I agree Marnie, that those 2 pictures are great so I submitted them. I hope that's ok with moms and dads. But boy would it be a great excuse to go to Disneyland to find pictures of our family there! Hope you all have a great week!
Buffy
Hey guys I know that you all have been to Disneyland on multiple occasions and have taken some pretty cool pictures. You may not know but May 2005 is the 50th Anniversary of Disneyland. For this they are collecting photos and making collages for really cool posters. If you go to www.disneyland.com/photos you can submit your own photos for the collage. Last time I heard not that many people had submitted photos so there is a good chance that you could get your pictures on there. I was thinking of the picture with Jane and Belle, and the one with Isaac and Captain Hook. Those would be awesome. Anyway, FYI, check it out. Looks like it will be cool.
Your Disneyland obsessed sister/daughter,
Marnie
San Diego is good. It is cooling down a bit which is a nice relief. It is making be like living here a whole lot better anyways. It was actually cool enough to wear a sweater the other day! Amazing!
School is going well. My creative class is starting to have some kind of a format. We have textbooks now and are starting to have tests. Too bad the tests have to start at the same time I have tests in all my other classes. I have a test everyday next week and I am working inventory on Monday night from 9:30pm-2:30am. Should be a rough week. Wish me luck!
All else is good. I am busy planning the logistics of my birthday celebrations with my different friends. I say "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" on Saturday. It was very entertaining, a fun movie. And Jude Law was in it so of course I was going to like it!! The Star Wars Trilogy came out on DVD yesterday but I am patiently waiting until after my exams to buy it because there is no way I will be able to resist delving into it. I also saw Garden State, again, last week. It is one of my favorites now. Really applies to my point in life now. Friends are good, Church is good. I am really enjoying my D&C institute class that I have right now. It is fun to learn new insights that I haven't thought of before. I am also trying to keep up with a Book of Mormon read that my relief society is doing. I decided against the bike for my birthday, too many logistical problems. I am getting a camera instead.
Today in class my communication theory professor came wearing full mens formal Japanese wear (this is a skinny, military looking white guy) and started the class with video of a sumo wrestling match and then lectured in Japanese for about 5 minutes. It was an object lesson for the lecture but all the same it reminded me of Japan and Dave and Adina. I guess he went to Tokyo over the weekend and he was drinking Pocari Sweat and giving out Japanese candy. He specializes in Japanese culture and communication I think. Anyway that was a fun little experience.
In my creative development class we are doing a campaign right now for Penta bottled water. So you all should go get some and try it and let me know what you think. They sell it at Ralphs and health food stores. The website is pentawater.com. Let me know if you have any ideas for advertising! :)
Well I need to study now for those tests!
love, Marnie
Thank you, Brooke, for keeping us up to date on your goings on...It sounds like things are close to what they were when I was there...except for the progress on the outdoor stuff. Your mom is a dynamo...you're fortunate to have her there...or rather Mike is very fortunate!
We had a great weekend of volleyball with Anne this weekend. It was fun to see her play again. When she got married and Kim decided not to continue in volleyball, I thought that our volleyball days were all over. It's nice to have them back. Unfortunately, they don't have a lot of weekend games since they are new in Division 1 and not yet in a conference. If any of you have any in's with volleyball, put in a good word for them so they will get invited soon! Depending on what happens with my work, I may try to get down there for some games in early November.
We also had a great time visiting with Peter. He is definitely fitting into the Stinchfield mold since Dad and he stayed up until 2:30 on Friday night playing Xbox!
The team came over Friday night for a BBQ. Dad had to barbeque in the garage since it was pouring rain outside. Our concept of a relaxing outdoor barbeque in our backyard was kind of squashed by the weather.
I have joined "Curves" and work out three times a week. It's a good program for people such as me that have a short attention span. You switch activities every 30 seconds! Dad, Kim and I are on a health...let's lose weight...kick. Let's hope that it can produce the results.
Kim is heading out to Tom's on Thursday...and Dad and I are on our way to Sacramento on Saturday. This house will be lonely for awhile.
I just got back from Enrichment Night...not as exhausted as I normally get as I have a really good Enrichment leader now. What a relief!
Love you all,
Mom
Frankly, I don't know why I'm writing. There is really not much to tell. Sadie has one more week in her cast. I've looked up the bottom of it and I think it is going to be one scary sight when that baby comes off. Jane is dealing with the extreme drama of 8 year old girls. I know it is just going to get worse and I know I am only on my first. This kind of makes me want to run away. Mike starts on his culmination exercise on Thursday so he is a stress case, when he is home, with just cause. My mom is here until Saturday so we have been working on projects that I can't do by myself- the yard, basement, porch etc... I think this is a relief for Mike because these were all "honey do's" with no time to "do." I have started walking 2 miles a day. I'm not allowed to push the stroller so mom does that. Okay Sadie is having a melt down. Bye
Well Everyone,
I type this while I lay on our couch resting from a outrageous weekend of volleyball and fun. We had a huge volleyball tourney in Portland, OR this weekend and play 4 matches in 3 days. We went 2-2 and took 2nd place in the tourney. It was tons of fun and we had a blast. We wish we could have done alot better but we did well and we are showing people what type of team UVSC really is and that they can't think that we are just going to give them an easy win. Mom and Dad and Kim were able to come and watch and it was exciting to have them there watching. Peter drove up and stayed at mom and dad's and was a very supportive loving husband while I had to spend sooo much time away from him with my team. All is going great and now it is time to get back to the real world and back to studying and tests and classes. We head to Idaho State on Tuesday to play that night then to Las Vegas on Friday to play Saturday night. I am going out of my mind trying to fit my 48 hour schedule into 24 hours a day but I guess I am doing well. So far I have received A's and high B's on all of my quizzes, I just have to wait and see my results from the tests from this last week.
Anyways, Peter and I are doing well and having so much fun. Peter flies in tonite so I have to make my way back up to the airport to pick him up. Until then...it is time for me to rest. I didn't get too much sleep last night because my roommate was on the phone with her boyfriend until like 3am and we had to wake up at 4:30 to go to the aiport at 5. I need my sleep. We love you all and are thinking of you always.
Love, Anne and Peter
Well, after almost 6 years of marriage and five years of dating before that, I finally got Brent to go to a swing dance class with me. Actually it was at our ward's mutual (my first ever mutual). Our upstairs neighbors and friends were teaching the awkward teens to swing dance so we came along to support them and finally learn a few things about couples dancing.
Brent did a great job and I only laughed out loud if I looked down at his feet... our friends have promised us private lessons later.
No big news from over here. I have my first midterms next week (3 of them!) so I guess that means I have to buckle down and study these next few days. I'm taking fun classes like cardiopulmonary rehab, orthopedic assessment and treatment (Brent is my practice patient and I get to tug on his joints alot), patient education, stats, and neurological development.
I think I'm scaring Brent because there are already Halloween decorations up in our place but what's wrong with being prepared right? I'm planning a really big Halloween party with my neighbor and can't wait... I've loved this holiday since I was a kid! I think it will get a little more fun when we have little trick-or-treaters of our own but we'll have fun anyway. I hope that everyone posts pictures of their tick-or treaters this year!
Have a good weekend!
Kumamoto 
Well, the funny story has little to do with Kumamoto Castle, but it is one of the largest castles in Japan and has been there since 1400. Amazing to think that it was standing well before the United States was even an idea. Anyway, really fun trip.
So we were done checking out the castle and we were getting ready to load up into the car. Isaac, being the curious one of the group, found something quite interesting in the bushes about 20 feet from the van. So, logic states that you must then poke it with a stick (at least Isaac logic says so). It was a beehive of course. So, all of a sudden Parker lets out this shriek. It happened when Isaac had a stick next to his leg, so we figured he had poked him. But, after a few seconds, we realized that his screams were rather shrill and more than a stick-poke. Just when we came to that conclusion...BAM!.....BAM! Isaac grabs his arm and Taylor grabs his ear, again blood curdling screams, arms flailing in the air, running in circles and Japanese tourists taking it all in. Luckily each one of them just got one sting, but they seemed quite painful. Maybe they were Japanese Kamikaze Bees or something, but we never actually saw the bees, they stung and disappeared. It was quite funny actually, and we are kicking ourselves that we didn't have the camera going, because we had it right there.
But, once again, poor Taylor and Parker suffer from Isaac's curiosity. And, Isaac suffers too.
Dave
Due to recent requests and for those of you who are interested in our Fuji climb, we are finally recording the details for all to see...
I will begin by saying that despite any setback or quirk in our trip, it was an awesome experience - one that will be remembered and treasured for life. That being said, we began our trip by finding two sitters that were willing to join us for the 14-hour drive up to Fuji and then stay with the six youngsters too small for the hike. We went with a family with 4 boys - very good friends of ours. We were very fortunate to find 2 girls up for the challenge - and they earned every penny!
The trip up was smooth - we made a few stops on the toll roads at the rest stops, where you can find just about anything you might need. We rented vans for the trip since the tolls are ridiculously expensive. Tolls are paid for with rentals from the base. Our round trip would have cost $500 per van in tolls alone, so it was a good investment. It's no wonder Japanese never travel too far from home - it's not affordable!
We stayed at Camp Fuji - a very small marine base at the base of the mountain. Our rooms were modest, but comfortable and only cost us $25 a night. We got a lot of good sleep that night and arose early in the morning for our adventure. After a good breakfast, we bid the kids farewell, and the six of us (Dave, Adina, Isaac, Margo, Rick, & Tanner) set off. We drove to the 5th station on the mountain - where most everyone begins their hike. There, we purchased walking sticks that would prove invaluable on the climb (at least for me). We officially began the hike at 8:30 am. It was cool and misty, perfect weather in my mind. I was surprised at the terrain a little - not a conventional "hike" by any means. More of a climb - found ourselves using all four limbs many times. It was very rocky - just a huge, lumpy volcanic rock. A twisted ankle waiting to happen. Very little vegetation. But it had it's own beauty - and the view (when the sky was clear) was amazing. LIke nothing I have ever seen.
We were very well prepared for the hike, for which I am grateful. We each had a Camelback - each of us carrying 2 to 3 liters of water. Plenty of healthy, high-carb food, first aid kits (which we used), warm clothes, ponchos, yen, cameras, hats, sunscreen (which we used too late), change of socks, etc. We are forever grateful to Brent for hooking us up with some awesome Vasque hiking boots - not one blister or wet foot on the hike. THANKS BRENT!
The mountain has stations that you can stop and rest at as you hike. Each station has a bathroom (but it will cost you about $2 to use it), water (which will also cost about $3-5), oxygen in a can (for altitude sickness), and some offer hot food. You also get your stick stamped at each station - they burn the altitude and a symbol into your wooden stick, so by the end of the hike, you have a really cool souvenier. Of course, that will cost you, too. Nothing is free on Fuji!
We climbed the last weekend in August, just days before the climbing season is over. As we hiked to each station, the workers were covering the stations in rocks preparing for the impending snow that will eventually blanket the mountain. No more hikers until July of 2005.
Isaac and I developed a pretty good case of altitude sickness - fatigue, pounding headache, dizziness - but we took some ibuprofen and trudged on. There was absolutely no turning back. By the last couple of stations, Isaac was beat. I felt for him - his head was really hurting. Each time we stopped to rest, he would drape himself over a rock and lay perfectly motionless. He was just completely drained. Probably for the last 2 hours, I pulled him up the mountain. But he was the first to cross through the Tori gate at the top!
Once we reached the top, the weather changed instantly. It went from clear, blue skies to total cloud cover and rain. And the temp dropped to probably about 40 degrees. We went into the station, where there was a small Buddhist temple, got our sticks stamped, changed into our ponchos, got Isaac some oxygen from a man that probably thought Isaac was going to die right there on his floor, and headed back down. There was no view to enjoy, and we wouldn't see the base of the moutain again until we reached it on foot. The clouds and rain stuck with us til we were done, which made for a very wet descent.
We stopped at a station on the way down and had some hot Udon noodles - very good. It really perked Isaac up. It felt like the Twilight Zone, though. We are sitting in this small, wooden room, eating hot Udon noodles, on the side of a mountain, and surrounded by lots of old Japanese men in their socks and slippers who are smoking and chatting, who don't look like they belong there. But we were all grateful for the hot food in our stomachs and the break.
The hike up took 5 hours - the hike down took about 2 1/2 or 3. I felt like the descent was just a controlled fall, at least for me. Isaac's altitude sickness totally disappeared as we descended. My headache remained, but it felt great to reach the bottom of that mountain!
I am very proud of Isaac and his determination to do something that not many 9-year olds could do. He is very active and full of energy and that is what got him up there - that and the promise of some Mt. Fuji dog tags he saw at the souvenier shop. Whatever works, right?!
It was an awesome experience - highly recommended if you ever get the opportunity.
Love you all...More later...my little brother is visiting and we are doing a lot of travelling and sight-seeing while he is here. Not a moment to spare, it seems.
Adina
All is well here in Ohio. We are enjoyoing great weather, I love the summer time here, it stays in the mid 70's most of the time! Tom is really busy with school, it is a lot more demanding than last year because he has a lot of lab work to do. He works really hard while he's at school so he still has a lot of time to spend with Hayden and I when he comes home. Our new fish raising hobby is going well. For those who don't know we bought a 55 gallon tank on E-bay and are raising semi-aggressive tropical fish in it. We have three different types of fish and then they will all end up being 8-12 inches long when fully grown! Each fish has a name and personality and it's been a lot of fun to share this experience as a family. Hayden frequently runs up to the tank saying "nack" "nack." He loves to feed the fish their snack. Finding Nemo continues to be his favorite movie, he wants to watch it all day so he constantly brings me the remote and says "Mimo." It reminds me a lot of Sadie when we saw her last Thanksgiving because she was really into watching Nemo back then. I can't wait for them to get a chance to play together now that they are getting older.
Hayden is picking up words left and right and gets funnier by the day. He loves the kids I baby sit, he's always giving them hugs and even cries when they have to go home! However, he doesn't want to go to nursery. He was fine the first few weeks and then he just started to cry and he cries the whole two hours. He gets so upset if Tom and I aren't around, I sure hope it's a phase! Just as we were getting desperate trying to decide what to do about his nursery blues I got called as a nusery leader to work in the same nursery as Tom. We debated putting Hayden into the other nursery his age (our ward has 8 nurseries so he has several choices) but we decided to take the chance that he won't cry as much next year when he moves into a new class because he will still be with all his church friends. We've got our fingers crossed- in the meantime he does great when he is in the class with Tom and I. He's great at folding his arms for the prayer, singing the songs and coloring. In fact, he's obsessed with coloring all the time which can be a problem when he decides to color in Tom's textbooks!! And he calls crayons "bebe's" for some reason...
For Labor Day weekend we went with some friends down to Columbus and took turns going to the temple there. On Monday we went to the beach on Lake Erie and enjoyed the sand and swimming. We've been to several Indian's games and endless softball and football games for Tom. All around it's been a great summer and we are looking forward to having Kim come in a couple of weeks. Hope all is well! Talk to you later!
Tracey
Well, I returned home from Georgia on Tuesday...and while I am enjoying the cooler, less humid weather, I do miss those little girls in GA. They are all so cute in their each individual ways....Jane is getting so old...and definitely friend-oriented! Sadie is a riot walking all over on her cast like a pirate and singing "I know you...." in a variety of voices. She calls me e-ma. The first time any of my grandchildren have been around me at that age long enough to really create their own name for me. Ellyn is sitting up and VERY close to crawling. I do miss them...as I miss my discussions with Brooke...and the more rare ones with Mike due to his busy schedule. I don't miss the humidity!
I am getting use to my non-working status. Wednesday, I was mainly catching up on everything..Thursday, I went to the temple for a session...Friday, I was still working on getting my paperwork and my desk all cleared up. Only did two ding-batty things....mailed a check I meant to deposit (thanks to Brent for his patience!!) and dropped my cell phone in the new Target parking lot (Thanks to a very nice stranger, I did get it back).
We went to see Napoleon Dynamite on Friday night...strange but very funny.
I have an interview with a consulting company tomorrow...we'll see whether my vision of intermittant work will actually develop as I have thought it would. I am still having a hard time remembering not to schedule things on Mondays!!
For those who didn't hear, Gramma was taken to the hospital on Friday night with heart pain and dizziness. She stayed overnight but they just needed to change her medicine and she is home and doing better. Her 94th birthday is on October 4. She really is amazing.
More people need to write in the blog.......I love Anne's regular bulletins on her games....need more on the rest of your lives. I am amazed at how grown-up Isaac is...and how athletic!
We love you all!
Mom
Well we went 1-1 today. We losed to U of Oklahoma in 4 but beat U of Memphis in 3. We are now 3-2 and are doing very well. We didn't play so well in the Uof Oklahoma game but we played really well in the other game. Sam (our coach) told us that if we won the memphis game he would take us out to dinner, so we all went to TUCANOS!!! Oh it is soooooo good. I ate too much. Peter is bummed cuz he never goes out to eat with us because he would have to pay. We would be poor if he went out with us every time. We had lunch and dinner paid for today. It was great.
All is well, and we will be in Portland next Wednesday for our Tourney up there. I am very excited to see Mom and Dad and Kim. My team is coming over for dinner on Friday, and we are so stoked.
I am beat and need to rest. Love you All!
WE WON AGAIN!! We beat Central Florida in 4 games, and it was a very close match. It was very exciting to win our first home game and improve to 2-1. Volleyball is great. I got two more aces tonite and played all four games.
We play U of Oklahoma and U of Memphis tomorrow, and we are so excited to play more teams for the chance to end this weekend with a 4-1 record.
We love you all and continue to think about each one of you. I hope Grandma is doing fine now and hope that she is able to return to her normal life.
Love, Anne and Peter
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