Monday, December 1, 2008

It Never Rains In Southern California

Today we leave Los Angeles (again) and begin our journey back to Tennessee (again). We just couldn't take another warm, sun-filled day. But before we go, we wanted to give this place one last best/worst tribute. Yes, we focus more on the bests than the worsts...but that's what should be done wherever you are. Happy Holidays!

The Best



Playing and eating with little friends on Thanksgiving.

The Best


Paul and Michele...the coolest of the cool in Hollywood.

The Worst


Long lines to see Santa (and long lines to see basically anything else).

The Best


Larger than life outdoor Christmas trees.

The Best


The Ross Family (and their extended family).

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Pasco Days and Jedi Nights













We heard that both Star Wars and Halloween are particularly popular in the Pacific Northwest, so we paid a visit to Grandma and Grandpa Morse's house in Pasco for the holiday weekend. Sam (a.k.a Yoda) trick-or-treated at about 3 houses before he decided to turn around since the best candy was back at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

No tricks...just treats







Grandma Pat and Grandpa John entertained us with many fall delights...including: pumpkin carving, cookie decorating, and trash truck driving.

Walkin' The Dog



Grandma and Grandpa's dog, Lady, took us on several walks by the river during our stay. She even let Sam hold her leash after he convinced her, "It's okay, Lady."

Everything went swimmingly...














Sam really enjoyed playing at a local park by the Columbia River. Nothing like a giant sturgeon sculpture to entertain the kids!

More cowbell!









After seeing Grandma Pat play the guitar, Sam was inspired to take up several instruments over the weekend as well.

Lady, I'm your knight in shining armor and I love you


It was tough for Sam to say goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa's dog, Lady...of course, he wasn't allergic to her like some of us.

Pre-Halloween Celebration


You just can't beat the Oxnard Chick-Fil-A balloon animal lady. Sam asked for a dog and she threw in a leash for free!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

On Top of the World...


...Or at least the United States. This week Sam proudly completed his largest puzzle ever with only a few promptings from Mom such as "Now you need to put on the Moose's rear end!" Not extremely exciting news, but worth an update as we didn't know where else to put this picture.

Life's A Beach














Life is hard, but my job is not. I was lucky enough to spend the whole day Monday at a Malibu beach house (no, I haven't switched to a job as an MTV VJ) and even luckier to have Dan and Sam join me to play in the waves. While I stayed dry taking pictures, Dan and Sam enjoyed running from the ocean.
Digging for treasure...it's the only way to afford living in Malibu.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

We Didn't Start the Fire















Our house was not on fire, but traffic was horrible because of other people "fleeing" the area so we did what any good Californian does in the event of a crisis...we went to the mall and rode on the carousel.

Going South

We were lucky enough last weekend to get to visit our old house in Knoxville. It is a beautiful time of year in the South as the leaves are just starting to change and a crispness fills the air. However, in the pictures below you will not see any detail of our house or the leaves or the scenery. Rather, the best part about where we were is the wonderful people with whom we shared many good times. We hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we enjoyed our visit!

Fun with the James Family


Fun with the Christians




Fun with Sofie - despite her broken leg


Fun with Evan


Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Sea-ing The World











We recently got to go to San Diego for a "work" conference. While no meetings were actually held at SeaWorld, we were lucky enough to find time to venture there and a few other beautiful spots in San Diego. The pictures below show us having a whale of a good time (bad pun intended). Enjoy...and happy Fall!

Some of the Characters at SeaWorld (Dan included)











New and Improved SeaWorld Sesame Street Rides!











Not recommended for riding after dining with Shamu.

More SeaWorld Wildlife














Dan included again.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Chillin' In Utah







To celebrate the end of summer, we brought the party to Grandma and Grandpa B's house in Utah. Good times...

Play It Again, Sam







Sam also perfected his musical skills while in town.