourselves and be creative and joke around. Our staff put this video together (sadly, I really did nothing to help!) to show the 100+ AmeriCorps members what we do all day. Rather, what they THINK we do all day. I swear, we actually get a ton done!

Enjoy the video. To learn more about where I work and what we do, watch our other YouTube movies, or go to www.calserves.org.

BREAKING NEWS! Celebrity Dies of Swine Flu

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:18:00 +0000

And we all know who gave it to him....

Sorry for the sick post... I couldn't resist. Thanks to my sister for the laugh today. I just had to share with everyone.

I've been joking about it, but I really think I did have the Swine Flu back before it was "popular". I like being a trend setter, but people have to start giving me credit. I was too sick to have just a normal version of the virus. Yep, definitely had the Piggy Flu! Glad I made out better than Kermit.

Not in a Box!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Fri, 15 May 2009 05:43:00 +0000

It's starting... the boxes are closing in on me... I'm starting to obsess about packing materials, and I'm starting to arrange the already-packed-boxes in tasteful patterns that can double as furniture!

Chris and I have just 2 more weeks in our apartment. For those that don't know, we are putting all our stuff (and I mean ALL... furniture, books, kitchen stuff, even some food) into storage and will be staying with the Manns (as in Chris' parents) for the summer. All in the name of saving money. But it's a lot of money.

I like to think positively. This will make moving into our own place easier. All we'll need to do is load the storage unit into a van. But when you're getting yourself tangled in packing tape, it's hard to remember it's all for your own good.

If anyone has boxes, please send them our way. We need about a gazillion more.

Sally

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Sat, 02 May 2009 15:38:00 +0000

As many of you know, we have had a hamster for a couple of years, and we named her Sally (after the cute porsche in Pixar's CARS). She has been a lot of fun... running around the house in her hamster ball, chewing all the things she's not supposed to while ignoring her chew toys, finding a way to make the "noiseless wheel" create a racket that rouses us several times a night, being determined to escape her glass home and actually pulling herself up the water bottle and hanging by the wire top with her teeth, and all around being cute.

Sally has been sick for the last few weeks. We took her to the vet and he told us she had a respiratory infection, like pneumonia in hamster form. We got antibiotics, and she seemed to perk up. However, a few days ago, she stopped taking her medicine (she directed it to her cheek and then would let it dribble out). She is leaving us.

She is my first real pet (the bunny we had for 4 weeks when I was a kid doesn't really count - and she was Rachel's anyway). I am amazed how a furry little rodent made her way into my heart. I didn't expect to feel so sad, and I will miss her - even the waking up in the middle of the night to her newest racket!

One of my favorite memories of Sally is when she was still fairly new to us. When we got her, we bought this awesome habitat that had tunnels, and a tower, and all kinds of fun things to do. But it was all plastic. And that means it's no match for a spunky hamster and her teeth! So there were several mornings when we would wake up and discover that she had escaped - always in a new and different way. One morning, I didn't have to look far to find her. She had found a box in the kitchen that had a bag of freshly picked peaches... and had taken a big bite out of all of them! She had also chewed a whole in her food bag and had quite a feast. She was so full of food that she wasn't running fast and I caught her pretty easily.

Here are some recent pictures - taken just a few days ago. She was having fun with her bag of treats. There were just a few in there, so we thought we'd let her get them... this is what she did.

In she goes...

enjoying her treats...

chewed a hole in the bottom...

and got a little stuck getting out. But she made it.

Silly Sally. We'll miss you, Sweet Pea.

Wedding Flashback from Rachel

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:42:00 +0000

Thanks so much to my sister Rachel who put together this slideshow from our wedding. And props to Janea who took most of the photos! I hope you enjoy a little reminiscing from a few years ago - 2 years, 6 months, and 7 days to be exact!

I HAVE A JOB

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:09:00 +0000

Hello Family and friends,

This is Chris here. Wow, amazing! You actually get to hear from me again! Well I have something really good to talk about today that I want to share with everyone.

Two weeks ago, I got a sales job with Vector Marketing. I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to say about the job online, because they have a strict policy about advertising online, so if you want to know more specifics about what I do, just get in contact with me. But I really like this job, especially with how simple it is. And I'm already on my way to my first promotion!

So it's a great relief to Emily and myself that I have a job again, after pretty much a whole year of being unemployed. I know that some of you reading this were unaware of my unemployment, but I just want to say thanks to all those who did know, and kept their ears open for employment opportunities.

Well, I think that that's about it for me right now, and I'll write again at some future date. When that will be, of course, is yet to be determined. Happy Spring everybody!

Back to Life

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 22:09:00 +0000

It's amazing to come back to life after being sick... the world is a wonderful place full of adventures and explorations, and people you haven't seen for weeks and weeks. I came out of my cocoon of sickness to discover spring all around me - blossoms, and flowers, and bugs, and warm sunshine. It's good to be alive!

Here are a few things I'm looking forward to doing now that I know I will live for awhile:

Seeing family this weekend - lots of family.
Easter eggs and bunnies
Taxes (it will be nice to be done with them!)
Homework - I have a lot to catch up on
Talking to real people instead of waiting for Ty from Extreme Home Makeover or Dr. Sheppard from Gray's Anatomy to make my day.
Talking and not have people immediately run for cover to avoid my germs.
Sleeping all through the night without codeine cough syrup.
Doing fun and thoughtful things for my husband who was so good to me all through my sickness.
Going to the beach - it's been forever.
Seeing my Young Women again - it's been weeks!

It's time to get started. Have fun everyone. I will!

SICK

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:16:00 +0000

I hate being sick. Of course, I don't know anyone who enjoys it. But it stinks. I have had a fever for 5 days now, and am coughing up my guts. Hopefully, Kaiser can fit me in today. Fortunately, my darling husband has been taking good care of me. Here's a picture you let you know how I feel:

Adoption Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 02:07:00 +0000

I was so honored and excited to be in Sacramento with the Philpotts when they finalized the adoption with Michael, Emma, and Jenna. It was such a fun day. Mom Mann and I drove out early in the morning and met John, Noelle, and the kids at the courthouse. The actual time in the courtroom was very quick - everyone signing papers (even the kids). We then went to John's Incredible Pizza Co. for a yummy lunch and fun playing arcade games and rides for the kids. Here's some pictures of the day.

The Philpotts outside the courthouse - l to r:
Jenna, Noelle, Isaiah, Abigail, John, Emma, Michael

Jenna picked this pretty flower outside the courthouse.
She wore it in her hair for several hours, until it just fell apart.

Abby LOVED this Speed Racer game - she played it over and over again.

Emma on the Carousel

Michael having a good time.

Carving our Initials

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:32:00 +0000

Last week, work took me to Fort Bragg (on the coast in Mendocino County, for those that don't know). I get to visit lots of after school programs, and that also leaves me time to have some fun along with the work.

So this trip, I convinced Chris to come with me. We had fun exploring the beaches. There's a beach right in Fort Bragg called "Glass Beach" that used to be a dump... now there are tons of glass pieces, polished smooth, mixed in with all the rocks.

We also headed down to the Mendocino Headlands. We tried watching for whales, and we both got excited thinking we'd seen some, but I think it was probably just waves. The coastline there is amazing - tons of rocks, cliffs, tide pools... you name it. There are these cliffs there, made of sand. It looks kinda like the Grand Canyon, but much smaller. Anyway, Chris carved our initials... awww. I love you, Chris!

The Heroine of my own Storybook

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:40:00 +0000

I'm taking an HTML class on-line, and there is TONS of homework - all due by Midnight on Mondays. So what was I doing at 8pm on Monday... right, my homework. Chris was watching/commenting/but-not helping me for our FHE activity (I love you, Babe!).One of the assignments was to review a website. Well - I found a great one.

It's for the movie "The Tale of Despereaux", which I haven't seen but now want to. You enter in some basic info about you, create your person to look like you (hair, skin, eye color), and then it creates a 3D, pop-up book with you as the star! It's amazing. It even has interactive games to help tell the story.

Since I have my own book, I thought you all might want to read it. Enjoy!

Emily's Storybook Adventure

Randomness and Niblings

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 14:43:00 +0000

That's right, a speed limit of 9 1/2 MPH. Those of you that frequent the Oakland Temple probably have seen it before, but now it's up at the very front as you enter the grounds. It's my favorite, and always makes me chuckle.

In other news, Chris and I are going to be "Pa and Ma" on a Pioneer Trek with the youth of our stake. We will have 8-10 "children" between the ages of 12-18. And the group of us will be pulling/pushing/doing-whatever-it-takes to move a handcart through the wilderness. I'm excited- I think this will be really fun. I'm even starting to adjust to the idea that I will not be able to bathe for 3 days. Oh, and did I mention that this will be done in full Pioneer Costume? Bring on the bonnet!

This past weekend, we went out to ITT in Sacramento for an open house. They had a class for us to attend, so we could get a sense of what the software and classroom set up is like. We played around with an Adobe video editing software called "After Effects" and learned how to take a video shot on a green screen and place it on a background. There's a lot more to it than plunking it in - adjustments, cropping... lots of little things to make a 4 second movie! Chris had a good time - he was in his element.

We have spent time with nieces and nephews this past week too - we saw 8 of our 22 (soon to be 24!) nieces and nephews. It was super fun to see Ashley, Emma, and Luke who came up to visit from SoCal. It's been awhile. And we got to visit the Philpott 5 when we were in Sacramento - Abigail, Michael, Emma (yes, I have two nieces named Emma), Jenna, and Isaiah. We love the kids in our family!

By the way, the English language is so clunky on this topic - nieces and nephews. Why isn't their one word for both genders of sibling offspring? Something along the lines of the generic "Cousin". Someone should do something about that. A simple combo leads to very unsatisfactory results (Niephew, Niecphew, Nephces... yikes!) I googled this question, and the word "NIBLING" has been suggested by some as a solution here, kinda like "sibling"... what do you all think? Is Nibling good, or do we need a new word? If a new word is needed, what will it be?

See, told you this was random!