Ah yes, the painting is finished!!

So about 18 months after we started painting the outside of our house we finally finished!

Before you ask, yes we did take a break in the middle in order to re-roof but now it is done.

We realize that not everyone will feel our level of joy at having completed so great a task but we're pretty happy. Check out the lift we rented so we could get up to the high parts over the front porch.

The next step is to get our house listed and sell the thing (hopefully soon) and then we'll look for another one to fix up.

Creativity

So, lately I've been discovering my creative side. Guess what, I have one!! I have always enjoyed photography, but last summer I broke down and bought a digital camera. It's the exact same as my film camera (Canon Rebel) so all of my lenses are interchangeable. I'm not really sure what my hesitation with going digital was. I LOVE my new camera. The day I got it I took at least 100 pictures just in our yard. And our yard only takes about 15 mintues to mow, so you can imagine that finding 100 things to take pictures of must have been pure excitement of a new toy. Since then I have continued with my photography exploration. This is one of my favorite pictures. I really enjoy nature and I especially enjoy finding the details of nature that make it so beautiful. This is just a leaf with water droplets left after a fall rain. The red in the background is actually a red maple leaf that had fallen to the ground. Isn't God amazing with his creation??

I also really enjoy photographing the places that I travel to and especially the people. This is my all time favorite image from my travels. This was taken from a taxi cab in India. We had briefly stopped on a bridge in Calcutta and the kids crowded around our window. When you look really closely at the picture, you can see the reflection of the taxi in their eyes. (This is probably too small to really see it.) Anyway, I just wanted to share a bit of my new found creativity with you. I hope you enjoyed it!

Winter Continues ...

Ok, so it might not be as bad as it was a few weeks ago with icicles trying really hard to make it all the way to the ground... but it's still cold!
The weather had almost decided to warm up a little but now back to the snow and ice. Driving becomes more of a game of chance and my car has an amazing ability to get stuck in the snow. This is irritating especially when it's in our own driveway and we have to dig it out just so we can park it a few feet further over! Anyway for those of you who like the weather updates (Dad) then here it is ... hope you enjoy!

The Writer's Touch

This past fall, Graham started writing. (Well, to be honest, I was going to as well until I realized how much better he was than me.) Anyway, he took a few classes and tapped into his creative side with the written word. I really enjoyed reading his musings. Here's a sample for you to enjoy!! (Completely fictional, based off of a newspaper heading.)

Can you hear me now?

Controversy is brewing in a Connecticut high school as Principal Saunders continues his policy of confiscating cell phones from students who use them during lessons.
Not surprisingly the policy has sparked a strong reaction. One teacher told me he is in favor of the policy. “All day long it’s one ring tone after another”, he commented. “If I have to hear Golddigger by Kanye West one more time I’ll go crazy”, he added. Other teachers noted that the popularity of instant messaging has caused grammar and spelling standards to tumble. “I constantly have to tell my students to spell the ‘long way’. What’s so hard about spelling the word ‘great’ without an 8? It’s only got five letters!” asks one history teacher.
Parents are divided on the issue. David Johnson, whose daughter is a senior, agrees with the decision. However, parent Sharon Mills disagrees wondering how long her daughter will have to go without her phone. “I paid a lot of money so she could have a phone. Principal Saunders must think that cell phones grow on trees but I had to get mine at Radio Shack.”
The greatest outcry has been from the students themselves. One wondered how she’d keep track of all of her friends if her phone was confiscated. “I normally call my friends ten times a day to find out where they are and why they haven’t called me”, said Jane Simpson between calls. Fellow students agreed and said they would find more creative ways to fight back. No further details were forthcoming.
Principal Saunders was unavailable for comment however his secretary was willing to speak on his behalf. She was quick to refute the allegation that the principal was selling the phones on e-bay to raise money for school supplies. “He doesn’t see the point of cell phones”, she said. “He hates using any kind of phone and is a firm believer in Post-it notes. I am constantly delivering notes all over the school”.
It seems this breakdown in communication will be hard for even the best network to fix.

The First Post

Hey

Thought we should get into this whole blog thing! We're hoping to use this site to keep everyone updated on what's happening with us. We'll be working on it over the next while so there should be more pics and posts in the next few weeks.