Sorry I didn't post your birthday wish yesterday! Sounds like you had fun.

Things are good down here in SD town. Me and my buddies had our first LOST party last night. Very fun. I caught them all up on the show since only me and Michelle had watched all of last season. I felt like a total nerd at the amount of stuff I knew about the show. But I think I had it all clear because I watched all the episodes in a row and most people saw them weeks apart. Anyway, it was fun. Very intriguing episode...

For all you potter fans with mp3 players - you should check out the two big podcasts for Harry Potter, Mugglecast and Pottercast. Pretty good discussions about the books and films. Just thought I would drop a promo for that.

Have a great day everyone!

--
Marnie

It would be a shame to allow the birthday of the most thoughtful person in the family to pass without some celebration! I'm glad you were able to go to lunch and dinner and hope it was an enjoyable and relaxing day! Whether or not you are actually a year older you are still so young I am sure no one would believe you that you have a son who insists on his "privacy!" Happy Birthday! You can look forward to getting a card next year, that's my hope anyway. This year I am working hard on getting Christmas gifts sent out on time, next year I upgrade to birthdays. I'll get it right eventually. :) The point is I hope you have a fabulous birthday!!!

Hayden jumped up on the couch yesterday and out of the blue said he wanted to call his cousins. I would have let him but it was school time in Washington and then I forgot to let him do it after dinner, I'll have to let him do that soon. That would be really fun for him. He is constantly talking about things we did while in Washington.

Well I better go to bed, it's getting late. Congrats Anne! What an awesome article! I hope you all enjoyed Lost tonight. Tom is so addicted he is constantly online reading all the info and most recently I found him studying a map of the bunker... Hayden is doing well. Last night after we had pizza for dinner he came up to me and was worried that I got pizza on baby sister. I looked at my shirt and it was still clean so I told him that I hadn't gotten any pizza on her. To which he replied "Yes you did, you put the pizza in your mouth and it went in your tummy and got her all messy!" I was laughing so hard I doubt he caught any of my feeble attempt to explain about having a seperate tummy for the baby... funny kid. He's always thinking! Well have a great night all! Happy Birthday Adina!

Tracey

This is such an insane time of year...it sounds like everyone is staying really busy!

Anne - you done made us so proud! It's cool having a semi-celebrity in the family! Thank you for sharing the articles - we enjoy them!

Tom & Hayden - caught a glimpse of the newspaper photo. Very cool, but we are not in the least bit surprised! :)

Marnie - fellow Lost watcher. I have a love-hate relationship with that show. I love it because it sucks me in, but I hate it because it sucks me in. And it never answers any of my hundreds of questions! Yet, I watch.

Mike - Dave finished the storytime DVD. I saw Brooke today, and being the brain-case that I am lately, I forgot to give it to her. Anyway - we will get that to her soon and also send one your way.

Things have been crazy. I think I always say that, but it always seems to be the case. My Aunt Judy passed away last week. She was diagnosed with lung cancer about a month ago and underwent surgery, only to have her heart give out post-op. She was a great woman, I loved her and will miss her. My awesome husband wanted to send me out for the funeral, but after much thought, I decided to stay home so as not to burden some already stressed people out there. Her passing has been a stark reminder of how important it is to always tell people you love how you feel. You just never know.

On a happier note, we are all doing well. We are knee-deep in soccer season and find our Saturdays filled with games. We were even able to watch Jane play last week and hope we can do that again. Isaac is also doing Scouts. He and Dave will be starting guitar lessons soon. We found a teacher that will come to the house and teach them both at the same time. I am anxious to have them both playing! And as if we aren't busy enough, we have begun landscaping the backyard. We have an obscene amount of soil being delivered to the house on Saturday, with which we are building up a burm around the fence. Then we will begin planting trees. It's exciting, but I get tired just thinking about all the work involved.

Brooke took me to lunch today for my birthday - it was really nice. I love that we can hang out. We plan to do something again on Saturday, if we can just figure out our schedules. Dave is taking me to dinner tonight and Grandma Barb is coming over to hang out with the kiddos. We are all so happy to have her home.

I am another year older. I don't feel it, but it is inevitable. I must be old. My favorite part of the day is when it is late enough that I am justified in putting on my drawstring pajama pants. And I have a son that is old enough to tell me that he has closed his bedroom door and doesn't want anyone to go in while he is at school (yea - I worried, too. Turns out he has a Monopoly game going with his brother that he doesn't want disturbed). Anyhow - makes me feel those years.

This is getting long. Love you all. Miss you all. Take care and keep the news coming.

Adina

Anne, I am so proud of everything that you have accomplished in v-ball this season. Brent and I are bummed we can't see you play but are still rooting for ya. I even bragged to my classmate who is an assistant girls v-ball coach at a local highschool. He played men's club v-ball at UC Davis so of course I let him know that you guys beat their girls' team.
Dave- how is your knee doing? I have learned of some new interventions/ exercises that have been found to really be helpful for your kind of knee pain.
I'm off to my favorite study place (the corner Starbucks) for some hot chocolate and a few hours of power studying for neuro.
Hope everyone is doing well. Have a good week!
Buffy

Just thought you all would like to see the feauture story athletics did on me on the website!

Love, Anne


Olsen Leading Wolverine Volleyball Team

September 27, 2005

OREM, Utah – Two years ago, recently married—and recently moved to Happy Valley—Anne Olsen strolled through Utah Valley State’s Activity Center with no intention of playing collegiate volleyball.

It only took her one trip through the gym to catch the competitive desire.

Now, two years and two positions later, Olsen is starting and starring as one of the Wolverines outside hitters. Her quick ascent from not playing collegiate volleyball to team leader is evidence that hard work, determination and versatility pay dividends for a Division I athlete. Just ask Utah Valley head coach Sam Atoa.

“Anne is a perfect example of someone willing to give of herself for the benefit of the team,” Atoa said. “It’s good to have someone like her who can step in and play wherever she is needed.”

Olsen started her career at Mt. Carmel High School near San Diego and starred for her high school team as a setter. She created opportunities for her teammates to score and capture the spotlight.

After graduating, Anne moved on to play college volleyball at Cal Poly-Pomona where she was voted as the team’s “Most Inspirational Player” her sophomore season. There, she was switched to the back row and depended on as a defensive specialist.

She transferred to Utah Valley State with no intentions of continuing with her volleyball. She got married and moved to Utah County with her new husband, who was finishing his degree at BYU.

“I never thought I would play here,” Olsen said. “I walked through the gym and realized that I couldn’t stop playing volleyball so I went to talk with coach.”

The Wolverines are glad she decided to play. She entered her junior season playing primarily on the back row helping the Utah Valley defense. That was 2004, and the Wolverines had plenty of help hitting the ball in seniors Deise Borghetti and Alina Wallauer.

After 2004 ended, coach Atoa needed to find offensive help. He looked to Olsen as an experienced leader to help develop two incoming freshmen.

“I knew she would be productive,” Atoa said. “She hits the ball well and plays with a great amount of enthusiasm.”

Olsen was more than willing to jump into the new position and have a chance to lead the team.

“The other girls call me mom,” she joked. “I’m always trying to tell them what to do on and off the court.”

It wouldn’t be a bad thing if Olsen’s teammates looked up to her this season. Her enthusiasm on the court is evident, and she is second on the Wolverines with 127 kills this season.

Aside from her leadership on the court, Olsen has demonstrated a huge amount of determination to get to where she is at. During the off-season, Olsen understood that her team would be losing its top two offensive performers. She knew that she was in a position to step up. But, she also knew that she would need to dedicate herself to getting ready.

“Playing as a hitter is a lot more physically demanding than back row,” Olsen said. “I knew that I had to get into playing shape and improve my endurance during the off-season.”

Her workout regimen included—among other things—running three miles a day, four or five times weekly.

“Before I started running, I couldn’t run a mile,” she said. “But I worked harder than I ever had before and got to the point where running a couple of miles wasn’t a big deal.”

The conditioning and versatility landed Olsen in the starting lineup, where she is a vocal leader on the court while remaining soft-spoken off the court. She is enjoying the opportunity to shine.

“Finally after four years it’s good to be a starter,” Olsen said.

And if you ask her which position she likes better, the answer comes quickly.

“I definitely like the outside better,” she said. “It’s fun to have the attention and to be able to contribute the offensive numbers.”

The Wolverines are receiving the dividends of those offensive numbers. Atoa says he is thankful for having such a versatile player that can put the numbers up.

“We definitely couldn’t do it with out her.”

I have to just say that as I am writing this post I am watching the special features of the first season DVD of "Lost". I am completely addicted. I decided that I wanted to have "Lost" be my show for this season that I would be dedicated at watching. But I had not seen any of it. Nothing. I didn't even really know the premise of the show very much and I knew nothing about the characters or anything. So on Monday I decided to borrow the 1st season from my friend Kristy and try to watch it all before the 2nd season premiere on Wednesday night. So I ended up watching it from 6pm-1:30am on Monday night and Tuesday night, during my lunch on Wednesday (brought my computer to work) and Wednesday night from 6pm-8pm. I finished the first season like 1 minute before the new season started. It was really close. Then I watched the new episode. And I can't wait for next week!!! I am so addicted it is ridiculous. I spent like an hour at work (heehee) today reading a livejournal discussing "Lost" and the episode on Wednesday. And I am now watching the Special Features. Ha! And I have a picture of Jack (Matthew Fox) on my desktop...Yummy! :) So me and my friend Michelle are going to have "Lost" parties every Wednesday night. It will be really fun to talk to someone about it. I love it. It is SO good. It is like a really long movie, not really like a TV show. Awesome. Anyway, I had to share in the love for "Lost"!

Hope you are all well. I will be sure to take a picture of Jane's picture the next time I am at Dland. Love you all!

--
Marnie

Buffy, I can not wait for Jane to get home from school to give her the news. She is going to be thrilled. I only wish there was a way to get down to Disneyland this year.
Barb, I read your blogs with a mixture of anticipation and enjoyment and extreme jealousy. Someday, right? What a fabulous trip.

Things are going well here. Very, very busy. My mom and dad are in Hawaii and my sister and I pretty much do everything together. Mike got us addicted to the first season of LOST. He bought the season and sent the first two discs our way. So the last three nights we've put the kids to bed in of one our houses and watched with Cory, until midnight. Then Mike and I talk every morning at about 6:15. That's 10:15 pm his time. Okay, we also talk at his lunch time and after he gets home from PT. We are very lucky and stay very informed!

We love being here close to family. It's so fun to play with the DA Stinch's at least once or twice a week. My girls love all of their new found friends. We've loved doing dinners and FHE's with Kenn and Kim and Trevin the last couple of weeks. Too wonderful. I just wish Mike was here enjoying the time too. We are going down to the Schicky's for a birthday party for Audrey tomorrow. That will be alot of fun.

Talking to Mike, gotta go.

Well, we are at a delightful little hotel in Delft (famous for their delft china (the blue and white stuff) and Vermeer (The Girl with the Pearl Earring). We came up on the train from Paris on Wednesday, that is just Martha and me. We stayed for two night in Leiden. Leiden is the city that the original Pilgrims left from in Holland. We saw some interesting historical sites and I went up in a windmill. Not quite to the top..my fear of heights overcame me and the stairs were very steep! We had one dinner on a float out in the canal and went on a canal tour. University of Leiden is there which is a very famous university here in Europe. I believe the Queen went to school there. We took the train over to Delft this morning and have seen the sights today here culminating in a Dutch ~Mexican dinner. Very good but very different from in the states. We are going to have lunch with a cousin tomorrow. We are also hoping to get up to see Nel (of Nel and Daan).

Martha and I are quite a sight travelling....I have two suitcases now and she has a huge suitcase, a duffel bag and another bag. Mine handle fairly well on wheels but stairs are a major obstacle and there are a lot of them here!. Getting on and off the train with them is a major accomplishment. We've both bought a few things!!! ~I'm sure people are commenting on those crazy American women! Only three more days here and then I'm heading home. This has been great but it will be great also to be home with all of you (Dad most of all!)


Love you all, Mom

Came in last night (Tuesday) and found it a very nice city at night. My room is about 2 blocks from the conference center and right in the middle of all the Boston eateries. Did Uno pizza last night and saved some for lunch today. Attended three courses today then a Navy OMS dinner tonight at the Harvard Club (related to the University; I don't know). However, I had a wonderful walk down Commonwealth to the club and enjoyed the people, the cars and the side by side homes. Beautiful place. On the way back tonight, walked by one of the restaurants with people sitting outside on the sidewalk tables...then heard a loud, "crunch", next to me. I looked to my right and saw a Bently sports car (a new one) that had just hit the right quarter of a parked Taxi, doing damage to the Bently's left rear fender well and fender area. The poor guy driving the car was a valet bringing it to a couple coming out of the restaurant. Yeow! Yikes! Rather he, than me. Easy 150,000 dollar car with mucho damage. Ouch. So, I grabbed some Stadium peanuts, some cream soda and headed to my home at the Marriots Copley Square Courtyard. Very nice area.

So, I have a number of courses to do through Saturday and fly home that evening. Looking forward to getting back and preparing for Barb's arrival.

So, we have celebrities in our son and grandchildren. Congrats.

Mom and I are headed to Sacramento, via Oakland on the Friday after she gets home. We'll be back on Monday following. Need to see how grandma is doing as we think she has has some tia's or mini-strokes. I'm asking family there to get her to her MD and talk about an MRI to evaluate her. I spoke to her today and she sounded fine. Bari visited the other day and all she could get is repeating stories, slurred speech and disorientation. Prodromal signs of stroke.

Just to let ya’ll know, one of two pictures I submitted to Disneyland for their 50th anniversary collages has been chosen (the other was of Isaac and Goofy). Here are the details:
Picture title: “Sleeping Beauty takes Jane for a stroll by the castle”
Collage: Lady and the Tramp
Location: Pavillion next to the Corner Café
Row 35, Column 40, Middle Center- Lady’s Nose and Spagetti
I guess this will be out for display through the end of the 50th anniversary thing which will be for quite a while longer. I know that Marnie will probably go sometime this year. And Brent, myself, Amy and her family, my mom, (and whoever else) will be going there next May when they are down here for my graduation. Jane, you are famous!
Buffy

Thanks for all the great updates everyone! Congrats Annie! Mike we’re glad you're doing so well and happy that Bailey has a nice home for a while. I can’t wait to see the pictures of Barb’s trip; I can’t even imagine what it must be like there! Brent and Buffy, we’re glad you made it down the temple! We’ll have to follow suit and head down to Columbus soon. I agree with Marnie that fall weather is just awesome! I love the fall here in Cleveland (which is a good thing since we don’t actually have spring and the winters are so lousy!) I took Hayden to an apple orchard yesterday and we had a great time just picking apples and enjoying being out in this great weather!!

Exciting news: Hayden and Tom were in the newspaper!!! Last week before the Indian’s game started they had their picture taken looking at a statue of a baseball player in front of Jacob’s field and it made the paper on Thursday! It’s got a great little caption with their names and everything, it’s really awesome! I sent a copy to Kenn and Barb so you can check it out next time you’re there! I am so proud of my boys!

We’re all a little tired today from staying up late to watch the Indians and White Sox battle it out but it was worth it since they won! We are going to stay very busy for the new few weeks watching baseball games! Tom and Hayden are also getting into football season and Hayden is figuring out the rules. Today after preschool we were playing with the kids out in the yard and he wanted to pretend to play football. He told some kids to be offense and he said he as defense but then yelled “hike” and started to run around in circles waiting for the pass. He pretended to catch the ball and scored a touch down! It was great until he suddenly got really mad at one of the other boys because he supposedly had taken the football away, it was an invisible imaginary football; and the other boy was so confused as Hayden sat there yelling at him to give the “football” back. I couldn’t help but chuckle at what a ridiculous scene it was! My little sportaholic!

More exciting news: Binky is gone!!!! The Binky fairy came and took it last Friday night because it was getting old and broken. It was a spur of the moment decision and Hayden was very sad about it but he is doing fantastic now! He cried on Friday night, big sad tears like you get when your best friend leaves you but he didn’t get mad or throw tantrums. We just hugged a lot and Tom slept next to him to help him feel comforted. On Saturday he asked for it a few times but we just said we didn’t have it and changed the subject. By Sunday it was forgotten and life has gone on just fine without it. Who would have known it would have been so easy! We should have done it a long time ago!

I had my first day teaching my new primary class on Sunday. I have been in the nursery for the past year and they just switched me to teaching the 5 year olds. I have 7 kids in my class. Things went pretty well but a few of the boys were really testing the limits and got very wiggly in closing exercises but I think they will settle down as they get to know me and my expectations better. I had one really great moment though during my lesson. We were talking about how we know Jesus loves us and one girl said she knows because he gives us good food to eat. I had a boy visiting our class because his mom is investigating the church and he raised his hand. I called on him and he said “If Jesus gives us food because he loves us then how come some people don’t have any food? And my mom says that George Bush was so slow getting food to the hurricane people that some people died. Why did Jesus let that happen?” It was a great first day as the teacher!

Tom had a check-up on his broken finger yesterday and they said things looked good and hopefully he will get into a physical therapist soon. I am now 27 weeks pregnant and starting to feel like it. I don’t look huge yet but the baby and Hayden are taking a toll on my back and I need to be more careful. We still haven’t come up with a name but we have time so I shouldn’t stress. We have the list of names we like but just haven’t actually settled on one. Plus, we can’t decide what to do about a middle name. Hayden continues to be his happy little self. Although, he is getting worse about sharing and taking other kids toys so I am going to have to crack down on that before it gets really out of hand. I was the helper at his preschool class today and he had such a hard time sharing it was ridiculous! So if you have any great advice on how to encourage better sharing I would love to hear it! I know he’s not really old enough to share perfectly but he obviously can’t run around screaming and yelling and taking toys. Hopefully it was just a bad day, I hate to think he acts that way in nursery all the time. Yikes!

Well I best get back to the laundry! Great to hear from everyone! Peter and Marnie, if you have anything special you would love for Christmas please let us know. Take care!

Tracey

CPT Mike Stinchfield
HHC 2X(G3 Ops)
Unit# 15041
APO AP 96258

Yes I know you have all been on the edge of your seat waiting for me to annouce this. Marnie and Buffy are now no longer alone in being SDSU graduates. I offically received my letter today saying that I completed all requirements. Just thought you would like to know.

Love you all
Brent

Everything is good down here in San Diego. The really hot/warm days are gone and I think this is my favorite part of the year, weather-wise. It is not cold at all but it is not hot. Just perfect. :)

This last weekend my friend Matthew from LA was down in San Diego because Michelle's sister, Marisa, got married to her long-time boyfriend, Grant, on Saturday night. Friday night we went to the rehearsal dinner at Alfonso's in La Jolla (very good) and then helped them finish up stuff for the wedding. I had to work on Saturday morning until 2:30pm so I got my Sport Chalet in. Then I rushed around to get ready for the wedding at 5:30pm at the Bayview Restaurant at the MCRD. (I realized as I was leaving that that restaurant is where Dad's retirement lunch was with his clinic). It was very nice and very pretty. Unfortunately my camera ran out of batteries about 30 minutes into the wedding and my extra batteries were in my other purse! So I don't really have any pictures from it. But I am sure that I can get some from Marisa and Grant because at the end of the reception we all took all of the disposable cameras they had on the tables for guests and we took pictures of ourselves! It was pretty fun. On the down time I was mostly just sleeping and eating. I can't believe we were thinking of going to Disneyland after all of that! We didn't end up going though. We will have to wait for that.

So now I am back to work and reality, enjoying my wonderful lunch of pb&j and applesauce. Work is good. They are keeping me relatively busy. I am still checking stuff out for the London idea. Matthew gave me the idea to look into being a nanny. Thought provoking...I would have to really think about that one. But I continue to see if it can work.

Matthew got a kitten last week and brought it down. SO cute! Michelle and Matthew were trying to convince me to get a kitten. I was tempted. But I don't think I am going to do it because I would much rather have a puppy and I can wait on that for a little bit. I am too busy for a puppy but the thought is always there. :)

I think that is all from me. Congrats Annie! That is great about vball! I am glad you are all well and continue to write.

Love you!

I think most of you know where I have been assigned my job. I am very happy about it. Quality of life is very high where I am located. I think I will actually be able to bike to Seoul most Saturday's along the river walk. I am getting and IP phone in my room at the end of the month so I will actually have a Vancouver phone number! Besides my family not being here, things are as good as they get for an Army job.

Great job Anne.

Thanks Dave and Adina for taking Bailey in. That was getting to be a major source of stress for that household.

Tom, you are a traitor if you oppose the A's.

They have a golf course in front of my apartment Brent.

Dave, I kicked your butt:) What the heck is with Culpepper? I think I would have easily busted 200 this week if he had played like last year. First week , not so good. But...you have to love my pick of Cadillac. Brent and I both said at the Auburn game we went to that he would be amazing in the NFL. So far, most yards gained of any rookie back, ever.

I love you all.

Mike

I am so proud of you!!!!!!!

Well since Kim ask about it, here is the names for the gift list:

Mike - Dave
Brooke - Treven
Dave - Brooke
Adina - Mike
Brent - Tracey
Buffy - Adina
Tom - Marnie
Tracey - Peter
Marnie - Anne
Peter - Kim
Anne - Brent
Treven - Tom
Kim - Buffy

-Anne

Just thought you'd all like to see this! Love, Anne

Wolverines Take Their Final Two Matches

Match 1 Box : Match 2 Box : Season Stats September 17, 2005

OREM, Utah – Utah Valley State won its final two matches of the LaQuinta Utah Valley State Invitational with Anne Olsen and Lacee Koelliker being named to the All-Tournament Team. Utah Valley defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 3-0 and finished off UC Davis 3-1 to secure second place in the tournament.

"Anne had a great tournament. She came through for us in a lot of situations," said head coach Sam Atoa. "Lacee did a tremendous job in running the offense."

In the UC Davis match, Utah Valley controlled most of the match out-playing the Aggies in most every catergory.

"I thought that was UC Davis' best match of the weekend, but give our girls credit for sticking to the game plan," said Atoa. "This was the best offensive match we had yet this year, I don't think we've had a match where they've hit over .200 in every game. We reached our goals in all areas," said Atoa.

The Wolverines hit .350, .314, .217, and .256, respectively in the four games.

In game one, it was balanced attack for the Wolverines, with five different players recording kills. Jessica Endres led the way in the set with six, and Camie Manwill had four. Utah Valley used a 7-0 run in the middle of the game to gain ground on the Aggies and take a 20-17 lead. The Wolverines would be in charge the rest of the way, taking it 30-27.

The offense continued to shine in game two with Olsen, the wild card, notching five kills and three service aces to lead Utah Valley to a run away 30-24 win. Manwill also finished the game with five kills. The Wolverines hit .314 in the set, with 19 totals kills.

The Aggies used 7-2 and 8-3 runs late in game three to take a 27-23 lead. The Wolverines could of stayed in the set and pushed for a win, but eight services aces prevented the sweep. UCD's Chantal Paschetta finished the game with four kills to help the Aggie cause, and lead to the 30-26 victory.

Game four was the Wolverine's from start to finish. Davis couldn't get much going, continued to pound away on the offensive side of the net, winning the game by 10, 30-20, and taking the match.

Three Wolverines notched double-digit kills and Koelliker continued to be outstanding distributing the ball. Endres finished with a career and match-high 19 kills, and Manwill also tallied a career best with 18. Olsen finished with 16 in the match, and tied a school record with six service aces in the match. Brooke Adams was another offensive threat who recorded a Utah Valley career best eight kills. Koelliker had another double-double making it six out of the nine matches this season. She had an impressive 57 assists, and 19 digs, only one dig under the match-high recorded by teammate Maegan Hoyt (20).

In the first match of the day for Utah Valley State Jessica Endres notched 13 kills in a 3-0 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in second round play of the LaQuinta Utah Valley State Invitational. Endres tallied 5 kills in each of the first two games to lead the Wolverines to the sweep. She hit an impressive .364 on the afternoon.

Koelliker's streak of five straight matches with a double-double was snapped due to the lack of games played. She still finished wth 34 assists and 4 kills with no attack errors. Olsen was her next best option when Endres wasn't available. Olsen finished with 11 kills, and hit .381. Hoyt put up 12 digs on the defensive side of the net.

As a team the Wolverines hit .289, a season best, and out-blocked the Islanders 9-2.

Olsen and Koelliker were named to the All-Tournament team. The Wolverines host in-state rival, Utah on Tuesday, September 20th at 7:00 pm. Students and employees get in free with their UV I.D. card.

LaQuinta Utah Valley State Invitational ~ Final Results:

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 3, UC Davis 1
Idaho State 3, Utah Valley State, 2
Idaho State 3, UC Davis 0
Utah Valley State 3, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 0
Idaho State 3, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 2
Utah Valley State 3, UC Davis 1

LaQuinta Utah Valley State Invitational ~ Final Standings:

Idaho State 3-0
Utah Valley State 2-1
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 1-2
UC Davis 0-3

LaQuinta Utah Valley State Invitational ~ All-Tournament Team:

Lacee Koelliker, Utah Valley State
Anne Olsen, Utah Valley State
Nikki Havens, Idaho State
Felice Yocopis, Idaho State
Carol Marcengo, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Kati Broom, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Jenny Pierce, UC Davis

Tournament MVP: Felice Yocopis, Idaho State

I am so proud of you...thanks for posting the article! I can hardly wait until the weekend of Oct 8th when we will be able to see you!

Mom

Wolverines Put up Record Numbers But Can't Hold On
Box Score : Season StatsSeptember 16, 2005
OREM, Utah – Utah Valley State had five players put up career-high numbers Friday night against Idaho State, but couldn't hold on in five games, 30-24, 22-30, 30-28, 26-30, 12-15, on the first day of the LaQuinta Utah Valley State Invitational. "I'm disappointed, but the encouraging thing is we put ourselves in a position to win," said head coach Sam Atoa. "We just need to do better at the end of games." Lacee Koelliker put up a career-high and school record 65 assists. She distributed the ball mostly to Anne Olsen and Jessica Endres who also tallied career-highs in kills. Olsen finished with 24, and her .314 hitting clip was second best in school history (50+ attempts) in a match. Endres recorded 21 kills, and her .378 hitting percentage was a Wolverine school record (40-49 attempts) in a match. Olsen also finished with a career best 19 digs. Freshman Bethany Carron set milestone numbers with 16 digs. Redshirt freshman Carlyn Cadmus was the other Wolverine who had a career-high in kills with eight, and hit a career best .294. "Lacee plays all the time, but as far as Lacee's concerned a win is more important than the 65 assists," said Atoa. In game one, the Wolverines took an early 10-4 lead. The Bengals battled back to cut the lead to two at 13-11, and would eventually tie the game at 16-16. The set would go back-and-forth from the point of the first tie at 16, until the Wolverines took advantage of a 6-0 run to close out the game 30-24. Olsen and Larissa Laycock both had four kills in the game. The Wolverines took the early advantage in game two, but couldn't pull away. The Bengals continued to play the Wolverines close taking their first lead at 12-11. With the lead, ISU took the momentum the rest of the set. The Bengals finished the game on a 9-3 run, to overtake UV 30-22. In game three, the chess match was on, as both teams traded leads and blows. The Wolverines used a 5-0 run to take a 20-19 lead and force a Bengal timeout. The break gave the Bengals their breath back as they went on a 6-3 run taking a 25-23 lead. ISU would force UV to take a timeout at 28-25. The Wolverines bounced back to score the next two points after the intermission, and ISU had to call another timeout with the Wolverines only trailing by one at 28-27. UV would close out the game finishing off the last three points, and sending electricty through the crowd. After losing a dispiriting game three, the Bengals didn't go away. ISU fought back from an early 5-1 Wolverine lead, ultimately tieing the set at 11-11. Neither team would take more than a two point lead until the Bengals went up 23-20. The Wolverines showed heart fighting to within two at 28-26, but the Bengals scored the final two points taking the game, 30-26. Endres had seven big kills in the game, and Olsen added five.Game five didn't disappoint, as the lead changed five different times. The biggest advantage was three, for ISU at 14-11. UV cut the lead to 14-12, but couldn't hold on in the end, dropping the game 15-12, and the match 15-12."At times we did a nice job, but we did less than what was needed to win," said Atoa.Other key Wolverine contributors, were Maegan Hoyt, whose 26 digs was a season-high and third best in the Utah Valley State record book for a single match (she now holds the three best single match dig totals). Laycock had a solid eight kills.The difference was the blocking, as ISU out-blocked the Wolverines 11 to 2. With the loss UV, moves to 2-5 on the season, and ISU improves to 4-8. Utah Valley will play a doubleheader on Saturday with a match against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 1:30 pm (MST) and the final match of the Invitational against UC Davis at 7:30 pm (MST). TAMUCC defeated UC Davis in four games in the first match of the tournament.

Just you would all like to see this!

Love, Anne

Well; I am working with a French keyboard again so it is a bit of a struggle. The period is a shift key; the a, m, q,w comma are in different places....very disconcerting!

We are in a great apartment in the Northeast corner of Paris. It is very much of a family neighborhood with children riding tricycles down the street. It has three bedrooms; two baths, a full kitchen, sitting room and dining room with many antiques on the 4th floor. We come up on a small two person elevator. But the metro is right on the corner so we have easy access to everything. We turned the car back in yesterday; then Martha and I walked to St: Chappelle hoping to get tickets for the concerts there; only to find out that they are cancelled for security reasons. So we then just took the metro back to the apartment.

This morning we got up early and went to Marche du Puces (a huge flea...and antique market). It was very fun and I bought a great thing for our coffee table....you'll have to wait and see it! Martha talked me into it. Everyone is now getting ready to go to the Musee D'Orsee which has a lot of impressionists; to Notre Dame....etc; etc: There is not too much time to sit around.

Love you all (Marnie, I think six months in London is a great idea...Beppie Anne could probably be helpful for information)

Mom

It's been a good while since I have written anything. Maybe it is the mound of boxes, clothes, and chaos that surrounds me as we continue to move into the house. Actually, the downstairs is looking pretty livable - aside from the garage, which I think is slowly driving Dave mad. He is a man of order and a messy garage is killing him.

Kids are all great. The school is busting at the seams with children and they are adding new teachers in each of my kids' grades. I fear that each will be moved into a new classroom as they add teachers; Parker already has. We registered late, obviously, so we are the last on the totem pole. Either way, they are resilient and adjust well, so I'm not too concerned. Parker's cast is off and he can now boast one of the ugliest arms I have seen in a long time. I think he will have some interesting scars...which will only further encourage him to tell people the gruesome and detailed story of breaking his arm.

We are in full swing of school, soccer, Webelos, church dinners and socials, and whatever else life throws our way. I've even been sucked into a BUNCO group in the neighborhood. The first night felt like something out of Desperate Housewives, but they are basically a good group of "ladies".

Dave is loving work. He is still at about 3 days a week, but his schedule is slowly filling up and then he will work another day. He surprised me with that trip to the coast a couple of weeks ago for our anniversary...totally got me. I had no idea. It was fabulous.

We have inherited Bailey (Mike & Brooke's golden retriever) for a while. Much to Brooke's disbelief, we feel honored to have her here, rather than obligated. She is a well-trained, gentle and loving dog. We are all really enjoying her.

I've written enough. It's great hearing from all of you. We love you all!

Adina

Hello to all. I just wanted to keep the blog going so I'll update you all with what we are up to. Last Saturday Brent and I went to the LA temple with our best buddies who live upstairs to do a session. It was our first trip to this Temple so we were excited to go. It was only possible since all four of us committed to going months ago so it was nice to actually go. Every temple that I have been to (not many) has been very different and unique, yet still the same if that makes any sense.
School is going pretty well. I picked an easy dissection for the first (the elbow) which was good since I realized how bad my technique has gotten since it was two years ago when I took anatomy here. I struck research gold by finding a metasearch done on my exact research question that was just published last year from Norway. Basically that means that they did a VERY detailed statistical analysis on ALL of the current literature on my topic (TMJ interventions) to come to their conclusion. So all I have to do is agree with them in my own words and use their reference lists to obtain my references since I need at least 20 of them. Ok, I realize that I just completely bored the pants off of 99% of you all but I just wanted to explain myself.
Oh, and I got a job again at Ann Taylor (a clothing store that I used to manage before grad school). I am excited for the extra cash and it's a pretty nice place to work and don't worry, it's only 1 or 2 shifts a week. Brent agreed to let me use my 50% first purchase discount to buy a suit. I had promised myself I would get an Ann Taylor suit when I finished PT school so I'd say this works out perfectly!
Brent got free tickets from work to the UCLA/ Oklahoma football game for tomorrow night... do you think he asked me first to go with him??? Nope, he asked his buddy Chad who is as big of a sports nut as him... his wife and I often ask ourselves if they like each other more than us! Speaking of our dear friends, we think we have almost successfully convinced them to move up to the Portland area with us. They have long been wanting to move out of CA in search of a more mellow lifestyle and the prospect of buying a house that didn't cost 5 times what it was really worth. So now they are seriously considering the job market in Portland and we insist they live on the WA side. Funny how life works these things out.
Anyway, I have to get ready for work (this is wierd since it's not over the Christmas break when I normally work!).
Barb, we can't wait to see pictures! We miss you all.
Buffy

So Google just released a new search engine...just for blogs! It is at www.blogsearch.google.com. Kinda creepy. If you type in "Stinchfield" it comes up with a bunch of stuff from our blog and other random things. It is pretty funny to type in things that would only be on our blog and see what it comes up with.

Just thought you guys would be interested.

-Marnie

Found another internet cafe! Having a great time here. The sun just came out and Martha found a tapestry shop she has been looking for. I may get one as my "permanent" memory of this trip to France.

We went to the American cemetary this morning. Very moving to see all of those crosses and stars over the hills. It was raining lightly which went a bit with the mood there. When you see those beaches it is just incredible what we were able to do. Bayeux was the first city liberated from the Germans. I took some pictures but the battery ran out.

We stopped by a French Target( not called that, of course) and I got some more batteries and another memory chip. Only 27 euros for a 256 M one. We also got some bungie cords as we have grown out of the van...We'll put some suitcases on top. What a sight we will be!

Well, I have others waiting on me for the english keyboard! Love you all! (Marnie, I loved Giverny but we had to skip Chartres...not enough time!0

Mom

This will be quick but I just wanted to add something to the blogg. We’ve been having a fun week. The Indian’s are playing the A’s this week and they are going head to head for the wildcard so it’s been fun to be a part of. We went to last night’s game and had a great time with a 5-2 win! Tom and Hayden are going again tonight while I go to Enrichment Night. Tom still wants to be loyal to his A’s but we’ve convinced him he needs to be loyal to his family and support the Indian’s right now. It’s a lot of fun!
Hayden has become obsessed with singing kids songs and he does it all the time. He surprises me everyday by singing another song off his CD that I didn’t know he knew. It’s great fun! Here are a couple of fun stories about him recently:

1. Out of the blue he told me that if baby sister starts crying we can put her in her room because it's dark in there. Then he thought for a minute and said "we can put her back in your tummy, is it dark in there?" and I told him I don't know if it's hard in there. So he ran over to my stomach and shouted "Baby sister, is it dark in there?" then he paused and said "She said yes."

2. I was cleaning his room and he came in and put his fist up in fighting position and said "Hey mom, you want a piece of me?" He was ready for a fight! I questioned him and learned he had just seen it on a Jimmy Neutron…that kid and TV, I better be careful about what I let him watch because he remembers everything!

3. I was getting dressed and he was playing in the living room. He suddenly came running down the hall and ran in the bedroom with me and shut the door. He looked at me and said "Hi mom, I came to see you because I like you!" I was happy for this declaration but a little surprised by his actions and a little bit in disbelief. A minute later he told the real story and said "I heard something out there and got scared!"

We finally “solved” the problem of being terrified of monsters at naptime and bedtime by simply letting him sleep with his lamp on. I figure there are worse things he could do. Like still have a binky… his binky is so worn out it’s getting a small hole. I was showing it to him and telling him it will be broken soon so we should probably put it away somewhere special. He simply put it in his mouth and matter-of-factly declared “It’s okay, it won’t bother me.”

Okay, enough stories. I better go get something done. I’ll try to write again! I’m glad everyone seems to be doing well. Talk to you later!

Tracey

I am so jealous! Mom you have to take pictures and buy me something! :) I loved Chartres and Giverny when I went to France. They were two of my favorite places, well, they were all my favorite places but those two were beautiful. It was so amazing to be walking by the waterlilies that inspired Monet to paint "Waterlilies"!Awesome. Wish I could be there. And I am sure Mom will enjoy the amazing stained glass at Chartres. I bought a book about the cathedral when I was there. Very cool. Are you guys going to Paris at all? Versailles? Wish I could be there!

I have a new idea that I want to move to London next year for about 6 months or so. Me and my friend Nicole are trying to figure out a way to make it work. It involves work permits, finding jobs, finding a flat, and finding the money! But it would be quite an experience and one that I have always wanted to do. I really would like to live abroad at some point and I might as well do it now. And Nicole totally wants to go too and she is mostly reliable on ideas like that if they can work. She wouldn't back out at the last minute and screw me over or anything. So that is my new plan/idea that I am working on bringing to pass. That and trying to convince Nicole to move back down to San Diego and live with me. I almost got her yesterday! She is thinking she might if we moved to like Carlsbad or something which is closer to work for me so I wouldn't have too much problem with it. So we will see.

Anyway, got to get back to work. We have been getting viruses up the ying-yang so I have to be careful on what sites I go to online and make sure I save downloading stuff for home. Hope you are all well. It has been good to hear from you all! Have fun and take pictures Mom!

Well, I am now at an internet cafe which has an English keyboard so I can reasonably write messages. This trip is really a ball...I want to bring Dad here..and Marnie...and all of you. It is so much fun!

Today we have spent the day visiting the Chateau at Amboise, the house where Leonardo da Vinci spent the last years of his life and the Chateau Chanacioux (sp?) which is built over a river...all very cool. Yesterday we drove up from the country home near Figeac visiting several villages including one that is built into a cliff. We then visited a village where there was a Nazi massacre. It was very moving! We arrived late to our manor house bed and breakfast and had a late dinner and dropped exhausted into bed. Tomorrow we are going to see Monet's gardens and another chateau and will be staying in Bayeaux for two nights. We'll be going to Normandy during that time.

We are quite a sight...six middle aged women careening through Europe in a Peugeot van loaded to the hilt!!! and laughing all the time. This is definitely a trip to remember. Martha and I are planning a trip in a couple of years including Dick and Kenn. I'd love for her to keep me posted so we could maybe go on one together, Marnie. I definitely am getting the travel bug.

Sounds like all is well at home...I do miss you all in spite of all the fun I am having and will be happy to return back home to you. Thanks so being so good to Dad in my absence. Love you all,

Mom

Hey!
I know we haven’t blogged for A LONG TIME! Mom bugged me every time I would be over here (like 2 times) to do it. I should have listened now that we are getting yelled at ha-ha! Anyway, we don’t have internet at our apartment because then we have to pay for it and we just really don’t want to do that. Our apartment is finally getting all put together and feeling like a home. We don’t have anything on the walls really because we know we will only be here for like 3-4 more months so we figure we don’t need to be putting holes in our walls. We borrowed a LoveSac from the girl I baby-sit for. It is the biggest one you can get. For those of you who don’t know what LoveSacs are, they are huge beanbags but they aren’t little beans of that stuff (ha-ha) they are made out this material that NASA uses. Anyway, it is a company that started in Salt Lake City and they make some awesome bean bags except they are EXPENSIVE! Well we have one in our living room along with a loveseat and mushroom chair (MARNIE!). The LoveSac takes up like half of the room. We will have to take pictures when mom gets back from the trip. I let her take my camera instead of buying a whole new one!

Most of you know we are selling the Durango to get a better little car that will suit us money wise! Since the lowest car insurance we can find is 950 for 6 months! Ugh... Anyway, we have a buyer but he is getting money to pay for it this month so it is the situation where if someone gets it before you then oh well! And he knows it. We SWEAR that the stallion is punishing us for selling him because now his brake lights are working and we thought that maybe it is the fuse. So we bought and new one and replaced it. Nope not it! So now we are going to take him to this guy (that Treven works with) to check out the brake switch to see if something is wrong with it. This guy is a big automotive guy and he owes us so yeah. Just crossing the fingers that we don’t get pulled over by a cop before that!

So when is the Christmas drawing going to take place? I couldn’t remember if it had already happened or not! Anne, great job! I really want to be able to see one of your games as you playing outside hitter. But every time I watch it makes me miss it that much more….. Anyway enough of my complaining! Great job and keep it up! Mike, miss you and glad you are safe over there! Dave and Adina, weird not to see you guys everyday. Brooke, call whenever if you need a buddy to help out and do stuff with! We love you all! And we will post pictures when mom gets home!

Kim and Treven

a poem for Brooke

Brooke Stinchfield is her name
She has a sis-in-law that's really lame

I promise I didn't forget you
I would never even think to

But I suppose that's the problem
And man you know I've got 'em

So sorry for leaving you out
Just please forgive me and don't shout

I love you so
I will never let you go...apart from the Stinchfields!

Sorry brooke! I love you!!!

Just got home from the Washougal vs Prarie HS Football game. Dave, Isaac, Taylor, Parker and I went to the game after a great dinner with Adina, Morgan and the above mentioned guys. We stayed until it looked like Washougal was going to get snookered and then all of a sudden, as we were leaving, a couple of touchdowns in a few minutes and the game reversed itself. We laughed at each for missing the best part of the game, but he boys were getting restless and off we went. On the way home, I could see the scoreboard and with 1:21 to go, Washougal was ahead by 4 points. I don't know how it turned out. Hey, the home across the cul de sac from David and Adina is for sale. It is a very nice home like theirs. If you want this one, you'll have to move fast.

Had a nice time last night with Brooke and kiddos, Dave and Adina and kiddos at the Greatest Show on Earth circus. Had a good time and the looks on the kids faces made it well worth it.

Tomorrow is another day with mom gone off to Europe. I'm handling it okay and I get occasional invites from family for meals here and there. Kim brought me some broc and chicken and it was good, as usual.

Well, that isn't much said but I am drifting off to sleep. Love ya, all, Dad

Wow Marnie, Mike is gone less than four days and I am no longer included as family. That's cool. I hope I get your name for Christmas. Then I won't have to worry about getting you anything since I'm not really a part of your family.

For those of you that still include me- Dave, my cell is 706-577-2806. My parent's home phone is 360-666-8639. I hope you received my message about not needing you to watch Bailey. I left in on Adina's cell. I left a message there yesterday afternoon as well. Just so you don't think I'm pulling a Marnie:)

As for me and the girls, we are doing well. Mike is reasonably happy and that makes me happy. Jane gets to talk to her dad every day right when she gets out of school and that is definitely a high point in her day. The girls are having lots of fun with their cousins, although Sadie is having major Morgan withdrawals now that she is in her new house and we aren't seeing her on a daily basis.

Barb, I hope you are having a wonderful time on your trip. We miss you. We love you all. Peter, I especially want to tell you how much fun we had getting to know you this summer. I think I've said that before but we are so glad you are part of the family. Even when Anne is out of town. We like all of your geeky interests as well :) Anne made a wonderful choice. I'm sure Kim did too, but we have to wait until the newness wears off and then see if uncle Trevin is as fun as he is now.

Alright, now that I have offended everyone. I love you all. Goodnight.

Good job everyone! Well almost everyone...we still haven't heard from Kim and Treven. Hopefully they are still alive and ok.

Good to hear everyone's news.
Mike: Glad you are safe in Korea. I hope you can have some fun their exploring the area. I will have to send you some money so you can hook me up with one of those mink blankets that Dad used to get for us. I have a half size one but I would like a full.
Mom: I am jealous but glad that you are having fun in Europe. I wish I could go! I love it there!
David and Adina: I need your cell phone numbers. My cell phone broke so I had to get a replacement and reenter all numbers but I lost yours. I hope the house is coming together well. Brent and Buffy: I promise I will come up there sometime soon. I just am busy with work and scared of gas prices so a 6 hour round trip drive makes me hesistate for a one day trip. So we will see when I can figure that out.
Tom and Tracey: I love the pictures of Hayden! He is so cute! Good to know that you are well.
Anne and Peter: Great job Anne! I was bragging to my friends about you because they are in a volleyball class at Mesa and think they are all good and stuff so I told them you were way better! Hopefully I might be able to squeeze in one of your games when I am up in Utah next month.
Kim and Treven: Um, hello? You guys are MIA so I have no comments for you. :)
Dad: Hang in there! Feel free to take a weekend trip to San Diego to visit your alone daughter! The weather is amazing!

I am well, just working and chugging along. Love you all!

Glad Mike got to Korea safely....and Anne on her great game..s...This is a struggle since the French keyboard is slightly different! We arrived safely and are having a great time. We are in an old Roman city tonight where van Gogh cut off his ear! I enjoyed reading the blog...we are in a hotel with internet access! Have to go get ready for dinner!

Love and ,miss you all:::especially Dad!

Mom

I'm glad I wasn't the only one totally amazed by the amount of high rise apartment buildings in South Korea. And it is like that almost everywhere. It is hard to fathom unless you see it yourself. And it is amazing how close it all is to the DMZ. Glad to hear you made it there safely Mike. I can only imagine the freakin' out at the airports. I'm surprised they let you take it! Amenities there sound nice. Shoot, that would be awesome if there were some way the girls could stay there with you. We haven't heard from Brooke yet. BTW, Brooke, when you read this, could you give me a call? I realized that I only have Mike's cell # and not yours programed in. I wrote it down somewhere, but I lost it. We have a landline now in our new home, so everyone can add it to their lists: 360-210-7143. Email that same as always. Give us a call Brooke, so that we can arrange the deal tonight.
Good job on the killing (?), Anne. You sound like you are tearing it up. I wish I had known that it were the closest game of the season, I would have tried to come. You'll have to let us know your schedule so that we can see if there are any others we can make it to.
We just got all connected with internet, telephone, etc. here in our home today. It is finally starting to be functional. We still need to make a couple more shopping trips to Safeway to fill the cupboards. Pictures on the wall will help as well. It is nice being so close to work and school.
The soccer season has started and it really throws the scheduling all out of whack. It'll be interesting.
Also, last weekend, Adina and I broke away for our 12th wedding anniversary to a B&B on the Oregon coast. Mom and Dad were gracious enough to take the kids for 4 days/3 nights. We went to this place between Cannon Beach and Manzanita called St. Bernard's. Really cool B&B, with great food, awesome rooms and not far from the beach or other activities. We did some sight seeing....there are some beautiful views on the coast, I'll have to post them as soon as I find my camera. We went horseback riding in the dunes and on the sandy beaches. It turned out to be a beautiful day. Adina had never done it before and I had done it last when we lived in Valentine. It was really a lot of fun and we got a little sunburned and SORE! We went out to dinner a couple of times and went shopping and to a play in Cannon Beach. It was a great break after all of the moving, starting work, starting school, starting sports, new Ward, etc.. We really needed some recovery time. And now we are back to the grind...
Mom is gone to Europe, so we are trying to keep Dad busy. He went from 8 people sleeping in his house to 1 person, within 1 day. Must be quiet in that big house. But, we try to go make some noise occasionally.
Mom, hope all is well there. What a trip! Anxious to see some pictures and hear about your travels.
Take care all,
Dave

Mike reading to the girls. 

It was funny sending my carry-on through security. The lady at SEA-TAC gasped loudly and freaked out, yelling "What the hell do you have in there sir?!" Well it is my 2 hard drives and video cards bubble wrapped in cardboard boxes, a PS2 smashed in between, with wrapped up cords on either side. I can only imagine what that looked like on the screen. And then in Tokyo, in there own special Japanese way, they freaked out. The bag was totally unpacked and I had to send each piece through separately. Funny.

Well all, I have arrived safely. I didn't sleep a wink on the plane. So I was ready to crash hard when I got to the hotel. Went to bed at 1030 pm and amazingly woke up and could not sleep at 4 am. So, with the International Dateline I figure I woke up Tuesday morning after maybe 5 hours sleep and didn't go to sleep until 1030 pm Wednsday and then could only sleep 6 hours. Hmmm..well will see how I do. It is 447 pm right now and I feel like I do about 1 am which is coincidentally what tiem it is in Washington so go figure.

Seoul is huge. I would say it feels even larger than New York just because the city never stops. Camp Casey is 40 miles NE of Seoul and on the bus trip here I was wondering when we would finally get out of the city and then all the sudden we were going into the Camp Casey gate. So there are still all the very large skyrise apartment buildings all around Casey. Not at all like I pictured it. And to think the enemy is only like 5 miles away...weird.

I will be inprocessing here for the next week and a half. Nice being a Captain because they put me up at the Camp Casey Lodging which actually has a nicer room than the hotel I stayed in at Seoul. And Brooke, it is only 39 bucks a night and is about 3 blocks from where I work. Nice, huh?! Weird to shut the blinds and watch FOX news, feels no different than the states. Downtown Seoul looked incredible, I cannot wait to check it out. I am amazed by how many dependent families I see here. On Casey they have a full commisary and PX just slightly smaller than the one at Benning. It is very nice from what I see so far and Yongsan Garrison in Seoul was over-the-top nice. Only thing really missing is my girls, all 4, and that is a huge MISS.

Anne, that is sweet, great job. Peter, I am glad you are working through HL2, go ahead and finish it and let me know when you get done. I can hold off replaying for a while. I will not be in my apartment for a couple of weeks and then it will be a bit before I get my PC and Internet set-up.

Brooke, I need to buy a cell phone here. I am going to wait and try to by a used one off someone leaving. It is the way you get a phone here, cheap as land lines. You don't sign up with a provider like in the US. You just by a Korea capable phone. You use pre-paid phone cards to use it, all incoming calls and text messages are free. So that will be cool. I will let you know.

I will let you all know what is up in the coming weeks. I had a great Summer with all of you. Thanks so much. Take care of my girls.

Love, Mike

Here are a couple of paragraphs from the UVSC website posted after tonights game against Boise State. I'm sad to say I wasn't able to be there myself.

BOISE, Idaho – The Utah Valley State volleyball team defeated the Boise State Broncos Tuesday night in an intense four-game match, 30-23, 18-30, 30-26, 33-31, at Bronco Gym. The Wolverines improve to 1-2 on the season and own an overall 3-0 series record over BSU. “It was absolutely a great effort by the girls,” said head coach Sam Atoa. “It was good to see them come together and execute our game plan. They [ Boise State] changed some things on us and it didn’t faze our girls.”

Outside hitters, Anne Olsen and Camie Manwill notched double-digit kill numbers, both finishing the night with season-highs. Olsen tallied 14, while Manwill added 12. Middle blockers Jessica Endres and Stephanie McFarland also added some fire power, with 9 and 7 kills respectively, and outside hitter Larissa Laycock chipped in 8 kills.

The defensive end was solid as well, with Maegan Hoyt finishing with 17 digs. Manwill added 8 digs, while freshman Bethany Carron and Olsen added 5 apiece.

The writing above was posted tonight by a reporter for UVSC. I'm way proud of how Anne is playing. Anne has had 5 service aces for the three matches. She has a really good jump serve and jump served to win the match tonight. This is big because the score was 32-31 and she jump served with that kind of pressure and executed like she knows how to do. It's fun to be in the crowd and here the ooo's and aaahhh's when she jump serves. They play this coming Friday and Saturday in Ogden in the Weber State tournament. It should be fun as it always is.

Well, I wasn't at the Boise game because I was on my way back from another California trip. I was able to go up to Yosemite for one of the days. It is really a beautiful place. I didn't get any pictures this weekend. But I drove through Yosemite last weekend on my way back to Utah and snapped a couple of pictures.

Mike, I hope you have arrived in Korea safely and I look forward to blogs from there. I also hope the whole family is adjusting well after your departure. I have appreciated your allowing me to use your steam sign in so I could play Half Life 2.

'Till next time, take care.

Peter

Goat and friend 

Enterance 

Paradise Inn 

close up 

Happy rider 

watch your step mom 

mom mike el brooke 

mom mike el 

The Boyz 

Morgan 

parker and isaac 

Jane 

ridge 

over the edge 

Trees 

Brook 

Base of Rainier 

Family way up there ahead 

Falls 

Mike and Mom 

Happy Elly 

Rainier crew 

That is to say, I didn't go as high up the mountain trail as the rest of the clan at Mt. Rainier yesterday. Hey, I got a nice hiking stick, however. So, the remaining crowd at our home, being Mike, Brooke and girls, and I,T,P and M, and mom and I took the ride, all 133 miles, up to the area called Paradise. It is. Beautiful, as Mike pronounced months ago when they went up with the Bennetts.

There were clouds from the base, up...so, we didn't see much of the mountain, but what we did see was fabulous.

Dave and Adina are on a Thur-Sun trip to the coast, hopefully, having a ball. We're glad they've gotten some relief and been able to just rest and enjoy the time together.

Mom deploys to Europe tomorrow at 0830 an a large civilian transporter. She has her orders in hand and is making contingencies as I write. She and the admiral are going to reconoiter the lands around France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Their bivouacs and messing facilities have already been arranged by headquarters and the admiral has been given full responsibility to see that the troops enjoy their tour for a continuous 21 or so days. So, she is finishing up last minute disbursements and arranging for her private husband to deliver the remaining documents to the postal services, for payment during her mission.

I believe she is also finishing a RS lesson for delivery today at church.

I believe we're going to have a family meal today in preparation for mom and Mike leaving for their trips. Sad to see Mike go off to Korea but how glad we are that he was chosen for Korea vice other venues. I guess that is sort of a parental issue with keeping their children as safe as possible. I'm sure there are deep feelings that are still to surface as the departure nears. We have enjoyed his presence for the few weeks that he has been here. I guess what we would enjoy most is seeing all of you back in the area so we could see you raise you families and enjoy each other at family gatherings. Once every few years is nice, but nothing like just calling a gathering for a weekend and having some more time together. Hey, jobs take you where they must and making a living sometimes requires a lot of separation....just look back at our times away from family. And, note too, that we don't live near our family.

Well, I am going to end this as I'd like to post some photos from yesterday.

Love you all, Dad

We were going to ship him out there for a visit!

Hayden looks way too small for this ride but it's his favorite one!

Super Hayden!

The rain is over and it feels like summer again. It seems unreal to think about how much people are suffering just to the south of us while I sit here so comfortable in my house. I’m grateful there are so many organizations offering relief.

Hayden has been particularly fun this week, just being so cute and sweet. Today we went to a music class put on by some of the other moms in our ward and he loved it! He followed all the directions and really enjoyed dancing along and singing and such. He keeps saying that Sophie (the girl I baby sit) is his sister. He tells everyone that she is his sister and for some reason it makes her mad and she says “I’m not your sister” and that hurts his feelings and he cries…hopefully his real sister will be nicer to him! It’s pretty funny.

Tom is getting busier at the clinic but he is still trying to find more patients. He really enjoys what he is doing which is good since he has to do it anyway! This school year is definitely much better since he isn’t busy with homework all the time. Hayden and I enjoy the fact that we can hang out with him every night.

We got some new fish today for our salt water tank. They are pretty cool and will hopefully acclimate well with the other fish. We already had to remove our star fish because he was really aggressive and was trying to eat our new anemones. The star fish cost $6 and the anemones were $30…so the star fish was returned to the pet store. We couldn’t get our money back for the star fish, we’ve had him for a few months, but at least we didn’t have to kill him. Hopefully the other creatures will learn to get along!

I’m finally really starting to feel pregnant. I can’t bend over as easily and I have to wear all maternity clothes and such. But I still feel great compared to how I am sure I will feel in a few months! I thought I would wear a lot of the clothes I had with Hayden but they are just so uncomfortable and frumpy looking compared to what they have now that I had to break down and get some new pants, even though they cost a fortune!

We are hoping to go the beach tomorrow with the Debaltzo’s after the BYU game. We are watching the game at 3:30 and will then hopefully meet up with them. We’re looking forward to a relaxing nice weekend. Gas is $3.29 at the station on the corner, we’re grateful we didn’t have any long road trips planned.

Hopefully you will all have a great weekend! We’d love to hear the reports on everyone’s new school year. Thanks Marnie and Buffy for keeping us up to date. I hope the new school year goes well for everyone, kids and adults alike. Hayden starts his once a week preschool on Tuesday, should be fun. I’ll do better about writing to keep you up to date on our boring lives! We love you all, feel free to come visit.

Tracey

As per Marnie's request, I decided to blog a bit.
I have just finished my last first week of fall semester here at Cal State Northridge. The bad news: I have to wake up at 5:30 am again and start another heavy semester of studying as well as write my graduate thesis. The good news: getting to see all my classmates (I've made some great friends here), we have beautiful new facilities that were just completed (pretty impressive), and I've made it to the final year.
I'm really excited to take my pediatrics course as well as my advanced anatomy elective. There are only 8 people in this class and we get to choose what disections we want to do and encorporate them into presentations of our choice. I have to start on my first disection on Tuesday and have no idea what body part I want to do... any suggestions???
I also just sewed a couple of blankets/quilts with my friend for the first time... once again I am becoming more domesticated (who would have thought?). If you need straight lines to be sewn, I'm your gal!
The sunbeem class I co-teach with the bishop's wife is going well. My lesson last Sunday went very well; my lesson lasted longer than 5 minutes, I luckily made a coloring project which came in handy, and there were no tantrums!! I am learning a lot about teaching the little guys from observing my partner. She is incredibly loving and patient with them which is good since she has had 11 of her own to practice with!
Anyway, Brent is still working hard as ever at the Chalet. There is always some big sale or event to keep him working hard and often late.
Have a good weekend everyone and Marnie, I hope this helped!
Buffy

Hello? Is anyone out there?

Seriously guys! You haven't been supplying me with stuff to read at all this week! I am forced to read the Schick blog, the Bennett blog, or just hollywood gossip! What is going on? Have you all fallen off the face of the internet? I am confused.

Anyway, I am hoping you are all alive because I am. Things are going pretty well in San Diego. I sure can't complain about anything to do with the weather! What with the horrendous-biblical-propotioned disaster happening on the Gulf Coast. I hope you all have been watching. I am always surprised at people who don't pay attention to the news and really have no idea what is going on. But that is probably because I am constantly checking the news. This has been happening for almost a week and people I know are just realizing it today! Anyway, so on Monday I went beach cruising on Coronado with Joel and Derek. George W. was there at the Hotel Del Coronado and there were TONS of protestors standing along the beach outside. The anti-Bush people were on the left side of the street and the pro-Bush people were on the right, with police on horses and police with riot gear strolling down the middle. So we all got some dinner and sat to watch the crazy people. :) It was pretty funny. I am telling you, some of those protestors definitely need some voice coaching, their singing was horrible! "We shall overcome, we shall overcome..." wow...

Didn't get to see W. though and he left on Tuesday to cut his vacation short because of the Katrina disaster. I am reading/listening to "Dress Your Family in Courduroy and Denim" by David Sedaris right now on my way to and from work. I like it quite a bit and am almost done. So I need a new book to read, any suggestions?

I saw "Red Eye" last week. It is a pretty good movie, I recommend it if you want to see a suspense thriller. Last night I watched an older movie that I hadn't seen, "Drop Dead Gorgeous". Really funny, mockumentary style like Spinal Tap and Best in Show.

Work is going well. I have had a lot to do this week so I am keeping busy. I start a PET, Parent Effectiveness Training, class on September 13th. It is my companies main communication program and they want me to take it. So they are paying for everything, I just have to go. It is every tuesday night for 2 1/2 hours for 8 weeks. It should be interesting. Even though I am not a parent yet, they are useful skills for all relationships and I hope to be a parent one day. I am also planning on taking a New Testament Institute class on Wednesday nights that my bishop's wife teaches. She is a really amazing woman. I think they have 12 children or something like that. Anyway, I am looking forward to that.

I worked at Sport Chalet last Saturday and am this Saturday as well as Monday since I have Labor Day off and don't have any other plans. I figured I might as well make as much money as I can that day. :) (Holiday time at GTI plus time and a half from Sport Chalet). Working there is going well so far. I did realize some of the downsides when I went back last week, like having to help customers and not just talk to my friends :), but it is fine and I am liking it.

I am planning a trip to Utah for my birthday. My old roommate, Nicole's, brother is getting married so she can't come down and I figured that I haven't been up there in a while so I would make the road trip and go! A few of my friends are coming with me and most of them have never been to Utah so that should be fun. Mom and Dad will be up there that weekend as well so hopefully I can see them at some point.

Anyway, now that I have written you a novel! I guess I will get back to work. I hope to see some novels from all of you as well since we haven't heard from anyone in a while! Love you all!

PS: I am probably going to see the new Transporter movie this weekend. I will let you all know how it is.
PPS: Don't think that I am spending a ridiculous amount of money at the movies, I have a hook-up at the theatre! Don't be jealous!